We entertain quite a bit, typically dinner parties of eight or fewer. It's just the number we can seat at our dining room table without adding a leaf. Nevertheless,every few years we find ourselves with a houseful gathered to mark some milestone event. It was after one such occasion that we discovered, in addition to the usual spots on the carpet, a section of white wall where one of the relatives had done his best Jackson Pollock imitation using as a medium of expression the Cotes du Rhonewe served. We lived with that splotchy wall until we could repaint the entire room, but didn't lose a minute enacting a new house rule: No red wine at parties. Now, any group too large to be accommodated at our table has to make do with white wine -- or sip mineral water.

When buying wine for a crowd, we follow four guidelines (five if you count the No Red rule). The first is that it has to be cheap. Second: something that can appeal to everyone. Third: refreshing enough to sip through a whole afternoon or evening without fatigue (that means no oak and no offbeat or outsize flavors). Fourth: it cannot be made by someone we suspect is spending more on marketing than on vineyard management. Even when hunting for a practical party wine, we still want real wine made by real people.

Here's a handful we'd be happy to serve to a crowd and sip ourselves. More pop art than old master for sure -- but this isn't the MFA. -- STEPHEN MEUSE