A mixed case is one of the best ways to buy wine. It gives you variety without requiring a separate delivery every time supper becomes more ambitious than expected.
Done well, a case can cover quick midweek meals, weekend cooking, unexpected visitors, presents and the occasional evening when opening something particularly good seems entirely justified.
Done badly, it becomes twelve bottles of nearly identical red purchased because the labels looked reassuring.
Here is how to build a mixed case with enough range to be useful, interesting and — most importantly — enjoyable.
Start with the occasions, not the grapes
Before choosing individual wines, think about when you are likely to open them.
A practical case might need to cover:
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Drinks before dinner.
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Light lunches and salads.
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Fish, seafood and vegetarian dishes.
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Roast chicken or pork.
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Pasta, pizza and tomato-based sauces.
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Steak, lamb or slow-cooked meat.
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Cheese and pudding.
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One or two bottles for presents or celebrations.
This approach prevents the case from leaning too heavily towards a single style. Six powerful reds may sound appealing in November, but they become less useful when a warm evening and a plate of grilled fish arrive.
A balanced twelve-bottle case
There is no perfect formula, but the following makes a sound starting point.
Two crisp, refreshing whites
These are the bottles for seafood, salads, goats’ cheese and uncomplicated drinking. Sauvignon Blanc is the familiar option, but Albariño, Vinho Verde, Verdicchio and dry Riesling can be every bit as refreshing.
Look for bright acidity, citrus or orchard fruit and a clean finish. These wines should feel lively rather than demanding.
Two fuller or more aromatic whites
A useful case needs whites with enough weight for roast chicken, creamy sauces, richer fish and spiced food.
Chardonnay is an obvious choice, though styles vary enormously. Some are lean and mineral; others are broad, ripe and gently oaked. Viognier offers stone fruit and perfume, while Gewürztraminer brings lychee, rose and warm spice.
Including one aromatic white is a particularly good way to make a mixed case more interesting. It may not be the bottle you open automatically, but it could be the one you remember.
One sparkling wine
Sparkling wine should not be confined to formal celebrations. It is a marvellous aperitif and one of the most food-friendly styles available.
Its acidity and bubbles work with canapés, fried food, seafood and salty snacks. Crémant and other traditional-method wines can offer excellent value, leaving Champagne available for occasions when only Champagne will do.
There is also something pleasingly optimistic about knowing a bottle of fizz is waiting in the house.
One rosé
Rosé has escaped its summer-only prison, and not before time.
Dry rosé can accompany Mediterranean food, grilled vegetables, seafood, charcuterie and lighter meat dishes. More structured examples have enough character for a full meal, while fruitier styles are useful when mild spice is involved.
Choose one with freshness and proper flavour rather than a bottle selected solely because it is extremely pale.
Two lighter reds
Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cinsault and other softer reds provide flexibility. They work with chicken, duck, mushrooms, pork, charcuterie and many vegetable dishes.
Serve them slightly cool and they can be excellent in warmer weather. They are also useful when a table contains several different dishes and one enormous red would bully half of them.
A good Beaujolais, for example, combines bright red fruit with freshness and can move from pre-dinner glass to main course without making a fuss.
Two medium-bodied, savoury reds
This is comfortable territory for Rioja, Barbera, Sangiovese, Portuguese blends and many wines from the Rhône.
These bottles can handle pasta, pizza, sausages, shepherd’s pie, roast pork and a long list of sensible suppers. Look for ripe fruit supported by acidity, moderate tannin and savoury flavours.
The Bordeaux and Rhône sections are useful places to explore if you want classic French styles at several price levels.
One full-bodied red
Every mixed case deserves a bottle with a little more heft.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Shiraz and Monastrell are natural candidates. Choose one for steak, roast beef, lamb or a slow-cooked winter dish. Rich fruit is welcome, but balance matters: the wine should contain enough freshness and structure to remain enjoyable beyond the first impressive mouthful.
