Simple strategies for choosing the right bottle to uncork at your next dinner party. Rule No. 1: No stress. If choosing wines for a dinner party inspires a vague sense of unease -- what if my guests don't enjoy the wine I'm serving? -- it might help to recast the task in less high-pressure terms. Recall how appreciative you feel when you're a guest, and how impressive a good spread looks from the other side of the table. Like the food you cook or the flowers you set out, your wine selections are simply an opportunity to share your self with your friends. If that sounds a little too Zen or loosey-goosey, let's start with what you already know: what you'll be eating.Focus on the FoodFirst and foremost, you want to choose wines with flavor and a refreshment factor that complement the food you're preparing. So if you're serving a rich lamb dish on a wintry night (shepherd's pie, for example), a voluptuous Cabernet Sauvignon would be a better choice than a steely, delicate white. Lobster potpie, on the other hand, would call for a white wine such as Chardonnay, with a bit of butteriness, more than it would an inky, spicy red wine, such as Malbec.

These choices are largely subjective, of course, but that's the pleasure of tasting wines with food and letting the combinations you like become your guides.Go with BothThere's no need to pair a different wine with each course of a dinner. In fact, if you choose one red and one white to pour throughout the evening, you can cover a wide range of foods and also accommodate the outliers -- those guests who insist upon only white or only red. (Our own mother has barely let a sip of red wine pass her lips in 15 years.) And while it goes without saying, these wines should be ones you enjoy sipping on their own, so that they can also be served as aperitifs before dinner.Pick a Locale, Any LocaleAnd beyond flavor and refreshment? You choose your own adventure. Serving a classic boeuf bourguignon? The French region gives the dish its name and is almost synonymous with Pinot Noir, which would be a terrific match. But then, so would a Pinot Noir you were thrilled to discover on a recent business trip to Oregon, because wine, after all, is as much a connection to people as it is to place.

Get the Party-Size BottleOne tenet we like to live by is never to pass up an opportunity to torque up the festivity quotient. Our late grandmother, a fabulous hostess, was a great consumer (connoisseur?) of one-and-a-half-liter supermarket Merlots that ranged from merely quaffable to quite delicious. On occasions when we're served such wines, you can bet we always remember her zest for life!And while we're on the subject of oversize bottles -- "large format" in the trade lingo -- always ask your wine store what wines are available in magnums (equivalent to two bottles), Jeroboams (four or six bottles), and Imperials (eight bottles!). These bottles may represent great value and also bring maximum party spirit. We recently served a Methuselah (the sparkling-wine version of an Imperial) at a 70th-birthday party we hosted for a friend. Yes, the six-liter bottle required two guests to pour, and, yes, some wine spilled in the process, but the gesture was perfectly in tune with the achievement we were celebrating.

Best BetsBest BargainRose in fall? Absolutely, if it's got the layered berry flavors of the Bieler Père et Fils 2010 Sabine ($13), which go beautifully with a range of fish and vegetables.best budget red wines ukBest for a Blowout DinnerOpulent chocolate and berry notes make Justin Vineyards & Winery's 2007 Isosceles from Paso Robles ($62) the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon blend for a lavish celebration.where to buy wine sleeveBest for a Cold-Weather RoastNicolas Potel's versatile Rouge Cuvee Gerard Potel 2007 ($22) is the little black dress of affordable French Burgundies.Best for a Seafood Sit-DownErnesto Picollo's 2010 Gavi del Comune Gavi Rovereto ($16), made with Cortese grapes, is an off-dry white wine with heft.best jobs wine industry

Best Big Supermarket BottleTurning Leaf's 2009 California Merlot ($14 for a 1.5-liter bottle), with black-cherry suggestions, is a nice match for ragu and can carry through to chocolate cake.best wine texasThanksgiving is around the corner and fall party season is ramping up. buy good daughter wineAs a guest, you'll make a fine impression with your chic clothing and scintillating cocktail-party conversation, no doubt (unless you happen to be Howard Stern). wine ice cream 5But what about the wine? buy wine on tapFor better or worse, what you bring and how you present it will make a statement. buy wine from amazonPermit me to offer, respectfully, my own counsel along with tips from wine-etiquette expert Adrian Caravello, co-ordinator of the food and beverage management program at Toronto's George Brown College.cold beer and wine store near me

1. The host gift belongs to the host. Don't expect your wine will be served with the meal. Generally, the bottle you bring is intended for the host's cellar. If you're eager to bring something to try, call ahead and politely ask if you can choose a wine to pair with the meal. Or be cagey: Bring a chilled white - the temperature may telegraph your intent. 2. Don't turn your nose up at an inferior wine. If a host pours you a glass of something you're not fond of, try to slurp it down and wait for something more agreeable. (Hint: Food can make even the most pedestrian wine palatable, so hunt down a canapé or two.) Try your best not to complain. "I think that's the epitome of being rude," Mr. Caravello says. 3. Go with the (abstinent) flow. You love wine with a good meal but it's clear your dining companions strongly object to alcohol for religious reasons. Try to respect their sensitivity and bring chocolates or fine candles instead. Think of it as your evening to cleanse, Gwyneth Paltrow-style.

Plus, it could be the night to discover the joys of mango juice, Mr. Caravello says. 4. No need to break the bank. Just because your hosts are wine connoisseurs who tend to collect $50-plus bottles doesn't mean you have to spend like Elton John. Mr. Caravello says $15 to $20 gets you a decent bottle these days, and $20 to $40 will buy something impressive. A $25 Gigondas from France should please even the most discerning host. 5. By all means, take two (or three). If you're the thirsty sort and the invitation comes with a request to bring wine, consider taking two or three bottles. Abundance is the mark of generosity in these wine-soaked times, not dipsomania. Plus, it can be fun to try different styles with a meal. 6. Top yourself up - with grace. We've all been there: Your glass has been empty for 15 minutes and you're choking on desiccated turkey breast. There's no need to suffer in silence. Mr. Caravello's magic line: "Hey, that wine must be delicious because my glass is empty.

Would you mind if I had another spot?" Make it seem like you're enjoying yourself, not dying. 7. Think olive oil, cheese or flowers. If your hosts are rabid wine collectors and you know zilch about vineyards in the Médoc or Côte d'Or, skip the liquor store and shop for something else. If they're gourmets, olive oil may be more cherished than a bottle of off-vintage Bordeaux. Ditto cheese or a fancy bouquet. 8. You brought it, you leave it.But if you brought a prized bottle on the expectation it would be served with dinner but it sits uncorked at the end of the night, don't even think of repatriating it, and that includes cases in which the host graciously offers to send you home with it. Nobody likes boomerang benevolence. If you're among good friends, suggest that you have it together another time. 9. Don't brag about the price. Sorry, the recession's over. It's no longer fashionable to boast about how you spent "only eight bucks" for that surprisingly gulpable Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or Argentine malbec.