Choosing the perfect wine for your wedding can seem easy at first, especially if you’re a lover of wine. However, there’s much difference between choosing wine for a dinner date and wine for hundreds of guests on your big day. You’d want to consider several factors, such as the perfect food pairing and the wedding theme. If you’re just starting your wine-shopping adventure, you might use some help to save time and costs. Here are a few expert tips to help you pull off the perfect pour with every glass.
Balance the Costs
At this time, when you’re eager to find the best bottles of wine, you’re most likely going to be tempted to pay high amounts for the presumably perfect options. While it’s important to pick the best wine options available, your guests might not care about the best bottle when everything around them looks impressively appealing. Considering the joy and fun, choose the not-so-expensive wine options to balance cost and quality.
It’s best to avoid cheap wines, as they won’t match the occasion, and guests will most likely tell after a few glasses. At the same time, know the upper limits of what you want to spend on each bottle so you don’t harm your budget. Shop from reliable stores like Vinum Enoteca for the perfect wine choices at affordable prices.
Pair By the Day’s Dishes
Wedding wine food pairings vary widely depending on the day’s most popular dishes. You can liaise with your chef to know the main dishes for the day and seek befitting wine pairings for each main course. For instance, chicken entrees with citrus or cream sauce can pair perfectly with white wines, while the same dish with a tomato-based sauce goes perfectly with medium red wines.
Beef entrees can come as lean cuts or fatty cuts. For lean cuts, consider pairing with medium red wines, such as Merlot and go for a strong red wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon, for lean cuts. If you have vegetarian friends, you might have to include hearty red and light white wines like Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc in your list for the day.
Consider the Season
The time of year you’re holding your wedding ought to shape the choice of food and wine for the big day. In the winter or fall seasons, your guests are most likely coming in cold and looking for a way to warm up. A hearty main course paired with a red wine like tempranillo will broaden their smiles.
If in summer, colder drink options are most likely to be preferred to warmer ones. You can serve your guests chilled rose, white, or sparkling wine at the reception to match their thirst and mood. During the main course, you might want to serve them something bolder, like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pay Attention to Bottle Size
Wine bottle sizes are classified into formats. Larger formats are ideal for creating a party mood at your wedding, especially when placed at the reception. Visitors will quickly become excited upon sighting a large wine bottle like the Jeroboam or Magnum at the reception. You can have a few large formats for evoking excitement and smaller formats for per-table serving.
While you may not have enough time to sample as much wine as possible before picking the right one, these tips can help you save time. Once you’ve narrowed your options based on these tips, you’re closer to getting your perfect wine for your big day.