How much wine do you need?

As a rule of thumb, plan on about half a bottle of wine per guest for a standard 2-3 hour event at a moderate pace. That works out to roughly one 5oz glass per person per hour. Longer events, a livelier crowd, or a higher share of wine drinkers all push that number up — use the calculator above to get an exact count for your guest list.

For 50 guests at a standard 3-hour dinner where about 75% drink wine, plan on roughly 26 bottles (about 13 red and 13 white), including a small buffer for generous pours. Adjust the guest count, hours, and pace in the calculator above for your exact event.

An even 50/50 split works for most mixed dinners and parties. Lean toward more white and sparkling for warm-weather, seafood-heavy, or daytime events, and more red for winter gatherings, steak dinners, or a crowd that skews toward bolder wines. The calculator's style-mix option lets you weight the split either way.

Yes. Use the "share of guests drinking wine" input to exclude non-drinkers, kids, or guests who'll stick to beer and cocktails — the calculator only sizes wine for the share you specify, so you don't over-buy.

Budget one bottle of sparkling wine for roughly every 8 guests for a single toast pour (a 750ml bottle pours about 6 x 4oz champagne flutes with a little breathing room). Select "add a toast" in the calculator to reserve sparkling separately from your dinner wine.