Hosting doesn’t have to break the bank when you can choose from these over-achieving food-friendly wines.
Nothing says ‘Yes, I am an adult actually, thanks Mum’ more than hosting a dinner party. You get to have a couple of glasses of nice wine, share a home-cooked meal (or order in something special) and enjoy good chats with your mates – all wrapped up in a very mature format. And that’s about the best night in, if you ask us.
The only problem with dinner parties is that they can get a little pricey. We want the classic evening we imagine real grown-ups enjoy – balloon-like Burgundy glasses filled with fancy wines from small-batch producers, crispy-skinned roast duck with all the trimmings, and hors d’oeuvres flecked with fancy ingredients like caviar and truffle. But who has hors d’oeuvres money in this economy?
On the food side of things, we reckon going potluck style and asking everyone to bring a dish is a great way to share the cost of hosting (it’s unlikely to result in caviar, sadly). As for the wine, it’s just a matter of knowing which bottles best balance price with quality. Because you don’t need to spend a fortune on a dinner party just to feel like you’re doing it properly. When it comes to the wine, you can pour some seriously impressive drops without spending more than $15 per bottle. Here’s the proof.
Click image to shop
1. Y Series Viognier
If you’re not familiar with viognier (pronounced vee-on-yay), that’s understandable – it’s not an especially mainstream variety. Fortunately, the geniuses at Yalumba in Barossa have long been flying the flag for this white wine grape that originally hails from the Rhône Valley in France. And with this Y Series wine, Yalumba has made viognier very approachable indeed.
Here, you get a silky, textural wine that is very much dinner-party-approved. It’s a little creamy, balanced between rich and crisp, and full of stone fruit and spice flavours. A winner with starters or canapes like tiny little triangles of katsu sando, prawns with a zingy cocktail dipping sauce, or a shirt-staining beetroot and goat’s cheese salad.
2. Arrogant Frog Chardonnay
French chardonnay seems like a natural fit at a dinner party, but the best wines, like Chablis and Montrachet, might stretch the budget. It’s a good thing, then, that this one from Arrogant Frog should be well within reach and still ticks plenty of those French-chardonnay boxes.
That includes juicy nectarine and peach flavours, light tropical fruit aromas and the sorts of toasty notes you’ll usually find reserved for wines at more premium prices. This would be incredible with a main course like herby roast chicken, crispy potatoes and a green salad, but we’d also love it beside a big bowl of creamy carbonara or a chicken and leek pie.
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
3. Cold Snap Cool Climate Victoria Rosé
No one wants to hear about cold snaps and cool climates in the middle of winter – unless you’re hoping for a solid dump of snow this season. But the truth is that Victoria’s cool-climate wine is some of Australia’s very best, and this rosé from Cold Snap should definitely feature at your dinner party.
This dry rosé is all bright red fruits and spice wrapped in a crunchy acidity that will work perfectly with a heap of different dishes. Rosé like this can be a proper winner with aromatic spicy food – think Thai salads or crispy lettuce-wrapped san choy bow – but this could also be a perfect pre-dinner aperitif when the cheeseboard is still on the coffee table.
4. Gemtree Dragon’s Blood Shiraz
McLaren Vale shiraz is a crowd-pleasing wine – the region is known for its rich and juicy styles, often with a hint of milk chocolate in the mix. And this gem from Gemtree is about as good as it gets for the price. It’s all about concentrated dark fruit flavours, baking spices and earthy notes, with tannins that will stand up to all your favourite meaty dishes but are still also soft and approachable, too.
This shiraz is a no-brainer alongside dinner-party centrepieces like roast beef or slow-cooked lamb shoulder, but hearty vego dishes such as garlic and thyme-roasted mushrooms or a lentil bolognese would be brilliant alongside it, too.
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
5. Tread Softly Tempranillo
Can we say that tempranillo is underrated? Despite being pretty common, tempranillo still feels a little overlooked compared to other wines. And that’s a shame because when there are light, easy-drinking reds like this one from Tread Softly, we reckon more people should be in the know.
Tempranillo originally hails from Spain, and this one is true to its origins; light and bright with plenty of juicy red-berry flavours and a slightly savoury finish. This is a wonderful match for a charred Neapolitan-style pizza, simple pintxos-ish bites like salty ham and crusty bread, or even lighter proteins like chicken or pork. It’s a proper all-rounder, and that’s a big plus at a dinner party – not to mention that it’s a touch lighter than other wines at 11% ABV.
