Highballs and punch ladled from big bowls have long been staples of wedding ceremonies, yet many of today’s brides and grooms seek more sophistication in the beverages they serve at their reception, with wine playing an increasingly large role. Clueless about wines? About to buy wine for the first time? Here are some tips on how to pick the right wedding wine.
Wedding Wine Tip #1: Red, white, or rosé?
Sparkling wines are wedding wine fixtures but try considering serving one red and one white still wedding wine especially if the reception includes a meal or hors d’oeuvres. Professional wedding planners advocate serving equal amounts of red and white wine. For those who want to pour just one wedding wine with the meal, there is a happy compromise: dry rosé, a wedding wine that’s refreshing and also substantial enough to drink with sturdy foods.
Wedding Wine Tip #2: White wine top picks
Don’t overlook Sauvignon Blanc wines, super-versatile white wedding wines that goes splendidly with seafood, chicken, eggs, vegetables, and salads. Consider the 2007 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc wines and 2007 Matua Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand. Another safe wedding wine bet is the popular Pinot Gris which is a juicy and flavourful wedding wine. Chardonnay continues to be the top-selling wedding wine in the US. Look for unoaked or lightly oaked versions of this wedding wine.
Wedding Wine Tip #3: Red wine top picks
Cabernet Sauvignon wines are the most popular red wine in America, built best for hearty meats. It can be expensive, but two Cabernet Sauvignon wines stand out for their exceptional value and deliciousness: the 2005 Charles Krug Peter Mondavi Family Yountville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines and the 2005 Three Thieves The Show California Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Each has the richness and structure of wines that cost many times as much. Silky Pinot Noir wines are more flexible with food than Cabernet Sauvignon wines, though it can be pricey as well.
Wedding Wine Tip #4: Remember Rosé
Dry rosé is a crisp and fruity wedding wine, without the sweetness of white zinfandel and other blush wines. This wedding wine also pairs beautifully with salads, poultry, fish and meat. Wedding wines such as the Rosé also hits the spot in both warm and cool weather, day and night.
Wedding Wine Tip #5: Wines for the big toast
Whether the hoisting of glasses takes place post-ceremony, mid-meal, or pre–cake cutting, true Champagne, from the Champagne region of France, is the traditional wedding wine to serve (though other sparkling wines work just as nicely).
Wedding Wine Tip #6: Pairing cake and sparkling wines
If bubbly wedding wine will be served with the wedding cake pour one that has a sweetness that can stand up to the cake, or whatever other dessert is served. Most sparkling wines have “brut” in their wine bottle labels meaning they’re quite dry and contain less than 1.5 percent sugar. That dryness makes the wedding wine taste metallic and bitter with sweet dessert, so look for a “demi-sec” bubbly wedding wine, with 3.3 to 5 percent sugar, because it has the sweetness that will complement the cake.
Wedding Wine Tip #7: Consider the season
Brisk white wines, dry rosés, and light- to medium-bodied reds are ideal wedding wines for warm-weather weddings because they offer more refreshment than heavier wedding wines such as Merlot wines, Cabernet Sauvignon wines and Syrah/Shiraz wines.
Brisk white wedding wines include Sauvignon Blanc wine, Pinot Gris/Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay, Riesling, and sparkling wines. For winter and fall weddings, wedding wines with more weight and power (Chardonnay, Merlot wine, Syrah, and the likes) pair best with chilly temperatures and rich comfort foods.
Wedding Wine Tip #8: Personalized Wine Bottles
Giving guests stemware engraved with the couple’s name and date of the ceremony has been popular for decades, but the trend today is personalized wine bottles. There are online wine stores selling wines bearing wine bottle labels that you can custom-design online.
