Drinks reception · cost for 100 guests
Cost of a drinks reception for 100 guests: €250 to €1,500
Two hours, 100 guests, 80% drinkers: 54 bottles, 24 of them sparkling. In wine, that costs €4 per guest with standard Bordeaux and crémant, €9 with champagne at €45 a bottle. The calculator below gives the exact figure for your guests and your timing; the page explains what doubles the bill.
The calculation, on your figures
Set for a two-hour vin d'honneur (the drinks reception) with 100 guests. The table at the bottom gives the budget at three levels; change the level, the length or the share of drinkers.
Three levels, three bills
A two-hour drinks reception for 100 people gets through 54 bottles, margin and rounding up to full cases included: 24 sparkling, 18 white, 12 rosé. Here is what it costs by level, at prices seen for Bordeaux wines and champagne in September 2026, incl. VAT, excluding delivery.
| Level | Sparkling (24) | White (18) | Rosé (12) | Total incl. VAT | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decent — Bordeaux, entry-level champagne | €24 → €576 | €8 → €144 | €8 → €96 | €816 | €8.20 |
| Good — crus bourgeois, merchant champagne | €32 → €768 | €14 → €252 | €12 → €144 | €1,164 | €11.60 |
| Grand cru — white Pessac-Léognan, champagne house | €45 → €1,080 | €32 → €576 | €18 → €216 | €1,872 | €18.70 |
These three rows are the calculator's. Replace the champagne with a crémant de Bordeaux at €12 and the “standard” row drops to €528, or €5.30 per guest; “good” to €700, €7 per guest. The range of €4 to €9 per guest in the title covers these cases: crémant at the bottom, champagne at the top.
What doubles the bill
All champagne
Replacing the white and rosé with sparkling turns the 54 bottles into 54 of champagne: €1,728 at “good” level against €1,164. Champagne costs two to three times as much as white. The detailed calculation is on the page champagne for a wedding.
Three hours instead of two
The third hour adds one glass per drinker: 66 bottles instead of 54. A drinks reception that runs over because the photos are behind schedule costs €200 more at “good” level.
100% drinkers
Counting everyone instead of 80% adds 12 bottles. Out of 100 guests, 15 to 25 don't drink: children, drivers, pregnant women. That is what the calculator's “share who drink wine” field is for.
Without champagne
Crémant de Bordeaux instead of champagne, same quantity, same service: the bill drops by about 40%. Crémant is available on request; blind, people spot it one time in three.
What the wine price doesn't include
The “drinks reception” line in a caterer's quote often mixes wine, service, glassware, soft drinks and canapés. The wine alone, bought from a wine merchant, is the row above. On top come delivery, between €28 and €61 by parcel according to the indicative scale, or a pallet above 120 bottles; hire of flutes and glasses, €0.40 to €0.60 each; one waiter per forty standing guests; ice, 25 kilos for 54 bottles. The venue's corkage fee, when you bring your own wine, is calculated separately. The split by colour and the quantities for 50 or 150 guests are set out on the drinks reception page.
Where to put the money
At a drinks reception, people drink standing, talking, glass in hand, put down and forgotten. The level of the wine is noticed less than at a seated meal. Two simple rules: a decent crémant or champagne rather than a prestige house, and a crisp dry white rather than an oaky white that tires the palate. The money saved goes on the red at dinner, which will actually be tasted. The full reasoning, by level and by moment of the day, is on the page wine budget per person. For sparkling alone, the table for 20, 50 and 100 guests is on the page how many bottles of champagne.
How much does the wine for a drinks reception for 100 guests cost?
Between €500 and €1,900 incl. VAT for two hours, or €5 to €19 per guest, depending on whether the sparkling is crémant or a champagne house. The most common case, “good” Bordeaux and merchant champagne, comes to €1,100 to €1,200, or €11 to €12 per guest.
How many bottles for a drinks reception for 100 guests?
54 bottles over two hours with 80% drinkers: 24 sparkling, 18 white, 12 rosé, rounded up to cases of 6 with an 8% margin. Over three hours, 66. Over one hour, 36.
Does the price per person include service and glasses?
No, only the wine. Glass hire, staff, ice and delivery come on top: allow €2 to €4 more per guest for all of it. The Transvins quote covers only the wine and its delivery.
Is crémant really cheaper than champagne?
A crémant de Bordeaux costs €10 to €14 against €24 to €45 for a champagne, made by the same method. Over 24 bottles, the difference is €300 to €700. Champagne is supplied; crémant is available on request, and the quote prices both if you ask.