Wine pairing at home: a brief guide for a private dinner

Six principles our head sommelier follows when shaping a six-course wine pairing for guests in their own home. Price is never among them.

Start with the room, not the menu

The room sets the pace. A glass-walled terrace on a summer evening will not suit the same wines as a candlelit dining room in February. Decide which setting you are hosting before you draft a list.

Two whites are usually enough

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.

Buy one bottle more than you think

Servings always stretch a little past the math. We bring one extra bottle of every wine to a private dinner, every time, without fail, and the guest never sees it unless we need it.

Decant the reds you are unsure about

A hesitant young red opens with thirty minutes of air. A fragile older red falls apart with twenty. When unsure, decant the young bottle and leave the older one untouched.

Pour smaller than you think

A 100 ml pour is generous for a paired dinner. Pour less, refill more often, and guests will recall the wines they actually tasted.

End sweeter than you started

Even if dessert is bitter chocolate or a cheese board, the final glass should tilt the evening toward sweet. A late-harvest Riesling, a Sauternes, a Tokaji — the pick matters less than the direction.

Prepared by the editorial team at Royallagoonpavilion. Last updated 2026-07-20.