Use this ‘wine calculator’ to never run out at dinner parties again

Figuring out how much wine to stock up on before throwing a dinner party can be a daunting task. Now, there’s a failsafe formula for getting it just right.

Working out how much wine to buy for a party or event can be tricky. You don’t want to run out of course, but nor do you want to be left with a surplus that you and your other half will end up ‘accidentally’ demolishing over the next week.

A magic formula created by Bon Appetit claims to help you settle on the perfect number of bottles. And it works like this.

Number of Guests × Number of Estimated Glasses Per Guest ÷ 4 = Number of Bottles Needed

The formula works on the basis that a 750-ml bottle of wine contains four reasonably-sized glasses of wine, plus “two chugs straight from the bottle for the dinner party host.”

It also hinges on each of your guests drinking a bottle of wine during the course of the evening. One glass before dinner, a few during dinner, and another glass after dinner (there’s your bottle gone).

If you really want to play it safe, it’s worth accounting for “an extra two guests” as you never know whether someone will surprise you by bringing a plus-one, or if someone who hasn’t RSVPd will show up on the night.

If you’re terrible at maths, or it’s a slow-drinking night, and you find yourself with several half-full bottles, check out our tips on how to repel fruit flies using wine corks.

What there isn’t a formula for, unfortunately, is how to get everybody to leave when you’re ready to call it a night.