Bring Your Own Bottle: A Guide to BYO Wine

You’ve been invited to a party – great!

Ahead of time you ask the host what you can contribute and they say “oh just bring a bottle”. What do you take along - red, white, bubbly, a magnum, a bottle from your cellar or just pick up something from the liquor shop on the way?

Whatever your approach might be please don’t buy cheap and cheerful, especially if you like wine and the host. Bring along something interesting and different, a wine you’ve been waiting to try. If you really can’t decide then a full-bodied, rich and complex sparkling wine is always a good option.

Selecting a nice wine to share at a party can be a real challenge too, I’ve observed strangers use ‘my wine’ to fill their glass near the top, take a slug and pretend all is cool. If you’ve experienced that scenario here are two solutions; just share, it’s okay; or - bring along bring two bottles – one to share leaving the second bottle in the carry bag close to your posi’ in the room, and when the party has been going for a while start pouring from that spot. Truth is, hiding wine at parties just isn’t kosha, parties are about hospitality and sharing. If you really need to have a glass of that special wine then open it early, share with the host or close friends first then chill and have some fun.

Over the coming Journal posts, I'll be exploring all things BYO Wine. Below is a glimpse at some of the topics I'll be covering.

• White Wine & Food Pairing

• Red Wine & Food Pairing

• Sparkling Wine

• To decant or not – this is the question

Stay tuned.