After the funeral · reception, a glass together, meal
Wine for the reception after a funeral
After the service, the family receives those who came: a glass, something to eat, an hour to talk. It has to be arranged in a few days, in the middle of everything else. Here is how many bottles, which ones, and how to have them delivered without giving it any more thought.
How many bottles
Set for 40 people, an hour and a half standing, 70% drinkers: it is daytime, many people are driving, and older people drink little. White and red in equal parts, no sparkling. If you sit down to a meal, tick the meal.
What to serve
One white, one red
A dry white and a supple red, good without drawing attention: a white Bordeaux or an Entre-deux-Mers, a Bordeaux Supérieur or a Côtes-de-Bourg. Around €8 to €12 a bottle. People don't come for the wine, and nobody should have to think about it.
Alongside, as much water as wine, juices, and coffee: coffee is often what people ask for first.
The wine for a lunch
When the close family have lunch together afterwards, at a restaurant or at home, the red takes a bigger place. One bottle for every three guests is enough: it is a quiet meal.
At a restaurant, the wine is often supplied on site. If the restaurant lets you bring your own, ask how much the corkage is before ordering.
The wine they loved
Many families want to serve the wine the person who has died loved. There are two ways to do it. Open the bottles from their cellar, if they had one: that is the most fitting, and then you only need to top up with a simple wine. Or find the same appellation, the same château, and say so as you serve.
Some families open a single bottle from the person's birth year, for those closest. If the year is a long time ago, the birth year vintage page says whether the wine is still drinkable, before anyone goes looking for it.
The timing
In France, burial or cremation takes place between 24 hours and six working days after the death. The reception is therefore prepared in three to five days, at the same time as everything else.
- The number. Count those who will come to the reception, not to the service: often half to two thirds.
- The place. Village hall, home, the funeral home's reception room, restaurant. The wine is delivered there, preferably the day before.
- The glasses. One glass per person is enough for a reception; the how many glasses to plan page does the count if the venue doesn't provide them.
- The request. Give the date and the address in the quote request. If the time is too short to deliver, we tell you straight away, so you can go to a local wine shop without losing a day. Delivery charges are detailed on the delivery page.
How many bottles for a reception of 40 people after a funeral?
About fifteen bottles for an hour and a half: seven white, seven red. People drink little during the day, and many are driving. The calculator adjusts to your number of people and length.
Is alcohol served after a funeral?
Yes, it is the custom in most families in France: a glass together after the service. There is no obligation. A reception without alcohol, coffee, juice and water, is just as proper; do as the person would have wanted.
Is champagne out of place after a funeral?
Not if the family wishes it. Some raise a glass to the memory of someone who loved champagne, or who had asked for it. Otherwise, it isn't served: a white and a red are enough.
What do you do with the bottles left over?
Unopened cases are not taken back. That is why the calculator counts to the bottle, and only rounds up to the case of six from 18 bottles. Better a few bottles too few: there will be water and coffee.
Funeral directors, caterers
If you organise receptions for families, you can pass this page on to them: the calculation takes a minute and the request reaches us with the number of people, the date and the address. We deliver where you serve. For a regular volume, the caterers page describes the trade price list.
A different format, a longer meal? The general calculator does the same calculation with no preset. Do the figures work? Request a quote, giving the date and the address.