Drinking wine with friends can go one of two ways: one, you can be feeling yourself with the best dress, adorable everything, and the absolute WORKS sipping your best wine into dream land.
...OR...
You bring the cheapest bottle of wine from some random shelf in the liquor store (and it actually stinks), you're exhausted from, well, life... And you *kind of* just want to go home...
Let's go with the first one, shall we, and save ourselves from a horrific meltdown!
And, let's be real, we ALL want the absolute best when drinking wine with friends.
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Sooo, I have rounded up the ESSENTIALS to a natural and chic wine night, from wines to glasses!
When I worked, and lived, in California wine country. I fell in love with wine and winemaking (obviously, how can you not!).
Though, the wine world can be a bit tricky to maneuver when you aren't interested in the boujee lifestyle.
But rather you are interested in the earthy, nature-loving (yet chic) lifestyle that adores good wine and good friends. I am here to tell you, sister, there is a place for you!
This post is all about wine with friends.
Essentials to Make Drinking Wine with Friends Completely Irresistible
I could go into the nitty gritty details of a perfect night of drinking wine with friends. Though, we will focus on the BEST wines and nature-inspired glassware to go with it (without the meltdown of the liquor store).
Wines are great to bring to drink wine with friends, great gifts for wine lovers, and even amazing for you at home. The glassware is best for when you host a wine party!
Get the Best Chic Wines
The wines you will wish you knew about sooner! The worst part of drinking wine with friends is not having the time, or the patience, to choose wines from the liquor store.
You just pick one that is affordable and looks nice (then you give a little shrug, put it in your cart, and go to checkout).
Well, lucky for us, the wine brands below not only are delivered to our door, but they are curated boxes with chic and cheeky wine brands (I'm talking undeniably adorable wine labels kind of vibe).
Brands you never heard of before!
Plonk Wines
Plonk Wines have a unique twist to them. It's like the old-wine style meets the new, hip, and trendy wine lovers! Plonk is great for those chic wine lovers looking for new wines you can't find at the store.
These wines are organic and biodynamic wines. Plus, they have those lesser-known wine varietals (or if you're like me, I've never heard of them!). Like, Gruner Veltliner...
Most are small batched wines, perfect for that exclusive-club feel, especially when you bring them to drink wine with friends...
Winc Wines
Winc is an adorable playful online wine club. When drinking wine with friends, Winc has a "porch pounder pack" that has 6 easy-drinking wines perfect for a small get together with friends.
Winc has a vast array of fun and cheeky wine brands. Even hosting space for those non-alcoholic wine lovers!
Oh, and did I mention, the wine bottle labels are to-die-for! They're so adorable.
Maker Canned Wine
A woman owned canned wine biz!
A bit different than your typical wine ordering system, though, canned wine is PERFECT for those outdoor wine events or bringing to a friends.
How is it perfect? Well, one can is a single serving! Drink out of the can or even gently pour into your favorite glassware.
Dry Farms Wine
Lastly, another great option for the perfect wine to drink with friends is Dry Farms Wine.
Their seal of excellence is organic, sugar-free, and lower alcohol content than most commercial wines you find in store.
A great option for those sober-curious ladies, or my wellness and wine lovers!
Nature-Inspired Glassware
For my outdoor lovin ladies, nature inspired glassware can be the creme de la creme for any and all moments of drinking wine with friends!
I have a whole guide that is the best glassware for wine, if you are interested in getting glassware to perfectly compliment your wines.
You don't NEED new glassware, but, let's be frank, some nature-inspired glassware is essential (not NEEDED, but essential, there's a difference!).
Basic Hosting Guide
Now that we know where to get our wines and can accompany that with the best glassware, let's put it all together to make drinking wine with friends effortless.
1. Pick the perfect place
As the first order of business, pick a spot to host your wine night with friends. How about snazzing up your backyard with some twinkle lights, candles, plants, etc?
Or maybe you keep it indoors with some R&B soul tunes, candles, and wine bites. Either way, wherever you choose to host, add some rizz!
Check out these posts to get to-die-for inspiration:
- 9 Insanely Gorgeous Wine Bar Ideas
- 17 Inspiring Wine Night Ideas You Haven't Thought of Yet
- 10 Little-Known Wine Tips for Beginners Experts Are Begging For You to Know
2. Curate your wine list
Arguably, the BEST part of having wine with besties: choosing the wines you want!
Depending on the location you choose, time of year, and the location you might veer towards canned wines or you might veer towards non-alcoholic wines!
(Hmmm, just thought, non-alcoholic wines are PERFECT for a baby shower... just sayin')
Your beautiful selection of wines can come from:
The lovely thing about plonk, winc, and maker wines is you get to choose a case of wine. Essentially, you get enough wines to feed the whole village!
When I would go to the Wine Wednesday at my winery in California, the array of wines was the kicker! I could drink my way from light white wines to the darkest reds AND be home all cozy by 10pm.
Curating a wine list is essential in having wine with friends, casually or on a more serious level (whatever suits your style!).
3. Set the desired vibe
Setting the vibe starts when you choose the spot you want to host. Though, you can add many more items and decor to really nail down the vibe you want!
This can be nature-inspired glassware, edgy or cheeky glassware, winemakers outfits, twinkle lights, etc, etc.
Check out these posts for more inspo:
- 21 Practical & Artistic Products All Boho Wine Lovers Need
- 9 Genius Ideas to Blend Wine and Yoga You'd Be Surprised By
- 11 Essential Wellness & Wine Secrets You're Missing Out On
4. Curate your garden cheese board
I have yet to really dive into making charcuterie boards. Though, I feel I am MISSING out big time. My mom makes a beautiful charcuterie board basically every week and it is to-die-for!
She cuts up strawberries so perfectly and fans them out, picks flowers from the garden and puts as decoration, I mean, this lady goes all out!
(My moms deserves the charcuterie board award, every party she literally never misses)
Here are some great inspirational posts to gorgeous charcuterie boards:
5. Share winemaking inspiration
As a lady who worked in wineries and breweries, I can't help but add this tip into the basic hosting guide!
Whether you just add a book or two to your wine bar, or start fermenting your own wine at home, learning the basics of winemaking can add that edge to drinking wine with friends.
Hey, maybe even you start drinking your OWN wine!
I might be biased on this, but once you dive into the amazing world of winemaking you will be hooked (then, you might be able to understand my obsession!).
Check out my top winemaking posts to start your love affair:
Overall...
You are empowered to show up to your next wine night with friends, either hosting or as a guest, and impress even the most hard-to-impress people!
Curating the perfect wine list for yourself and others, bringing/making a delicate charcuterie board, setting the vibe, and ultimately showing up with confidence and elegance.
You will be effortlessly natural and irresistibly chic!
This post was all about wine with friends.