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The holiday season is filled with fun parties, but when it's your turn to host, how much wine should you buy? It's actually pretty simple, and we'll walk you through it.
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Mike Supple: You're watching Screw It on SuppleWine. I'm your host, Mike Supple.

It's that time of year again. Time for big Thanksgiving dinners and a plethora of holiday shindigs. So what if it's your responsibility to either host one of these or to provide the booze? The biggest question on my mind is always: how much wine do I need to buy?

The answer will vary depending on the number of people at the party, what type of event it is, what kind of food will be there and the duration of the event. The easiest one to plan for is a small sit-down dinner. For a dinner that lasts around 1 - 2 hours, a good estimate is that each guest will consume about half a bottle of wine during the dinner. That's pretty easy math that you can do yourself.

Things get a little more complicated when you're throwing in a more informal cocktail party or if you have drinks before dinner (like at Thanksgiving). But there are still some pretty easy ways to figure out approximately how much wine you will need for your guests.

For an informal cocktail even - or a dinner that includes a cocktail hour - it is safe to assume that each guest will drink 2 glasses of wine in the first hour. Some will drink more, some will drink less, but this is a good average. After that first hour, a good estimate is 1 - 2 glasses of wine per guest for each additional hour.

When you're pouring wine for your guests, you don't need to fill the glass all the way to the top - particularly if there are several different wines to choose from, as your guests might not want a full glass so they can try many different wines without getting drunk. Even if you only have a couple of choices it is still good to keep a glass to about 5 ounces. This will give you 5 glasses of wine per bottle. It's a good size glass of wine so your guest won't burn through it too quickly.

Briefly on the topic of how many wines to have at a party, I find that it's a lot easier on me as a host - and on your guests - if you don't have too many options. One good white and one good red makes it easier for you to supply the wine, and it's easier for your guests to decide what they want to drink. It's also easier for you to refill the glasses without having to remember what each guest is drinking or worry about mixing two different types of wine.

So how do the numbers break down, and what does this mean for your party? Let's say you have 10 people over for Thanksgiving and you're estimating a 3 hour evening: an hour for setup and cocktails, and then a two hour dinner. How many bottles do you need? 10 people X 2 glasses = 20 glasses for the first hour. 10 people X 1.5 glasses X 2 hours = 30 glasses during the meal. 20 glasses + 30 glasses = 50 glasses for the evening. 50 glasses / 5 glasses per bottle = 10 bottles needed for your party.

When you're starting to talk about parties that last longer than three hours you will need to be more flexible, and it helps to know your guests. As parties begin to draw out longer than three hours, the consumption rate will slow down. This is due to guests getting full, tired, or needing to stop drinking so they will be able to drive. You don't want your guests driving under the influence of alcohol. In other events - when people will be staying overnight or you're just throwing an all night rager - the drinking might ramp up after the dinner.

And of course if Uncle Bob is coming over and you know he sucks down two or three bottles himself, it's not a bad idea to stick a box of wine under his chair so he's ready to go without messing up the rest of your numbers.

You also want to make sure you have plenty of water. Whether it's a one hour event or a four hour event, alcohol dehydrates you. You want to make sure your guests stay hydrated. It's also nice to have a few different selections of drinks (soda or juice) for your guests who don't drink or are designated drivers.

Have a safe, fun and happy holiday season, and enjoy throwing your parties!