Planning a party, dinner, wedding or big celebration?
One of the hardest questions is surprisingly simple:
How much wine do I actually need?
Buy too little and you risk running out halfway through the night. Buy too much and you're left with dozens of bottles you didn't need.
The good news is that estimating wine quantities is easier than you think.
Here's our practical guide to working out how much wine to buy for your next event.
The Simple Rule
A standard bottle of wine is 750ml and provides approximately 5 standard glasses.
For a typical event, a good starting point is:
1 bottle for every 2–3 guests
But that's only a starting point.
The amount you need depends on the type of event, how long it lasts, whether you're serving beer or spirits and how much your guests are likely to drink.
How Many Bottles Do I Need?
Here's a useful starting guide for an event where wine is the main alcoholic drink:
| Guests | Approx. Bottles |
|---|---|
| 6 | 3–4 |
| 10 | 5–7 |
| 20 | 10–14 |
| 30 | 15–20 |
| 50 | 25–35 |
| 75 | 38–50 |
| 100 | 50–65 |
These numbers are a guide rather than a strict formula.
If wine is being served alongside beer, cocktails and spirits, you can generally reduce the amount of wine required.
A Better Way to Calculate It
For a more accurate estimate, think about three things:
1. How Long Is the Event?
A two-hour lunch is very different from a six-hour evening celebration.
For a short event, allow around 2–3 glasses per person.
For a longer event, allow around 4–5 glasses per person, depending on the occasion and guests.
Remember that one 750ml bottle provides roughly five standard glasses.
2. What Else Are You Serving?
If you're serving beer, cocktails or spirits as well as wine, you won't need as much wine.
If wine is the only alcoholic drink available, you'll need more.
3. Who Are Your Guests?
A relaxed Sunday lunch with mostly moderate drinkers requires a different calculation from a long evening celebration.
It's always better to have a little flexibility rather than calculate everything down to the last glass.
How Much White Wine vs Red Wine?
If you're serving both red and white, a rough 50/50 split is a good starting point.
But you can adjust this depending on the season and menu.
Summer
In warm weather, white wine and sparkling tend to be more popular.
Consider:
60% white / 40% red
Winter
In cooler weather, red wine tends to be more popular.
Consider:
60% red / 40% white
Dinner With a Specific Menu
If the food is mainly seafood, chicken and salads, increase your white wine allocation.
If you're serving steak, lamb or slow-cooked meats, buy more red.
Don't Forget Sparkling Wine
If you're serving sparkling wine on arrival, allow around one glass per person.
One bottle gives you approximately 6–7 smaller celebration pours.
For 50 guests, that means around:
8 bottles of sparkling wine
If sparkling is being served throughout the evening rather than just as a welcome drink, you'll need considerably more.
What About a Wedding?
Weddings are more complicated because they often run for several hours and involve different stages of drinking.
A typical wedding might include:
-
Sparkling wine on arrival
-
White and red wine with dinner
-
Beer
-
Spirits or cocktails
-
Dessert wine or a final drink
For a wedding, it's usually better to calculate each part separately rather than applying one blanket number.
For example, if you're serving sparkling wine as guests arrive, calculate that separately from the wine being served with dinner.
A Sample Calculation: 50-Person Dinner
Let's say you're hosting 50 people.
It's a four-hour evening dinner with wine and beer available.
You might start with around 25–30 bottles of wine.
For example:
12 bottles white
14 bottles red
4 bottles sparkling
That gives you approximately 150 standard wine glasses in total, including the sparkling.
You can adjust from there depending on your guests and the menu.
How Much Wine for a Cocktail Party?
If you're hosting a cocktail party where people are eating canapés rather than sitting down for dinner, wine consumption can vary significantly.
Because guests are likely to be moving between wine, beer and other drinks, start conservatively and make sure you have a range of options.
A mixture of:
-
Sparkling
-
Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris
-
Chardonnay
-
Pinot Noir
-
Shiraz
will give guests plenty of choice.
What Wine Should I Buy for a Large Event?
For larger gatherings, don't make things unnecessarily complicated.
Choose wines that are:
Approachable
You want something most people will enjoy.
Food-friendly
Avoid extremely unusual or challenging styles unless you know your guests will appreciate them.
Good value
Buying 30 or 50 bottles is not the time to spend $100 on every bottle.
Consistent
Having one or two reliable wines is often easier than trying to provide 15 different varieties.
A good combination could be:
White: Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
Red: Shiraz or Pinot Noir
Celebration: Australian sparkling wine
Should I Buy Extra?
Yes.
If you've calculated that you need 24 bottles, buying exactly 24 leaves you with no margin.
A few extra bottles can be useful, particularly if:
-
The event is long
-
Wine is the main drink
-
It's a warm day
-
You have enthusiastic wine drinkers
-
The event is difficult to restock during
And unopened wine doesn't go to waste.
You can always enjoy it later.
Buying Wine by the Dozen
For larger events, buying by the dozen can make planning much easier.
It also allows you to keep your wine selection simple and organised.
For example:
2 dozen Sauvignon Blanc
2 dozen Shiraz
1 dozen sparkling
That's 60 bottles and gives you a straightforward mix for a large gathering.
At Purvis Cellars, we can also help you work out a suitable mix based on your guest numbers, menu and budget.
Don't Forget Non-Drinkers
Not everyone at your event will be drinking alcohol.
It's always worth having plenty of water and some non-alcoholic options available.
A good selection of non-alcoholic sparkling, beer or other drinks means everyone has something to enjoy.
The Golden Rule
If you're unsure, it's generally better to have a little too much wine than not enough.
An unopened bottle is a problem you can solve later.
An empty wine fridge halfway through your event is much harder to fix.
And remember, these calculations are guides. Every event and every group of guests is different.
Planning a Big Event?
If you're buying wine for a wedding, party, corporate function or large dinner and aren't sure how much you'll need, talk to us.
Tell us:
How many people?
How long is the event?
What's being served?
What's your budget?
We'll help you work out the quantities and choose wines that offer great value.
Planning a party? Explore the Purvis Cellars range or get in touch and let us help you get the wine sorted.