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How Much Wine for a 300 Guest Thanksgiving?

🍷
285
bottles of wine

For a 300-guest thanksgiving lasting 4 hours

15% buffer included
1236
Total servings
4.1
Per person
+37
Buffer bottles

How We Calculated This

Our bartender-tested formula, step by step

1

Estimate actual drinkers

300 guests × 65% drinking rate
= 195 drinkers

At xlarge events, about 65% of guests typically drink alcohol.

2

Calculate base consumption

195 drinkers × 1.5 drinks/hour × 4 hours
= 1170 base drinks

Industry standard is 1.5 drinks per person per hour for a 4-hour event.

3

Apply consumption decay

Adjusted for drinking slowdown over time (decay factor: 3.25)
= 951 adjusted drinks

People drink faster in the first hour and slow down as the event progresses.

4

Apply thanksgiving modifier

× 1.3 (+30% for wine)
= 1236 wine servings needed

Thanksgivings typically consume 30% more wine than average.

5

Convert to bottles

1236 servings ÷ 5 servings per bottle
= 247.2 bottles (raw)

Each bottle of wine provides 5 servings.

6

Add 15% buffer & round up

247.2 × 1.15 = 284.3, rounded up
= 285 bottles

Always round up and add a buffer. Running out is worse than having leftovers!

* Why trust this formula?

Based on industry standards and refined by bartenders with 30+ years of experience. We factor in consumption decay (people drink less as events progress) and real-world drinking percentages.

📊 Quick Reference: Wine by Guest Count

Guests Wine Needed Total Servings
25 guests 24 bottles 103 servings
50 guests 48 bottles 206 servings
75 guests 72 bottles 309 servings
100 guests 95 bottles 412 servings
150 guests 143 bottles 618 servings
200 guests 190 bottles 824 servings

* All calculations include a 15% buffer. Amounts for thanksgiving.

Your Shopping List

Everything you need, plus essentials you might forget

🍷
Wine
The main event
285
bottles

Don't forget these

  • Wine opener/corkscrew (Have a backup!)
    2 pieces
    Buy
  • Wine glasses (or plastic) (2 per drinker for variety)
    390 glasses
    Buy

Pro Tips for Your Thanksgiving

Insider advice from experienced bartenders

💡

Wine consumption peaks during dinner - have bottles ready at the table.

⏰

Pre-dinner cocktails should be light so people can enjoy the meal.

🎯

After-dinner drinks (port, brandy) are a nice touch.

🧊

Football watching = beer in the afternoon before dinner.

✨

Designated drivers are essential - plan non-alcoholic options.

🛒 Buying Guide

Thanksgiving is wine-heavy with the meal. Plan 1 bottle of wine per 2 adults at the table. Have a light cocktail option for pre-dinner and maybe some beer for football watching. Keep it classy.

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