Unlocking the perfect wine: Experts share tips to bringing the right wine for any occasion

Choosing a bottle of wine can be a stressful task. Especially when that wine is meant for someone else.

If you’re daunted by trying to decide what wine to bring to a party, the perfect bottle for a hard-to-please mother-in-law or something to entice a prospective paramour, consider some tried-and-tested tips from Chicago wine experts.

Surefire party hits

When selecting a wine to bring to a party, Chasity Cooper, a communications strategist and wine and culture writer, turns to trusted favorites.

“Pinot noir from Oregon always delivers,” says Cooper, who recently published the “Wine Convo Generator,” a mix-and-match guide to describing wines like a sommelier. You’ll find pinot noir with this “twist of brightness” from cool-climate regions such as the Willamette Valley, she says. It’s an effortless, juicy choice that appeals to both novice wine drinkers as well as connoisseurs, whether you’re at a dinner party or a summer cookout, Cooper explains.

For a go-to white wine, “it’s fine to keep hanging out in sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio-land,” Cooper says. But if you’re looking for something “a bit more next level” Cooper likes to nudge friends out of their comfort zone with less ubiquitous varieties such as albariño, chenin blanc or torrontes. They’re friendly, unpretentious wines that are dry in style and refreshingly fruity, but with an added boost of texture, aroma and flavors.

Jonas Bittencourt, general manager and wine director of John’s Food and Wine in Lincoln Park, says “a magnum of wine should be the default move for anyone showing up at a party.”

Magnums, equivalent to two standard 750-millimeter bottles, instantly electrify the vibe of a party. “The bigger the bottle, the cooler you’ll look,” Bittencourt says with a laugh. And while large-format bottles might look grandiose, many offer surprising bang for your buck.

Bittencourt often turns to magnums of Muscadet, the dry, mineral whites made from melon de Bourgogne in the Loire Valley. Compared with a similarly well-made Sancerre or white Burgundy, “a magnum of Muscadet seems dirt cheap,” Bittencourt explains. “Muscadet is so bright and fresh, it matches the acidity and fruit that people look for in pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay,” he says, but with a liveliness of character that’s distinct.

For reds, Bittencourt suggests Beaujolais. Produced just south of Burgundy in France, gamay from Beaujolais “is such a fleshy red, it’s so versatile and fun,” Bittencourt says. As a bonus, even a magnum-sized Beaujolais is likely cheaper than a standard bottle of similar quality wine from Burgundy.

What to bring when the pressure’s on

Choosing wine can be especially intimidating when there’s someone specific to impress. After all, what will charm the sister-in-law who stubbornly drinks only one specific wine? What will dazzle an oenophile who has a cellar full of wine and a whole lot more money than you?

For the hard-to-please wine drinkers in your life, don’t fight their resistance, Bittencourt says. “Always give people what they want,” he says. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a second bottle to tempt someone out of a rut. The key is to approach the resistance with openness, he says. For the Anything-But-Chardonnay diehard, Bittencourt will oblige, but he’s also likely to offer a sneaky sip of Chablis. Yes, it’s also a chard, but a striking contrast to the sappy oak bombs that most ABC’ers fear. “Just don’t tell them what they’re drinking because the barrier of preconceived notions is really strong,” he says.

When you’re buying wine for a wine snob who already owns all the wines they love, forget about trying to compete, both Cooper and Bittencourt suggest. Instead, “I’m going funky, I’m going fun,” Cooper says, introducing a wine she’s sure the recipient would never encounter on their own. Even veteran wine drinkers appreciate discovering new wines or hearing unique stories about the people and places that produce unusual or lesser-known bottlings. For someone who drinks only big-name, Bordeaux-style wines, Cooper might suggest similar wines from a small, family-owned producer in Washington or California, or wines focused on an underdog grape of Bordeaux, such as cabernet franc.

For an established Barolo collector, for example, focus away from cost-prohibitive icons such as Bruno Giacosa, Bittencourt says. Instead, introduce them to a Barolo producer that’s out of the mainstream. “Small producers like Cascina Fontana are really important in the region, but not everyone knows about them still.”

Wines to woo

If selecting a wine to reel in a new flame, Bittencourt suggests leading with emotions. Sharing wines that are close to your own heart, in Bittencourt’s case, Champagne or Burgundy, can communicate volumes. “Plus, they’re wines that make me the happiest,” he says, and they make it easier to navigate those intimate, vulnerable moments.

With a new date, “I like to showcase a bit of my personality and playfulness,” says Cooper, who suggests seduction via a progression of wines. Cooper starts with something unexpected and unusual, “like a really beautiful orange wine,” she says, referring to the amber-hued, aromatic whites made with extended skin contact like red wines.

“I might follow that with something bold and charismatic, like me” she says, “an aglianico (the powerful red wines of southern Italy) instead of a more expected choice like cabernet sauvignon.”

