It is your special day, and everything needs to be perfect. One imagines choosing a wine for a wedding day would be simple. You and your plus one would nip down to the local bottle store, grab a few reds and whites, maybe some bubbly, and that’s it.
HA! I will burst your bubbly right there; if you are not a regular wine drinker, choosing a wine for your wedding is tricky. People talk – they will speak for months. “Remember Alex and Tyler’s wedding? The one where they served red wine with fish – oh heavens to Betsy!”
What to consider when choosing a wine for your wedding?
What will you be serving as your mains, are your family and friends big wine drinkers, and most importantly – what do you prefer?
Perfect Food and Wine Pairings
Beef: Punchy red wines (Merlot)
Pork: Punchy white wines (German Riesling)
Chicken: medium white or a light red (Chardonnay)
Fish: Greek wines and minerally whites (Sauvignon Blanc)
Most importantly, no matter which wine you choose, you must serve it at the right temperature! 15 – 20’C for reds and 7 – 12’C for whites.
Are your family and friends big wine drinkers?
This is important to establish. Most wine drinkers have acquired their taste over time. Your novice wine drinkers probably won’t enjoy a full-bodied, aged red. Neither will most longstanding wine drinkers enjoy a sweet rose. You will need to meet everyone halfway.
A safe red wine choice is an easy-drinking cabernet sauvignon or a light-bodied pinot noir.
A buttery and light Sauvignon Blanc for safe white wines or the drier Chenin Blanc.
If your family and friends drink wine regularly, you can opt for the above or win them over with the proudly South African pinotage or a chardonnay.
How much wine do you need for 100 guests?
Both wine and champagne have eight pours per bottle. If your guests are being served or need to go to the bar to get their drinks, this is easier to control as your bar staff “know” how to pour to ensure these 8 servings.
So, you can plan on 1 bottle per person, so that’s 100 bottles and because you don’t want to run out “Remember Alex and Tyler’s wedding, they ran out of wine – Eh Gad, what next?”.
Play it safe and opt for 150 bottles; you can drink whatever is left over.
For toasting, 2 glasses are optimal, especially if uncle Paul is giving a speech about the first time you brought a boy or girl home. 1 bottle = 8 glasses = 4 people. 100 guests / 4 = 25 bottles needed. But again, play it safe – make it 40 bottles.
Now mind you, this is recommended if your group is a group of average drinkers. If it were my family, I would double up—300 bottles of wine and 80 bottles of champagne. Please don’t judge my family – they are merely a festive bunch.
If you have got this far, you are probably doing the maths and may be nervous. Please don’t be. Forget the old idea that expensive wine is a good wine. That is no longer the case. Market Liquors has such an incredible selection of wines you will find one that suits your pocket and your taste.
What do you prefer?
But, at the end of the day it is all about you and your partner. What do you prefer? Go with that; you won’t regret it.
Cheers and congratulations!
