Zara Wilkens | 5 hours ago

What Wine Should I Bring to Dinner? A Claret Guide

Someone has invited you to dinner.

You've been told not to bring anything.

You're obviously bringing something.

But what? Choosing a bottle for someone else's dinner can be surprisingly stressful. You don't know exactly what's being served, whether they're a red or white person, what they've already bought, or whether your host is secretly judging your wine choices.

Don't worry Claret family. We've got you.

First: don't overthink it

Unless your host has specifically asked for something, you don't need to perfectly match the wine to the menu. In fact, if you're bringing wine as a gift, we'd argue that the bottle doesn't necessarily need to be the one they drink with dinner. Bring something they can enjoy later.

That's often a much better gift.

If you're bringing one bottle

Choose something versatile. A good bottle of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or sparkling wine is usually a safe place to start. Why? Because they're flexible. They're good with food. They're interesting enough to feel special.

And they don't require you to know exactly what's coming out of the kitchen.

Our easy picks

Sparkling Wine

Probably the easiest answer of all. And for those that know, its always Zara's favourite go to. It works before dinner, with dinner and after dinner. Opening a bottle of bubbles makes even an ordinary Tuesday feel like an occasion.

Chardonnay

Particularly a good cool-climate Chardonnay.

Fresh enough to drink on its own, but with enough texture to work with food. This is why classics exist.

Pinot Noir

If you know your host likes red wine, Pinot is a great choice. It's generally lighter and more versatile than a big, heavily structured red.

If you know what's for dinner

Now we can have some fun. The general rule, as least from our side of things is you can either have something to compliment the flavours, or you can have something to contrast the flavours. We're talking rich creamy pasta = buttery Chardonnay OR crisp dry white wine.

Seafood: think fresh whites. Something with freshness and acidity is your friend.

Chardonnay, Riesling, Albariño, Muscadet or

Sparkling wine.

Pasta: This depends almost entirely on the sauce. Tomato-based? Try a bright Italian red.

Rich and creamy? Chardonnay can be brilliant. Ragù? A savoury red with some structure.

And if someone tells you white wine with white food, they probably have never had a good glass of bubbles with a burger. Trust us, its a regular pairing in our house.

Steak: Now you can bring the big stuff. Cabernet. Shiraz. Nebbiolo. Or a serious bottle of Pinot Noir if you want to take things in a different direction, we'd recommend a Geelong icon By Farr or even something from the Rhone Valley.

Cheese: This is where things get interesting.

Don't automatically reach for red. White wine can be fantastic with cheese, particularly with softer or washed-rind styles. And bubbles are almost always welcome.

What if you don't know what they're cooking?

Go sparkling. Honestly- stop thinking any further about it. A good bottle of sparkling wine is one of the most useful bottles in the world. And it doesn't have to be Champagne.

Australia makes excellent sparkling wine, particularly in cool-climate regions such as Tasmania and the Adelaide Hills. The Loire Valley is another favourite of ours, with sparkling Chenin Blanc offering something completely different from Champagne.

What if I only have $25?

Perfect. You do not need to spend a fortune to bring a good bottle of wine.

Let us know your price range and we will work some magic. Some of our best selling bottles are $25 and under. And don't be embarrassed about having a price limit. We'd much rather find you a brilliant $25 bottle than sell you something that you might not enjoy as much.

What if it's a gift?

Now you can think a little more about the person.

What do they drink? Do they love Chardonnay? Are they obsessed Italian wines since they got back from Euro Summer. Do they drink whisky? Are they the sort of person who would be thrilled by a bottle they've never seen before? The best wine gifts aren't necessarily the most expensive.

They're the bottles that say: “I thought you'd like this.” That's much more interesting.

The Claret Rule

If you're genuinely stuck, walk into a good wine shop and tell someone:

Who you're buying for.

What you're spending.

What they're eating, if you know.

What they usually drink.

That's enough. You don't need to know anything else.

And if you're bringing wine to dinner at a Geelong friend's place, you know where to find us.

A few bottles we think are worth knowing about...

We always feel so lucky to be able to stock wonderful things on the shelf that we think will bring some level of discovery, excitement but above all else quality for you. Some are already established names. Others are producers we think you’ll be hearing us wax lyrical about in store. Either way, if you see something interesting on the shelf, ask us about it. We’re always happy to point you towards something new.

Good times call for Claret xx

Zara Wilkens

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