As the wedding season is upon us, we have been asked about “Wedding Packages” and are delighted to supply bridal couples with the wines to accompany the “wedding breakfast”, and for the toast.
Incidentally, why is it called Wedding Breakfast? Apparently this comes from the fact that in the “olden” days, wedding ceremonies were held after morning mass. As most people would fast until after mass, if a wedding was taking place, they would be fasting til after the wedding…so hence the wedding “break – fast”. Nowadays of course, weddings can be held all day and into the evening, following the abolition in 2012 of the rule that decreed no wedding could legally take place after dusk.
Your wine choice should reflect your own taste too – and the type of wedding you are having, and the season. Plus the food you are serving, although that is probably the least of your concerns.
A Summer, mainly outdoor wedding suits light fresh citrussy white wines, whereas a winter wedding may call out for a warming red. Rosé is lovely at a Summer wedding too – and is great with spicy food and fish.
Many weddings start with pre wedding drink – not just “down the pub” to give the Groom Dutch Courage, but with a little glass of sparkly for the Bride and bridesmaids as they are getting ready.
If the wedding is taking place at a venue / outside i.e. not in a church, it is often customary to offer guests a glass of something as they arrive and are taking their seats. Then immediately after the ceremony, another glass is very welcome and a good way to start the celebrations. Whilst the photographs are being served, you many decide to serve some nibbles or canapés too, with an accompanying beverage. Remember, the longer the pre- breakfast period, the more wine will be consumed (say 2- 3 glasses per person here).
Ideal with most light bites is a sparkling wine – which of course can be served again at the time of the speeches and toasts. If you are serving both canapes and then serving the same wine for the speeches, you should plan on approximately ½ to ¾ bottle per person – for those who are drinking.
Champagne can be expensive, and English Sparkling wines often cost as much. But great alternatives are fabulous wines like Crémant from France. The best are from the Loire, Limoux, Bordeaux and Bourgogne, but many other regions make a Crémant too. Like Spanish Cava, which is always underrated in our view, they are both made in the same way as Champagne and English Sparkling -with fermentation taking place in the bottle.
South Africa’s Cap Classique, New Zealand’s Methode Traditionnelle, Spain’s Cava -these are all made in this way and offer a great refreshing glass.
You should get approx. 6-7 glasses per bottle.
Wine to serve with the breakfast itself:
Offer a red and a white alternative. It is not really necessary to offer rosé unless you want to – but it would be nice if you are serving prawns or salmon, or even a goat’s cheese tart as the starter. Go for easy drinking, fresh light flavours that are likely to be crowd pleasers.
Fish (usually salmon) and chicken are the most popular main course meals at weddings in the UK, with vegetarian options such as Halloumi and cheese based dishes also frequently offered.
We would suggest light fresh wines such as Picpoul de Pinet, Pinot Gris, a white Bordeaux and even a white Rioja. Albariño is always good with fish. Chardonnay is great with anything creamy, but many people profess not to like it…so be careful. Sauvignon Blanc, although a staunch favourite with many, can have strong flavours not universally liked (so opt for a soft French one).
If you are serving beef or a red meat, a lighter red such as Rioja Crianza, Italy’s Valpolicella would be good, or a nice Chilean Merlot, which are all palate friendly. Pinot Noir is a lovely light fresh wine, but again is not to everyone’s taste.
If you are offering Sparkling to start, then plan for ¾ bottle of still wine per person for the main course. People are in the mood to celebrate don’t forget!
Chocolate and lemon (not together) are the favourite flavours for wedding pudding. We would not worry about offering anything specifically to go with pudding – or even with a cheese plate – but by the time the dessert comes along, everyone will be so happy and sated that they will not mind what you are offering.
Don’t forget – you should offer soft drinks for children, teetotal guests and the designated drivers.
The key question of course is how much should you spend on wedding wine – and that is a very hard question to answer. Of course, it depends on your budget. Rather than choosing expensive elite bottles of premier cru or particular brand names, we would suggest you opt for good quality and good value – and perhaps something a little different. You should always plan a pre-wedding tasting.
Often, you are not given the choice by the venue to choose wines which they do not offer on their wine list – but if you can buy elsewhere and “bring you own” make sure you negotiate the “corkage” with the venue up front. (Corkage is the charge made by venues for storing, chilling, serving wines that you have bought elsewhere). Often, the corkage charged makes it prohibitive to bring your own, so beware.
Generally -it is your day, so drink what you like!
