Wine:
No home bar is complete without it.
Wine in the Home Bar
There’s a bit of mystique around wine and striking a good balance at home can be a challenge.
What’s a good selection of wine to have at home?
Whether or not you are wine lover, chances are visitors to your home may enjoy a glass of wine.
The World of Wine Can Quickly Overwhelm, so Start Slowly
There is a great deal of complexity in the world of wine, making it a challenge for the home bartender to decide what is a good mix to begin with.
My best advice is to start slowly and build from there.
Don’t judge a wine by its price as there are many value-priced bottles that offer an excellent product. When it comes to wine, you want to have good variety on-hand, but you don’t have to cover all the bases.
As a starting point I would recommend an everyday white and red, a dry to semi-sweet riesling, and a bottle each of a special occasion white and red (something you can serve to your favorite guests or with a special dinner). You may also want to keep a bottle of sparkling wine on-hand (and chilled) for a special occasion, but if you’re not a fan of sparkling you could skip that at the beginning. The same goes for port and other fortified wines. If you personally enjoy them (or have a frequent guest who does), you may want to include one. Otherwise, save this for later when you begin to build out your bar stock.
Plain Language Wine Reviews
Be sure to check my plain language wine reviews in the Wine Reviews Category of the Grand One Lounge blog. I only post reviews about wines that pass and scrutiny and would recommend trying for your home bar.
Recommended Wines for Your Home Bar
Wine can be very regional in terms of availability and depending on where you live you will likely have many different options available.
So for this reason I am not recommend specific labels below (I do recommend specific wines in my plain language Wine Reviews category of the blog).
The following, however, is a high-level general list of what I recommend as a starting point for types and styles of wine to keep on hand in your home bar, particularly if you have not yet developed personal preferences for wine.
White Wine: Try a Sauvignon Blanc, which is a good general white, or a Pinot Grigio can also work.
Red Wine: A Merlot is a safe bet here, as they tend to be less forward than many other red wines. A Pinot Noir is also a good bet.
Riesling: A German Riesling is a great option for a slightly sweeter offering.
Rose: A rose or White Zinfandel will nicely round out your selection.
Essential Wines for Your Home Bar
You don’t have to be a sommelier to appreciate wine.
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Grand One Lounge: Twitter.
Catch up on the latest wine news from the Grand One Lounge on Twitter. I post regular updates so you’ll never miss what’s happening at the bar, on winery visits and more.
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Grand One Lounge: Instagram
If you love to explore the world of wine, follow along on Instagram for some photos and reels of what’s happening in the Grand One Lounge, wineries and more.
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Grand One Lounge: TikTok
TikTok is a new channel for the Grand One Lounge so feel free to follow along with my experimental video clips and how-to updates from the lounge and beyond.
