Wine pairing at home: a concise private-dinner playbook

Six principles our head sommelier follows when shaping a six-course wine flight for guests dining in their own house. Price never enters the list.

Start with the room, not the menu

The space sets the pace. A glass-walled terrace on a summer evening will not carry the same wines as a candlelit dining room in February. Settle which setting you are hosting before you draft a list.

Two whites are usually enough

One bright, one rich. A Chablis and a barrel-aged Chardonnay; a Riesling and a White Burgundy; a Verdicchio and a richer Italian. That two-white approach carries a dinner from amuse-bouche through the fish course without ever feeling repetitive.

Buy one bottle more than you think

Servings always stretch a little past the math. We bring one spare bottle of every wine to a private dinner, every time, without fail, and the guest never notices it unless we open it.

Decant the reds you are unsure about

A stubborn young red opens with thirty minutes of air. A fragile older red falters after twenty. When unsure, decant the young bottle and leave the mature one untouched.

Pour smaller than you think

A 100 ml pour is generous for a paired dinner. Pour less, refill more often, and your guests will recall the wines they truly tasted.

End sweeter than you started

Even when dessert is bitter chocolate or a cheese board, the final glass should tilt the evening toward sweet. A late-harvest Riesling, a Sauternes, a Tokaji — the bottle matters less than the direction.

Prepared by the editorial team at Azoresprings. Last updated 2026-07-20.