One wildcard
This is the bottle that prevents your mixed case from becoming too sensible.
It might be a chilled red, an unfamiliar Italian grape, a dry Portuguese white, a half-bottle of dessert wine or something from a region you have never tried.
The wildcard does not need to be peculiar. It simply needs to sit outside your usual buying habits. An independent wine merchant’s range should make this sort of exploration easy.
Set a budget across the whole case
Not every bottle needs to cost the same amount.
A sensible mixed case may contain several good-value everyday wines, a handful of more ambitious bottles and one special wine. This provides far more flexibility than buying twelve bottles at an identical price.
Spend according to the occasion. Fresh, uncomplicated whites and fruit-driven reds can offer excellent value at modest prices. It may be worth allocating more to a complex mature red, Champagne or a wine intended for a special dinner.
Use special offers to stretch the budget, but buy because the wine suits your case — not merely because a red number is printed beside it.
Buy by flavour, not reputation
Famous regions can produce outstanding wine, but the name on the label is never the whole story.
If your budget does not reach the grandest appellations, look nearby. Less celebrated villages and neighbouring regions often use similar grapes and winemaking traditions without carrying the same price.
This is where an online wine merchant with a broad regional selection becomes useful. You can move beyond the familiar names while still choosing according to flavours you know you enjoy.
Those who like Bordeaux may enjoy Cabernet- or Merlot-based wines from Chile or South Africa. Rhône drinkers might explore Spanish Garnacha or Monastrell. Chablis fans can look towards other cool-climate Chardonnays, while Sauvignon Blanc drinkers may find plenty to enjoy in Albariño or dry Riesling.
Use bottle size to make the case more practical
A standard bottle is not always the right answer.
Half-bottles are useful for smaller households, midweek meals and richer wines that are best enjoyed in modest quantities. They also allow you to include dessert wine, Port or Champagne without committing to a full bottle.
Rannoch Scott Wines carries a selection of small bottles, including still, sparkling, fortified and sweet wines. Adding one or two can make a mixed order much more versatile.
Large bottles have the opposite appeal. Magnums are excellent for parties and shared tables, and they make pleasingly dramatic presents. Nobody has ever accused a magnum of looking mean.
Avoid the comfort-zone case
We all have preferred grapes, but a mixed case is an opportunity to discover what lies beside them.
If Sauvignon Blanc dominates your white-wine buying, include a zesty Portuguese white or Verdicchio. If Malbec is your default red, try Monastrell or a ripe southern Rhône blend. Pinot Grigio drinkers could explore Gavi, Picpoul or a dry Riesling.
Change one variable at a time. Choose a familiar grape from a new region or a different grape with a familiar flavour profile. This makes experimentation far more reliable than simply selecting the strangest label available.
Store your mixed case properly
Wine does not require an underground cellar, but it does appreciate sensible treatment.
Keep bottles somewhere cool and dark, away from radiators, direct sunlight and sudden temperature changes. Wine under cork is traditionally stored on its side, while screwcap bottles can stand upright.
Most everyday wines are purchased to be enjoyed rather than inherited by your descendants. Fresh whites, rosés and fruit-driven reds will usually show best while their flavours remain bright. More structured wines may improve with time, but check the individual bottle rather than assuming that age automatically equals quality.
Once opened, reseal the bottle and refrigerate it. This applies to red as well as white wine. Most still wines will remain enjoyable for a few days, although delicate older bottles may fade more quickly.
Let your wine merchant help
If twelve choices still feel like eleven too many, ask for advice.
Tell us your budget, the styles you already enjoy and the sorts of food you cook. We can help you find alternatives, fill gaps and add a bottle or two that you might not have considered.
From our base in Earls Colne, Essex, Rannoch Scott Wines offers a wide selection from classic and less familiar regions around the world. Browse our range or start with the latest arrivals.
A mixed case should never feel like homework. It should feel like several good evenings waiting to happen.