New Year's Eve · twenty guests · midnight
Wine for New Year's Eve: twenty guests, nineteen bottles, and the midnight flute
The evening of the 31st is a Christmas Eve dinner with one extra moment: midnight. One flute each, on top of everything drunk since 8 pm. For twenty guests, the count comes to nineteen bottles, six of them sparkling, just under the point where a wine merchant becomes useful. This page gives the calculation, and says frankly which side of that line you are on.
The count for twenty
Set for 20 guests, 80% drinkers, a one-hour aperitif, dinner, and one hour after midnight served entirely in sparkling: that is the flute for the stroke of twelve. The calculator shows 19 bottles, by the bottle, 10% margin included. If the party goes on, increase the length of the evening: half a flute per drinker for each extra hour.
The midnight sparkling, worked out
A 75 cl bottle pours six 12 cl flutes. Sixteen drinkers out of twenty. Midnight replaces nothing: it comes on top of dinner, and that is why New Year's Eve needs more sparkling than Christmas.
| Moment | Glasses per drinker | Glasses for 16 | Bottles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperitif, one hour | 2, half sparkling, half white or rosé | 32 | 5.3, of which 2.7 sparkling |
| Dinner | 3, white with the starter, red with the main | 48 | 8 |
| Midnight | 1 flute | 16 | 2.7 |
| Total | 6 | 96 | 16, or 19 with the margin |
Two honest corrections. If everyone raises a glass at midnight, including those who have not drunk all evening, that is twenty flutes, not sixteen: three and a third bottles, so four. But the midnight flute comes after five glasses, and nobody finishes it: poured at 10 cl, a bottle makes seven. Six bottles of sparkling cover the aperitif and midnight either way. The how many glasses in a bottle page covers the formats, and the champagne for 20, 50 or 100 people page does the same count for a toast or a drinks reception.
The verdict
At twenty, your local wine shop is still enough
Nineteen bottles is a big trip to the local wine shop, not yet a wine merchant's order. A wine merchant becomes useful from about twenty bottles, when sliding-scale prices and delivery make up for the trip; you are just below, and the calculator says so. Above twenty-two guests, it switches to cases.
There is one exception that changes everything: Christmas. Twelve at the table on the 24th is six to eight bottles, see the Christmas Eve page. Add the two evenings together and you are over twenty-five bottles, in one order, one delivery in early December, at a volume price. The delivery rates are a guide only, prices to be confirmed.
What to plan for midnight
- Sparkling on ice at 11 pm, not 11:50 pm. Six bottles in a bucket of iced water get down to 8 °C in twenty minutes. A fridge full of dinner will not manage it.
- Twenty clean flutes. The aperitif ones are in the sink by midnight. Count them beforehand, or wash them during the cheese.
- An alcohol-free bottle for the toast. Those driving home raise their glass like everyone else. The wine and drivers page counts what you need alongside the wine.
- Order early if you go through a wine merchant. For delivery before the 31st, a firm order before 12 December: the week between the holidays is short and depots close. The full calendar is on the when to order for the festive season page.
How many bottles of champagne for New Year's Eve for 20?
Six if the sparkling covers the aperitif and midnight: three for the aperitif, three for the stroke of twelve. Three or four if the champagne is only for midnight: twenty flutes, six per bottle. The rest of the evening is drunk in white and red.
How many bottles of wine for New Year's Eve for 20 people?
Nineteen, margin included: six red, five white, two rosé, six sparkling. Sixteen as a raw count, for sixteen drinkers at six glasses each, aperitif, dinner and midnight. If the party lasts until 3 am, add two or three bottles.
Champagne or crémant for midnight?
Champagne is supplied; crémant is available on request. At the aperitif, you can taste the difference; at midnight, after five glasses, much less. A common solution: champagne for the aperitif, crémant for the stroke of twelve.
What wine budget for New Year's Eve for twenty?
About €250 to €380 for nineteen bottles, from the decent to the good level, with champagne counted for all the sparkling: €13 to €19 per guest. The sparkling makes up half the total, or more; that is where crémant saves money.
More than twenty-two guests, or Christmas and the 31st in a single order? The general calculator redoes the count for your headcount, and above twenty bottles, request a quote for both evenings.