This is how you organize a dinner party with the right wines

Social dining with friends or family can be great, but also overwhelming. You want to put your best foot forward and put something delicious on the table. Along with the right wines, of course.

There are countless dishes and wines to go with them, but these tips will get you there.

The right order of the right wines

Don’t haphazardly cook your favorite dish and serve your favorite wine with it. Chances are the two don’t match at all. Choose the right order.

Work from the dish or the wine. If you insist on serving that one wine, then also prepare a dish that matches the wine. If you are determined to make a particular dish, do not consider which wine to serve with it until later.

Note the side rolls in a dish

Whether you want to prepare meat, fish or vegetarian dishes, pay special attention to the accompaniments in the dish. The piece of meat or that tasty fish may be the starring role, but it is often the supporting roles, or other ingredients, that determine the flavor of the dish. You can serve a piece of beef just fine with a powerful mustard sauce, but a fruity and frivolous red wine will lose out to the violence of the mustard. If the dish has a powerful taste, serve a powerful wine as well.

A red Merlot wine is often a safe choice. Such a red wine easily works its way between different flavors, is neither too weak nor too powerful with a meat dish.

Make sure the wine is not too heavy

Also make sure the wines you put on the table are not too heavy. You then have the chance of the wine waltzing over the dish. Do you serve a light dish with tuna, swordfish, chicken or even a bratwurst or some heavier pate? Then a light Beaujolais wine from the Gamay grape fits perfectly. The best Beaujolais wines are those with the Cru designation after the name.

That’s ten villages within the Beaujolais region and between them they are very different in style. For example, the Fleurie is frivolous, fruity and light, while a Morgon has more power and shows some muscle.

Keep an eye on the main flavors

Just like a dish, a wine can also be sweet, sour or bitter. It is important to match those components with each other. A more acidic dish with tomato or lemon, for example, can also have a wine with some acidity. Think of a Sauvignon Blanc with a salad with goat cheese or a red wine made from Sangiovese, such as a Chianti, to accompany a dish with lots of tomatoes.

A lot is possible, as long as you think carefully about the flavors.

Check the wine stock

Next time you are hosting a dinner party, a dinner with family or friends, still look in your wine stash or buy new wines online. Get informed, the site tells you exactly what wine tastes good with what. Take advantage of this.

Enjoy!