How to create a wine list for a dinner party

You're having friends over for dinner. You've got 40 wines in your cellar. Someone asks, "What are we opening tonight?"

You could open the fridge and start reading labels. Or you could hand them a wine list.

Why a wine list works for dinner parties

It sounds fancy but it's practical. A one-page list of what you've got, grouped in a way that makes sense, takes the "uh, let me check" out of the equation.

Your guests can pick what they're interested in. You look like you have your life together. Everyone wins.

How to make one in Cork

Cork's PDF export generates a wine list from your cellar. The whole process takes about 30 seconds:

Pick a grouping. Your wines can be organized by appellation, by producer, or by vintage. Appellation works well for mixed collections. Producer works if you've got verticals. Vintage makes sense if you're showing off a particular year.

Download it. Cork generates a clean PDF that looks like a restaurant wine list. Wines are grouped under headers, with vintage and relevant details on each line.

Or share it with a friend. If someone from the dinner is also on Cork, you can create a shared wine list between your cellars. Useful when two people are pooling wines for the evening.

What goes on the list

Cork pulls from your cellar inventory, so only wines you actually have in stock appear on the list. If you opened the last of something, it's already gone from the list.

The groupings make it scannable. By appellation, you get headers like "Pommard," "Chablis," "Barolo" with the relevant wines underneath. By producer, you get "Domaine Leflaive" with all your wines from that house grouped together.

Beyond dinner parties

Some Cork users keep a running wine list they update whenever they add new wines. It's an easy way to share your collection with friends who ask "what have you got?" The PDF looks polished enough that you won't be embarrassed sharing it.

For restaurants and sommeliers, Cork Pro adds more export options and professional formatting. But for home use, the standard export covers everything you need.