A brief guide to pairing wine for a private dinner at home

Six principles our head sommelier follows when arranging a six-course wine pairing for guests dining at home. None of them hinge on price.

Begin with the room, not the menu

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

Two whites are generally sufficient

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

Purchase one bottle more than you expect

Servings invariably run a little longer than the arithmetic suggests. We bring one spare bottle of every wine to a private dinner, every time, without exception, and the guest never sees it unless we need it.

Decant the reds you are uncertain about

A reluctant young red transforms with thirty minutes of air. A delicate older red collapses with twenty. When in doubt, decant the young one and leave the old one untouched.

Pour less than you imagine

A 100 ml pour is generous for a paired dinner. Pour smaller, top up more often, and your guests will remember the wines they actually tasted.

Finish sweeter than you began

Even if your dessert is bitter chocolate or a cheese board, the final glass should draw the evening towards sweetness. A late-harvest Riesling, a Sauternes, a Tokaji — the specific choice matters less than the direction.

Prepared by the editorial team at Azureharbour. Last revised 2026-07-13.