Originally Posted by
corky
Is there a particular wine that you think your friend might want to showcase? Maybe you could use the wine as a direction to take the menu. Are you thinking multiple courses? How many people?
This. What a shame it would be if your friends bring magnificent wines and your wonderful food doesn't complement it. If these are the types of friends the OP is comfortable asking, perhaps they'd provide some direction (red meat, spicy foods, etc.) based on what they're bringing.
Originally Posted by
StuckInYYZ
It allows the sommelier or your other friend to showcase their skills (if desired). Just remember to communicate the menu to your friends ahead of time so they aren't caught off guard if they want to bring something.
Or This
. At the very least communicate what you're serving so they can pick the wine.
Another idea, if you think they may bring several different wines. Instead of a traditional dinner, do a multi-course tasting menu. There's more prep for you ahead of time but it can be really fun to serve some small plates and try them with superb wines. We plan to do that this year, and communicate only one course to each guest (who are not fancy wine collectors) and ask them to bring an interesting wine to try with it.