The Independent’s dinner party favourites: These vinos are sure to impress your guests

The secret to a great dinner party is rather simple: good guests, good food and good wine

This selection of vino will work with a wide variety of food (The Independent)

When it comes to choosing wine for dinner parties, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the ‘rules of pairing’ – you may end up feeling like you need a whole cellar’s worth to ensure you have the perfect matches for the flavours featuring in your feast. However, there is a hack to help you simplify your choices – just ask yourself: can the wine complement or contrast with the food?

For example, while a zesty, fresh white complements light dishes such as white fish and salads, the same wine will also work by contrasting with heavier, creamier food, such as goat’s cheese.

Understanding wine pairing this way, means you can order a handful of good-quality wines that you can be confident will work with everything on the menu.

To make things even easier for you, we’ve curated The Independent’s ‘dinner party favourites’ featuring a selection of wines that will work with a wide variety of foods, this case will leave you more time to have fun.

Rustenberg sauvignon blanc

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4/5
• ABV: 13.5%
• Grape: Sauvignon
• Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Year: 2022
• Wine style: Refreshing white
• Pairs well with: Anything you would squeeze lemon on or pour a creamy sauce over

South Africa is considered part of the new world when it comes to wine, but the Rustenberg Estate has a history stretching back to 1682, with the farmhouse, which can be seen on the label, now listed as a Grade-I heritage site.

The vineyards themselves are nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg mountains, which elevates the grapes and tempers the effects of the Mediterranean climate, resulting in a more restrained style of Sauvignon – reminiscent of those from the Loire Valley and retaining the grape’s characteristic high acidity.

Refreshing lime intermingles with green apple and passion fruit, while the three months on lees also gives this wine a gentle wisp of smokiness, adding complexity.

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Domaine du Bicheron macon-peronne

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 3.5/5
• ABV: 12.5%
• Grape: Chardonnay
• Region: Burgundy, France
• Year: 2021
• Wine style: Light white
• Pairs well with: Delicate-flavour foods such as salads, or dishes that are so complex you have no idea what to pair with them

Coming from one of the most famous wine regions in the world, which consistently produces the most expensive wines in the world, it is getting harder and harder to find value for money in Burgundy.

This family-owned estate started small and has since grown to one of the largest domains in the Maconnais, and it’s done so without compromising on sustainability ideals, enabling this wine to be HEV (High Environmental Value) certified.

Coming from the village of Macon-Peronne, which borders Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran to the south and Viré-Clessé to the east, this wine offers white burgundy while still in budget. It is light and fresh with flavours of citrus, apple and pear.

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Astoria ‘caranto’ pinot noir

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4.5/5
• ABV: 11.5%
• Grape: Pinot Noir
• Region: North East Italy
• Year: 2021
• Wine style: Mellow red
• Pairs well with: Savoury dishes with a hint of sweetness, such as glazed pork, or sweet dishes with a hint of savoury

While named after something very location specific – the layer of clay that forms at the bottom of the Venetian Lagoon – this wine is classed in one of the broadest categories for Italian wine: IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica.

This is because the grape variety used, pinot noir, is an international variety and as such is not permitted to be labelled under the regional classifications, which only allow traditional grapes.

It would follow then that the wine itself is also somewhat unconventional. While it has the lightness of body you would expect from a pinot noir, the fruitiness of the wine – especially considering it is made in the northeast of Italy – is not what you would expect.

Bursting with sweet, ripe cherry and damson there is also a sprinkle of warming cinnamon spice and a lick of liquorice – very drinkable.

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San Giorgio a Lapi chianti classico

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4/5
• ABV: 14%
• Grape: Sangiovese
• Region: Tuscany, Italy
• Year: 2019
• Wine style: Robust red
• Pairs well with: Fast food staples such as pizzas and burgers, as well as slow-cooked dishes such as stews and roasts

Chianti was undoubtedly a victim of its own success. The popularity of it resulted in winemakers trying to keep up with demand and therefore prioritising quantity not quality, leaving the region’s reputation in tatters.

Now, however, there is a refocus on quality with the region’s wine body recently introducing new classifications to promote confidence in drinkers.

This wine is a Chianti Classico DOCG, meaning it comes from the historically delineated region as outlined in 1716 by Cosimo III – the Grand Duke of Tuscany and part of the Medici family – after realising the quality of wines that came from the area.

Far from just stating where the grapes can be grown, this grading also means the wine has been subject to many other rules, all put in place to try and increase the quality, such as limiting yields and minimum ageing restrictions.

However, while it may be from the classic region, this is made in a more modern style, with softer tannins, making it much more approachable at a younger age, while still retaining notes of all the things we love: red berries, wood spice and leather.

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Mi Terruño uvas malbec

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4/5
• ABV: 13.5%
• Grape: Malbec
• Region: Mendoza, Argentina
• Year: 2021
• Wine style: Smooth red
• Pairs well with: Lighter red meats, such as pot-roasted pheasant, and heavier white-meat dishes, such as a succulent rabbit stew

Making the journey from France via cuttings, malbec has been a runaway success in Argentina – it has become the country’s flagship grape.

Taking to its new home with gusto, and adapting to produce wines that speak of the terroir – a sentiment echoed in the name of this wine, Mi Terruño, which means ‘my homeland’ – malbec is known for its easy drinking, crowd-pleasing and fruit-forwardness.

Keeping those smooth tannins, this wine is a lighter style of malbec, showing a mixture of red fruits and black fruits on the nose, alongside violet and a touch of cocoa nibs from the time spent in American oak.

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The Doctors’ riesling

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4.5/5
• ABV: 9%
• Grape: Riesling
• Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
• Year: 2019
• Wine style: Medium dry white
• Pairs well with: Sweet and salty: fruit tarts and blue cheeses

Riesling might not be the first grape you think of when you hear of Marlborough, but like the region’s more-famous variety, sauvignon blanc, riesling does well in its cool climate.

This wine is aptly named in honour of its co-founders, husband and wife team, Dr John Forrest and Dr Bridget Forrest who wanted to come up with a solution to the age-old problem of how to enjoy wine with friends and family in the evening and not feel the effects of it the next day. The answer was the Doctors’ Range – a line of lower-alcohol wines that still retain maximum flavour.

Classic riesling aromas of wax, lime peel, yellow apple and mango are followed by white floral notes and a chalky minerality on the finish. The wine is sweet but not cloying, thanks to the natural acidity of the grapes, allowing it to work with desserts and the salty cheese board.

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The verdict:

Featuring a selection of wines from the most popular grape varieties, this dinner party selection has something that everyone will enjoy, as well as easing your worries when it comes to working out what should accompany your dishes.

Whether you need a fresh white, such as the Rustenberg Sauvignon Blanc for your fish, or a rich red like San Giorgio a Lapi Chianti Classico for your meats – these wines have all the bases covered.

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