Wine pairing at home: a concise guide for a private dinner

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

Start with the room, not the menu

The room sets the pace. A glass-walled terrace on a summer evening will not suit the same bottles as a candlelit dining room in February. Decide 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 dull.

Buy one bottle more than you think

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

Decant the reds you are unsure about

A stubborn young red opens up with thirty minutes of air. A delicate older red collapses with twenty. When unsure, decant the young bottle and leave the old one untouched.

Pour smaller than you think

A 100 ml pour is generous for a paired dinner. Pour less, top up 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 lean the evening toward sweet. A late-harvest Riesling, a Sauternes, a Tokaji — the pick matters less than the direction.

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