Which wine makes the date a success?
For a first dinner, most people choose the wine meant to impress. That's the mistake. What most people actually like, why a hint of sweetness is more seductive than a big name, and which four bottles carry the evening.
The wine meant to impress rarely tastes good
Anyone inviting someone to dinner likes to reach for the bottle with the biggest name: Barolo, Bordeaux, a powerful Cabernet. The problem: these wines are dry, tannic, and need time, food and practice. At the first sip they come across as harsh. Your date smiles politely and drinks water.
What most people actually like has been known for decades, and the wine trade doesn't love talking about it: fruity, soft, a hint of sweetness, low tannin. In blind tastings, beginners regularly rate off-dry wines higher than dry ones, even while asking for "dry" in the shop. Sales figures also show that, on average, women reach slightly more often than men for fruity, lightly sweet white wines. The spread is wide, but as a starting point for an evening when you don't yet know someone's taste, it's the best bet.
What is seductive
A seductive wine is one that pleases immediately and needs no explanation. Aromas of ripe fruit, blossom or honey. A soft entry. A sweetness you don't perceive as sweetness but as roundness. And bubbles, because bubbles signal lightness before the first word is even spoken.
Four bottles for the evening
To arrive: Prosecco Superiore. Not a Champagne that reads like a proposal. A refined Prosecco from the hills of Asolo: Prima Donna di Stato, CHF 29.90. Dry, but with pear and blossom, and the name makes an impression at the table.
With the meal, white: the off-dry Chardonnay. Sip & Kick Chardonnay & Neuburger from Burgenland, CHF 22.90. Off-dry, creamy, with yellow fruit. Goes with chicken, risotto, fish in sauce, pasta with cream. The wine almost everyone asks for a second glass of. An alternative with more sweetness and floral aroma: La Storia d'Amore Moscato, CHF 26.90, whose name alone does half the work.
With the meal, red: soft and warm. If there's meat: Primitivo Capolavoro, CHF 23.90. Off-dry, velvety, plum and cherry, no tannin that bites. Or a notch more elegant: Ripasso Classico Superiore, CHF 28.90.
For dessert, or instead of it. Moscato Giallo, CHF 27.90: sweet, light, with orange blossom. A glass of this with strawberries or chocolate replaces any dessert.
Three things that make the difference
- Temperature. White and sparkling wine cold, 8 degrees. Red lightly chilled, 16 degrees. A warm red wine smells of alcohol, and that's not a good first impression.
- Glasses. Two proper stemmed wine glasses. They cost ten francs and change how the wine is perceived. A tumbler sends a signal, and not a good one.
- Less is more. One bottle for two is enough for an evening that ends well. If you open a second, it's best done with a wine worth remembering.
For the second date
If the first one went well, the bottle can say more. La Croix Blanche Champagne, CHF 89.90, extra brut, refined, without pomp. Or, if by now you know red wine is welcome: Angelo DiVino Amarone Riserva, CHF 99.90. A wine you don't forget. In this situation, that's the whole point.
