Wine pairing for weddings and private dinners

A wine pairing for a wedding or a private dinner works best when it is planned in three steps: a briefing with the hosts and the caterer, a tasting where the hosts choose between a few wines for each course, and the service on the day. Between those steps you settle quantities, buying, delivery and glassware. Each step is a separate appointment, so the hosts know what they are booking and you can plan your time around the event date.

Bring two or three options for each course and for the aperitif, ideally with a few bites from the caterer or similar dishes. Let the hosts taste side by side and explain the differences in plain words. Keep the tasting short and focused: it is a decision meeting, not an evening out. Write down the choices and the backup wines in case a wine is out of stock when you order.

A standard bottle gives about six glasses. Work out quantities from the number of guests, the length of the reception and the meal, and the number of courses, and allow a margin so the event never runs dry. Agree with the hosts and the supplier whether unopened bottles can be returned, which makes a generous margin less costly.

Decide who orders and pays for the wine. Plan delivery to the venue a day or two before, check the order on arrival, and make sure white, rosé and sparkling wines can be chilled in time. Check that the venue or caterer provides enough glasses, ice buckets and staff to serve.

Guests who do not drink deserve more than water. Suggest an alcohol-free option for the aperitif and one or two for the meal, such as a good juice, a tea served cold or an alcohol-free sparkling wine, and include them in the tasting so the hosts choose them too. Add them to the quantities and to the brief for the waiting staff.

Menus change and guest numbers move until the last weeks. Agree a date after which quantities are fixed, and confirm the final order in writing with the hosts.

If you are booked for the service itself, arrive early to check temperatures, open and taste bottles, and brief the waiting staff on the order of wines and the pours. During the meal, watch the pace with the caterer so each wine arrives with its course. At the end, count what remains and hand it over to the hosts.

For a dinner of a few guests at home, the same steps fit into less time: a short call for the briefing, a tasting that can be combined with the shopping list, and a pairing card for the table. Offer it as a lighter package.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create services for the briefing, the tasting and the service on the day, describe what each includes, and publish slots that repeat weekly for briefings and tastings. Each slot belongs to one service and sits within a single day, and with one place per slot a booked appointment no longer appears on your public page. Hosts book with their name, email and phone and can add an optional note with the event date, the venue and the number of guests, which you read in your new-booking email. Once the date is confirmed, book the tasting and the event service for the hosts yourself from your calendar.

Durations and prices are examples, wine not included: set your own. If an appointment has to move, change it from your bookings list and tell the hosts yourself, as Book does not email clients when a booking is rescheduled or cancelled. Book costs €5/month, all-inclusive: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no commitment.