Weddings and Wine Tips

If you are planning an up and coming wedding, do your guests a favor - provide them with a good selection of wine to accompany what your caterer offers. Some caterers will help or decide for you what wines to be paired with your food selection, but for those of you who are making the decision on your own, here are a few tips I've learned from both the wine side and the event perspective:

· Have at least one white wine and one red wine. I recommend one dry white, a sweeter white, a lighter-bodied red and a heavier red. For example, our Chardonnay for the dry white, White Pinot or Riesling for the sweeter, Pinot Noir for the lighter red, and Cabernet, Star Garnet, Malbec or Merlot for the heavier red.

· Plan on at least half of your guests (adjust accordingly to your crowd) to drink wine and expect 2-3 glasses per person. You can expect 4-6 servings per bottle and there are 12 bottles in a case.

· General Pairings:
Chardonnay - creamy sauces, pastas, breads and cheeses, poultry and fish
White Pinot Noir - fruits, desserts, salads, lighter dishes
Pinot Noir - pork, lamb, duck, poultry dishes
Cabernet, Star Garnet, Malbec and Merlot - Steaks, game, rich sauces
Syrah - zesty & spicy dishes, BBQ, Mexican foods
White Riesling - fruits, desserts, salads, lighter dishes

· Some event venues provide a bartender, but if not, plan for a friend, family member or hire someone to pour wine. Make sure to have a bottle opener, glasses or cups and an ice bucket for the white wines. Please try to recycle the empty glass bottles after the event.

· Be prepared for a hot day - have ice buckets and coolers so that your white wines stay chilled.

· On hot days, guests tend to drink more chilled white wines.

· It's acceptable these days to not toast with champagne. It's your wedding...toast with your favorite wine, Port or whatever guests prefer to have in their glass.

· Make your wedding wine even more special by creating a custom label on the bottles. We provide this service on our award-winning wines for a very affordable price and quick turn-around.

· If you're not a big wine drinker and you have extra bottles leftover (better than not having enough), they make wonderful gifts for your helpers and wedding party to thank them for their time.