If you consider yourself a wine enthusiast, you’ll want to consider starting a collection of bottles to store for various occasions. Whether you plan to host intimate dinner parties, large parties and gatherings, or you just want to enjoy a glass of wine on a relaxing summer night, here is our guide to five bottles of wine that you should always have stocked in your home wine cooler!

Weeknight Wine

When curating an impressive wine collection, it’s important to always have a bottle available for casual weeknights at home. Even if you don’t have any fancy plans or guests to entertain, a “weeknight wine” is a staple for your bottle assortment. Whether you’ve endured a long day at work or you’re just looking for a casual weeknight celebration when you've tried a new recipe, you’ll always want to keep a wine on hand for this situation.

Dinner Party Wine

Perfect for a small crowd, dinner party wines are ideal for sharing with friends or family at intimate gatherings. These types of wines are bottles that you’d likely bring to a friend’s house as a hostess gift, or serve when you’re entertaining a small, seated crowd at home. When deciding which type of wine to stock as your “dinner party wine,” we recommend choosing a bottle that pairs nicely with a variety of dinner options. By choosing a sparkling wine perfect for excellent toasts, or a dessert wine for post-dinner celebration, you’re guaranteed to always have a bottle that fits the friendly occasion!

Cocktail & Dance Party Wine

When curating your bottle collection, it’s essential to have a “cocktail party wine” on-hand. Ideal for bigger, wilder gatherings, this wine will be your go-to drink for a large crowd. When choosing a wine for a cocktail or dance party, we suggest purchasing a wine that is widely enjoyed. By stocking up on a delicious rose or chardonnay, you’ll always have a perfectly chilled drink that will be enjoyed by a variety of guests.

Special Occasion Wine

Quite different from the “cocktail party wine,” you’ll want to keep a bottle of wine handy for special occasions. Ideal for anniversaries, birthdays, or promotion celebrations, this “special occasion wine” is guaranteed to make these moments even more memorable. When choosing your go-to bottle for special occasions, we recommend choosing a unique wine that you rarely get to enjoy, as this delicious addition gives your celebration a special touch.

Wine to Age

The final bottle to add to your wine collection is one that you plan to cellar for a long time. Whether this is a bottle purchased on a special vacation or a wine given as a gift from someone important to you, you’ll want to make room in your wine cooler for long-term bottle storage. Whether you plan to enjoy this bottle on a special occasion down the road, or you hope to start an impressive bottle assortment, investing in a wine to age is an absolute necessity.

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Investing in a Wine Cooler

Before acquiring these five essential bottles, it’s important to ensure that you have an adequate amount of storage for your collection. By investing in a wine storage cooler, you’ll ensure that each delicious bottle is properly set-aside. With wine coolers from Hanover, you’ll never have to worry about running out of space, as each unit has a 54-bottle capacity. Complete with customizable temperature control and a sleek, stainless-steel exterior, your wine cooler will become the focal point of your kitchen!

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When starting your wine collection, you’ll want to make sure that you have a bottle for every occasion. By storing your collection in a high-quality cooler, you’ll be able to take perfect care of your wine, knowing that each time you pull out a bottle, you're in for a treat.