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 makes the list.

Begin with the setting, not the menu

The setting fixes the pace. A glass-walled terrace on a summer evening will not suit the same bottles as a candlelit dining room in February. Settle which of those you are hosting before you draft a list.

Two whites tend to suffice

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

Purchase one bottle more than you expect

Pours always stretch a little further than the numbers predict. We bring one spare bottle of every wine to a private dinner, every time, without fail, and the guest never notices it unless we open it.

Decant the reds that leave you uncertain

A tight young red opens up with thirty minutes of air. A fragile older red falls apart in twenty. When uncertain, decant the young one and leave the old one untouched.

Serve less than you expect

A 100 ml pour is generous for a paired dinner. Serve less, top up more often, and your guests will recall the wines they truly tasted.

Finish sweeter than you began

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

Prepared by the editorial team at Emeraldfjordsanctuary. Last updated 2026-07-27.