Bridal Club Magazine
How to Choose Wine for Your Wedding
1. Wine Moments
Typically there are three possible wine moments for your day;
after the ceremony, during the meal and for the toast.
2. Sparkling Wine?
If you're keen on serving bubbles to your guests after your
ceremony consider buying a sparkling wine and adding orange juice
or cassis for a novel and cost-effective welcome to your
reception.
3. White Wine
Our white wine guide: pinot grigio is soft and plain and good
for drinking on its own; chardonnay is round and fruity and is a
good partner for a wide selection of food dishes; sauvignon blanc
is light and fresh, floral and summery. Good, cost-friendly
examples are from Chile and New Zealand.
4. Red Wine
The light and fruity nature of the red grape pinot noir is
versatile enough to pair with a number of dishes and suits most
palates, which makes it the perfect wedding red wine. You'll find
the best budget examples from Chile.
5. Keep it Simple
Whether you select your wine from the list available at your
venue or bring your own, keep it simple. One white, one red, one
sparkling and a rosé if you like.
6. Corkage Fee
If you're tied into the wine selection that's available at your
venue it's worth asking what their corkage fee is; you can often
find better quality wines at the same price if you bring your
own.
7. Booze Cruise
Cross the booze cruise to Calais off your list of things to do -
there are some amazing wine deals, especially from online companies
who will deliver to your door or direct to the venue.
8. Returns
Most good wine companies will offer you a sale-or-return deal
which can help with costs when you're not too sure how much to
buy.
9. How Much?
As a rule of thumb you should cater for half a bottle of wine
per adult for the wedding breakfast ('breakfast' is the common term
for any wedding meal - not just the ones that happen in the
morning), the equivalent of three small glasses.
10. Screw Caps
An increasing number of wines are closed with a screw cap rather
than a cork. Don't be put off by this; a screw cap is more often
than not a sign of a fresh and young wine rather than one that's
cheap.
11. Cava
When it comes to tradition champagne is the wine to be served
with the toasts, but there are some excellent alternatives that
taste just as good and come without the price tag. Cava is a great
example.
12. Sparkles
Some people find champagne and cava a bit rich. A lighter style
of sparkling wine is likely to please your guests just as much, and
be a bit easier on your wallet.
13. Try Before You Buy
It's important that you and your partner enjoy the wines on the
day so it's really worth trying before you buy. Most venues and
wine companies will open bottles for you to taste, especially as
they know you'll be buying a lot.
14. Menu
Impress your guests by including the names of the wines on your
menu cards for your guests to take away with them.
15. Wedding List
If all this wine research gives you a taste for trying something
new why not add some wine to your wedding gift list?