Most people tend to go all out when it comes to hosting dinner parties for friends and family. From the food, table decor, and crockery to the entertainment; hosts tend to take on more than they can chew. Of course, a dinner party is never truly complete without having wine on the menu. But selecting the right wine for your guests can often be a pretty daunting task especially if smoked salmon is on your menu. However, the good news is that smoked salmon is neither white nor red-fleshed which makes pairing it with wine a lot easier compared to other varieties of fish.

Determine How Experienced Your Guests Are With Wine

Before you narrow down your focus, you should have a good think about who’s attending your dinner party. You need to know how experienced they are with wine or whether they are completely new to it and unaware of the incredible selection out there. Those who are completely new to wine might not be able to tell the difference between an aged bottle or a new one. However, guests that have extensive experience with wine tasting will likely recognise varietals and may even know how to tell the difference by region.

Ask Them What Their Preferences Are 

Once you know how experienced your guests with wine, you should then find out what their preferences by asking the following questions:

• Do you prefer white wine or red wine?
• Do you have a preference for the country of origin?
• Do you prefer a certain varietal?
• How strong do you like your wine?

Always Serve Wines At The Correct Temperature 

Wine doesn’t have to be served a certain temperature as it’s typically down to personal preference. However, white wines and sparkling wines are normally served between 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are serving a full-bodied white or lighter red, then aim for 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Full-bodied red wines are normally served a little bit warmer, but everyone is different. If you are unsure, then it’s best to stick to around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is particularly important because you need to consider whether you are serving your smoked salmon hot or cold. Ensuring that you serve your wine at the right temperature will make all that different and enhance the smokiness and texture of the smoked salmon.

Don’t Forget About The Dessert

Yes, we know that we have been discussing wine and smoked salmon. But an important thing to take note of is that you need to serve a different wine for the dessert. Chances are you are going to be serving a sweet dessert so you do not want to serve a wine that will never harmonise with the smoked salmon you’ve served. A dessert that’s too sweet will never let the taste of a wine shine either. Your best option is to blend a sweet wine with a dessert that isn’t so sweet, so the flavour pulls though.

Visit Your Local Wine Cellar 

The employees that work at your local wine cellar will be well versed in the world of wine and will be able to share their knowledge and expertise with you. It can be a great way of also tasting the wine before you purchase it. Even if you don’t have a wine cellar that is relatively close to your home, we recommend visiting one if you are entirely unsure of what wine to choose for your dinner party. However, it is important to remember that if you are unsure whether your guests will like a wine that you have tasted, it’s better to save that one for a later day.

A Good Thing to Remember

It’s worth us mentioning that delicate tasting wines shouldn’t be served with smoked salmon. The simple reason being that the smokiness of the salmon overwhelms the wine taste making it unenjoyable. You’re much better off going for a dry wine because it’s softened by the texture and flavour of smoked salmon.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy option that all of your guests will enjoy then why not go for a Chardonnay? There are many different varieties that are widely available at all major supermarkets.