How many bottles of wine do I need for a party?
Multiply your guests by the glasses each will drink to get the total glasses, then divide by the glasses in a bottle (750ml divided by your pour size) and round up. For 50 guests having two 175ml glasses of red, that is 100 glasses, or about 24 bottles.
How many bottles do you need?
The calculator turns your guest list into a bottle order. It works out the total glasses of each wine, divides by the number of glasses in a bottle, and rounds up so you are never left short.
A 750ml bottle holds six 125ml glasses, about four 175ml glasses, or three 250ml glasses, and Champagne pours roughly six flutes. Because you can only buy whole bottles, the result always rounds up, leaving a small, sensible cushion rather than an empty glass at the toast.
A worked example
Serving more than one wine
Tick different wines on any line to pour a flight rather than a single label. The calculator reads the number of glasses as the number of wines, so three glasses of red becomes three reds, each poured once for every guest, and it gives you a separate bottle count for each. It is the simple way to plan a red for the starter, another for the main, and a third for the cheese.
Planning a fine-wine event
When the wine matters, running out is the one thing to avoid. Ordering by the case from a good merchant, chilling the whites and Champagne in advance, and pouring a welcome glass on arrival all help the evening run smoothly. The combined overage below the result shows how much wine is left over in millilitres once every bottle is opened, so you can judge whether to round up a little further for a long celebration.
How we work it out
It works out the total glasses of each wine from your guests and glasses per guest, divides by the glasses in a 750ml bottle (750 divided by your pour size in millilitres), and rounds up to whole bottles. Ticking different wines splits a colour into one wine per glass, each poured once for every guest.
Frequently asked questions
How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
A standard 750ml bottle gives six 125ml glasses, roughly four generous 175ml glasses, or three large 250ml glasses. A bottle of Champagne pours about six flutes at 125ml. The calculator uses whichever pour size you choose.
How much wine do I need for 50 guests?
It depends how many glasses each person will have. For two glasses each at 175ml, that is 100 glasses of red and 100 of white, which is about 24 bottles of each. Add roughly nine bottles of Champagne if everyone has a welcome glass.
What does the different wines option do?
Tick it when you want to serve more than one wine of that colour. The calculator reads the number of glasses as the number of wines, so three glasses of red becomes three different reds, with every guest getting one glass of each. It then works out the bottles for each wine separately.
Will I have wine left over?
A little, yes. Because bottles are sold whole, the calculator rounds up, so you finish with a small cushion rather than running short. It shows the combined overage in millilitres so you can see roughly how much wine is left over. For an occasion with good wine, that headroom is usually welcome.
What glass size should I plan for?
UK venues pour wine in 125ml, 175ml or 250ml measures, and 175ml is the common standard. Champagne and sparkling are usually poured smaller, around 125ml in a flute. Fine wine is often served at 125ml to 150ml so each bottle goes further and shows at its best.