Which Are The Best Wines To Serve Before Food?

Rather then higher content alcohol cocktails before dinner, which can tend to deaden the palate rather then make it more acute, the choice of a wine is much nicer. Champagne or sparkling wines make a nice introduction to dinner, and are subtle enough to have with cheese and crackers.  Aste Spumante is a safe choice, and less costly then true Champagne, and the "bubbly" is a nice festive way to begin an evening.

Other choices for a before dinner wine could be sweet vermouth over ice (especially nice if you are serving cheeses before dinner).  Even though vermouth is technically a liquor, it is made from wine. Another twist would be to serve an aperitif such as Kir which is a "cocktail" made with Black Currant Liquor and white wine. Or perhaps Pernod or Campari.

To be completely safe, open an extra bottle or two of the wine that you will be serving with your dinner instead. That way when folks are ready to move to the table they aren't in that awkward position of bringing a cocktail glass to the table.