“Then, I’d seal the deal with a really great dessert wine, maybe a vintage fortified wine like Port,” Cooper suggests.

Above all, spending more than you can afford is never the answer to these conundrums, both Cooper and Bittencourt advise. This is why developing relationships with trusty salespeople, usually from small, independent wine retailers can be such an asset. “Be honest about your budget,” Bittencourt says, and take time to tell them about who you’re buying wine for, their sense of humor, their routine and quirks, he says.

After all, wine isn’t just about filling glasses, you might get a chance to fill hearts too.

Party pleasers

Brooks Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Oregon pinot noir highlights fresh, juicy raspberry and red-cherry flavors offset by spice and thirst-quenching acidity. Cooper recommends this easy-drinking but elegant pinot from Brooks, a family winery in the Willamette Valley known for its commitment to biodynamic and sustainable wine growing.

$29 at Binny’s, multiple locations, binnys.com

Wade Cellars Chenin Blanc

For those who love the richness of chardonnay but also the verve and tropical fruit of sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc is a clever alternative. Chenin blanc originates from the Loire Valley in France, but versions from California or South Africa have a sun-kissed brightness ideal for parties. This collaboration between NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and Napa’s Jayson Pahlmeyer is one of Cooper’s favorites.

$20 at Binny’s, multiple locations, binnys.com

California Carboniste Modern Sparkling Wine Extra Brut Albarino

Spanish albariño, a blossomy dry white with mouthwatering grapefruit acidity, is an invigorating choice for parties. Cooper likes this all-American innovation, an organically grown California sparkling albariño bottled with a party-ready crown-cap closure.

$30 at Binny’s, multiple locations, binnys.com

Jo Landron Muscadet Le Fief du Breil (1.5 liter)

Muscadet is such a zingy, thirst-quenching wine, even a magnum may not last long at a party. “It just has this unbelievable energy, who wouldn’t want that?” says Bittencourt of this biodynamically grown wine from one of Muscadet’s pioneering natural wine producers.

$88 (plus shipping) from Wine Chateau, winechateau.com

Alex Foillard Beaujolais 2020 Côte de Brouilly (1.5 liter)

Bright-fruited and versatile whether chilled in ice at a picnic or passed around at a BYOB dim sum affair, Beaujolais fits in with nearly any crowd. Magnums from top producers such as M. & C. Lapierre, Clos de la Roilette or Chateau Thivin are widely distributed to retail stores at affordable prices, but Bittencourt is particularly fond of this powerful gamay from Alex Foillard, son of the famed Gang of Four producer, Jean Foillard.

$93 at Verve Wine, 2349 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-904-8536, chi.vervewine.com

Wines to impress:

Cascina Fontana Barolo

If it’s within your price range, Bittencourt recommends Cascina Fontana’s Barolo as an outperforming wine priced at a fraction of the better-known Barolo. The producer’s bottlings of the same grape, nebbiolo, from neighboring appellations to Barolo like Langhe, or other Piedmontese varieties such as Barbera d’Alba or Dolcetto d’Alba, can be even more wallet-friendly options.

$90 at Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St., 312-521-8700, chicago.eatalyvino.com

Lang & Reed North Coast Cabernet Franc

The Napa Valley isn’t known for small production, mom-and-pop wineries these days, or underdog varieties like cabernet franc. This is why Cooper recommends this fruity but spry, subtly smoky red made by two former sommeliers who named their winery after their sons, Lang and Reed.

$28 at Binny’s, multiple locations, binnys.com

Wines to woo:

Famille Moussé L’Anecdote Brut Nature Champagne

“I’m obsessed with these wines,” Bittencourt says of this 100% chardonnay, or blanc de blancs sparkling, made by a family that has been growing grapes in Champagne since 1750. While Champagne can be admittedly a splurge, it’s the kind of wine that expresses Bittencourt’s enthusiasm and passion, he says.

$90 at Schaefer’s, 9965 Gross Point Road, Skokie, schaefers.com

The Vice Wine Brooklynite Orange

Cooper discovered this intensely floral orange wine made from gewürztraminer during a visit to The Vice, the Napa Valley winery owned by Malek Amrani, a Moroccan-born triathlete. It’s the kind of wine that’s seductive, spicy and “tells such a cool story” too, she says.

$29 at Fresh Market, 2134 N. Western Ave., 773-904-3000

Taylor Fladgate 2004 Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

Vintage ports aren’t made every year, instead, they’re a time capsule of a single vintage deemed outstanding enough to be a “declared” vintage. Fortified wines can be a spry alternative to a heavy dessert and Cooper says this bottling from one of Taylor Fladgate’s flagship vineyards is sure to “knock some socks off.”

$46 at Chevalier Fine Wines, 474 W. Wrightwood Ave., Elmhurst, 847-975-4300, chevalierwines.com

Anna Lee Iijima is a freelance writer.