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

Six principles our head sommelier follows when building a six-course wine pairing for guests at their own table. Price never appears on the list.

Start with the room, not the menu

The setting 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 of those evenings 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 fuller Italian. That pair can carry a dinner from amuse-bouche through the fish course without feeling tired.

Buy one bottle more than you think

Portions always stretch a touch longer than the arithmetic implies. We pack one spare bottle of each wine to every private dinner, without fail, and the guest only notices if we open it.

Decant the reds you are unsure about

A stubborn young red softens after thirty minutes of air. A fragile older red falls apart 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 at a paired dinner. Pour less, refill more often, and guests will recall the wines they actually tasted.

End sweeter than you started

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

Prepared by the editorial desk at Silverspringskeys. Last updated 2026-07-20.