Apologies for the virtual hiatus, but Pour Favor tastings have been keeping us awfully busy this holiday season! We've traveled the world grape by grape with myriad interested parties and are coming off of our whirlwind tour just in time to plan our own holiday soiree.
And that's when I realized it is quite possible we've never discussed the most important thing about The Holidays (aside from what to pour, of course) - how MUCH to have on hand! Are you in this particular predicament as Christmas looms or New Year's RSVPs flood in, too?
First things first, consider how many people in your crowd will be drinking wine with you. If you have 50 people coming but only about 30 people who you think will imbibe vinously, use that as your base number.
Next, think about how much, shall we say decorum?, is anticipated. If you have a moderate drinking crowd, figure 2.5 glasses per person. Multiply that number by your base (2.5 * 30) and achieve your total number of drinks expected (75). A healthy pour would mean 4 drinks per the standard 750ml bottle. A more moderate pour will be 5 per bottle. If you prefer to strike a middle ground, use 4.5. Carrying our example of 30 moderate drinkers forward, you are looking at nearly 17 bottles needed. It never hurts to round up, so consider buying a case and a half and you should be good to go.
The other variable we've alluded to above is whether you think all of your folks will be wine drinkers. Play with the 'formula' above to adjust accordingly (e.g. 30 wine drinkers, with 15 others more interested in beer) and make your final call on how much to have on hand. Then, put on your party shoes and fire up the iPod! It'll be time to celebrate like it's 2012 in no time.
Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy and happy New Year!