Family · profession of faith, confirmation
Wine for a profession of faith: a table of teenagers, adults raising a glass
At the profession of faith (the solemn communion French Catholic children make at around twelve), the young person is twelve or thirteen and invites their friends: the teenagers' table is the biggest in the room, and it doesn't drink wine. Out of 40 guests, only twenty or so adults. The calculator is set at 50% drinkers, one hour of aperitif on returning from church and a lunch. It gives seventeen bottles before rounding, three colours, and it will tell you whether your local wine shop is enough.
The calculation for the profession of faith lunch
Set for 40 guests, one hour of aperitif after the ceremony, a seated lunch, 50% drinkers. No rosé at the aperitif: sparkling for the toast and a dry white, then white and red at the table. Three colours, so one case fewer than with four.
Who drinks, at a profession of faith
For 40 guests, a typical case. This table is what justifies the 50%, lower than at a first communion.
| Guests | Number | Drink wine? |
|---|---|---|
| The young person, their friends from the parish youth group, cousins of the same age | 12 to 16 | No. It's their party, they have their own table, and sparkling juice in a flute does for the toast. |
| Little brothers, little cousins | 3 to 5 | No. |
| Drivers taking the friends home | 2 to 3 | One glass, no more. They are often the ones driving the teenagers back to their parents. |
| Grandparents, godparents | 5 to 6 | Yes, a glass or two at lunch. |
| Parents, uncles, aunts | 14 to 16 | Yes. They are the ones the calculator really counts. |
Result: 20 drinkers out of 40. One hour of aperitif comes to just under 7 bottles, the lunch to 10: 17 bottles before rounding. With the 10% margin and rounding to the case per colour, the calculator shows 30: 12 red, 12 white, 6 sparkling. To count your guests one by one and know how much juice to plan, the who doesn't drink page does the calculation.
How many bottles for a profession of faith with 40 guests?
Seventeen as a raw calculation, 30 in full cases: six sparkling for the toast, twelve white, twelve red. That's just above the threshold where a wine merchant becomes useful. At 45% drinkers, that is two fewer adults around the table, the calculation drops to 18 bottles bought singly, and a local wine shop does the job very well. For another number or a dinner, the general calculator redoes the count.
How is it different from a first communion?
The children's age. At first communion, they are eight or nine, they're counted by family and they eat with their parents. At the profession of faith, they are twelve or thirteen and they come with their friends: the young people's table grows, the adults' table shrinks. The share of drinkers drops from 65 to 50%: six fewer drinkers, five fewer bottles before rounding. The wine for a communion page is set for the other case, with the May menu.
And for a confirmation?
It all depends on the age of the person being confirmed. At fifteen or sixteen, it's the same calculation, with slightly older friends and still no wine for them. For an adult confirmation, the guests are adults: raise the share of drinkers to 75 or 80% in the calculator, and the quantity follows.
What wine budget for a profession of faith?
For the 30 bottles in the calculation, around €350 at the decent level and €550 at the good level, so €9 to €14 per guest, teenagers included. It's a family lunch: a good red for the grandparents' table, a fresh, simple white for the rest. The only place to go up a notch is the bottle opened for the godparents.
What do you serve at the teenagers' table?
A sparkling juice or a craft lemonade in a flute for the toast, so they can raise a glass like everyone else. Then juices, sparkling water and still water: count one litre per young person over the day. It's the cheapest table to serve, provided you've planned for it.
Profession of faith mistakes
- Counting 40 drinkers. There are 20. That's twice as much wine as you need, and unopened cases can't be returned.
- Champagne flutes on the young people's table. Sixteen flutes is almost three bottles left full. The teenagers toast with sparkling juice.
- Forgetting the drivers. The young person's friends leave with one set of parents or another: those driving have one glass, not three. Plan water and a coffee at the end of the meal.
- Ordering in May. Professions of faith, communions and weddings fall on the same weekends: order at the end of April, delivered the week before.
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