How Much Wine Do You Need for Christmas?
Run out of wine at 9pm on Christmas Eve and you'll be the one remembered for it. Buy three cases for six people and you'll be drinking Merlot until Easter.
Here's how to get the numbers right for Christmas dinner, a house party or the whole festive fortnight, with a simple rule and a ready reckoner.
The rule
- A 75cl bottle pours five glasses of 150ml, or six of 125ml.
- At a sit-down dinner, allow about half a bottle per adult who drinks.
- At a party, allow one bottle for every two guests for every three hours.
- Bubbles to start: one bottle pours six to eight flutes.
- Then add one bottle. Unopened wine keeps; an empty table doesn't.
Ready reckoner: Christmas dinner
| Adults drinking | Bubbles | Red | White | Total bottles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 12 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
Most Irish tables drink more red than white with the main course, so we've weighted it that way. If your crowd prefers white, swap the numbers.
Ready reckoner: a three-hour party
| Guests | Bubbles | Still wine | Total bottles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 20 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 30 | 4 | 12 | 16 |
| 50 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
Split the still wine roughly half red, half white. A cold winter crowd leans red; an office party in a warm room leans white.
The whole Christmas fortnight
Between Christmas Eve and Little Christmas there are visitors, Stephen's Day leftovers, a few quiet nights and New Year's Eve. For a household of two to four adults, a mixed case of 12 covers it comfortably:
- 2 sparkling, for Christmas morning and New Year's Eve
- 4 whites, for starters, fish and the cook
- 5 reds, for dinner, the cheese board and nights by the fire
- 1 Tawny or LBV Port, which keeps for weeks once opened
Easy ways to buy the right amount
- 12-bottle mixed cases and 6-bottle mixed cases. Already balanced across styles, so you don't have to work it out.
- Christmas Day Hamper, €160. Prosecco for the toast, a white and a red for the turkey, and an alcohol-free sparkling for the drivers.
- Staff Selection, 12 bottles, €240. A full case of our team's favourites.
- For big parties: bag-in-box. A 5-litre box holds the same as six and two-thirds bottles, stays fresh for weeks after opening, and saves on glass. Try Le Petit Pont Rouge or Le Petit Pont Blanc (€80 each). See all our box wines.
Don't forget the drivers
Plan for guests who aren't drinking, and give them something better than tap water. Our non-alcoholic wines include sparkling options that look and feel like part of the celebration.
How much wine: quick answers
How many glasses in a bottle of wine?
Five 150ml glasses, or six 125ml glasses.
How many glasses in a bottle of Champagne or Prosecco?
Six to eight flutes.
How much wine for 20 people?
About 11 bottles for a three-hour party: 3 sparkling and 8 still.
What if I buy too much?
Unopened wine keeps for months in a cool, dark place. Bubbles and white are always welcome on New Year's Eve.
Not sure what goes with the food? See our guide to wine with Christmas dinner. Or ring us on 0818 579 579, tell us the headcount and the menu, and we'll put a case together for you.
When the table's set and the glasses are full, take a photo and tag us @winesdirectirl. The last delivery day before Christmas is Monday 21 December.
Gav & Gareth Keogh, Wine Brothers | Wines Direct