Selecting Wine for Your Wedding
1) What are you serving for dinner? Wine and food pairing isn’t rocket science. The heavier and more flavorful the dish, the more full-bodied and complex the wine can be. So if you are serving beef in a hearty sauce, then by all means, bring on the Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux. If you are serving a delicate white fish, you should offer a light bodied white – a Sauvignon Blanc would be the perfect choice. One word of caution here – while Chardonnay seems to be the perennial white wine of choice, but most California Chards are so boldly flavored (often with oak and butter) that your guests won’t be able to taste their meal.
2) Which varietals do you want to serve? This depends on your priorities. Some brides will decide to cater to guests’ expectations. Many guests who drink wine regularly probably limit their own choices to the familiars, just because they have no experience with other varietals. If you want to meet expectations and ensure that guests will have a familiar wine at the serving table, then your whites should be Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and your reds should be Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
3) Why not try something a little different? Here’s where it gets fun. Wine is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated. There are so many varietals that it’s a shame to limit ourselves to the old standbys. Why not offer your guests a new experience? I recommend finding a wine bar and tasting a couple flights of wines that you don’t know well. (In many cities, wine bars are popping up. They serve small glasses of wine, usually three in an order, called “flights.”) In whites, consider a Riesling, Muscadet, Pinot Gris or Semillion. In reds, be sure to taste a Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah or Rioja.
4) Will you buy wine from the caterer or pay a corkage fee to bring in your own? This depends entirely on your budget and tastes. In some cases, caterers will offer a great selection of high quality wines that might meet your needs perfectly. In other cases, they will offer only a small selection of less-than-stellar wines. These wines are often marked up significantly, making it worthwhile to consider paying corkage for wine that you buy yourself. Corkage fees can vary wildly, but if you can find a wine you like at a good price (find a local wholesaler), it may be worth it to purchase by the case and pay the fee so that you can serve something you will enjoy and be proud of.
5) How much wine will you need? Generally you should plan on 1.25 bottles of wine per person for a 4 hour reception. Of course there are variables that come into play here. Will there be a full bar offered as well? What is the makeup of your guest list – are they all young executives, older family members or fraternity brothers? If you have a mixed crowd and an open bar, it is safe to assume that one third of your guests will choose wine. Plan accordingly.
Remember, wine makes any occasion special, and no special occasion is complete without it!
