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+--- Thread: Wedding wine selection help (/thread-15854.html)
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- anabanana - 12-14-2004
My fiance and I are supplying our own alcohol for our wedding in the Spring. Being light social drinkers, this board was a great find! What would you suggest for a lunch reception with beef, chicken, and fish for 80 adults?
Please kindly suggest sparkling wine/champagne under $20 -- is Chandon or Roederer good choices? Only considering CA/WA regions for personal reasons.
We will be providing a red and a white wine, but not sure what most of our guests would prefer. Merlot or Cabernet? Chardonay or Sauvignon Blanc? Any good CA/WA selections under $10?
Total novice here, hopefully there's enough info here to get your expertise knowledge to please our guests! Thanks!
- wondersofwine - 12-14-2004
Welcome to the Board.
I hope others will respond to your request. I like the idea of Sauvignon Blanc with fish or chicken. Some Chardonnay wines are too oaky tasting from aging in wood or having oak chips soaking in them during processing to pair well with food. It would be easier to recommend Sauvignon Blanc at under $20 a bottle than the $10 figure. My favorite California Sauvignon Blanc is from St. Supery and is about $14 or $15 at some stores. Honig is also nice and is listed at about $12 to $15 on wine-searcher.com. Try to find one that is not aged in wood.
At my nephew's wedding the red wine was Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2001 is generally available for $13-$15 a bottle.) Another suggestion for a red wine that should be well received is an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, Wynn's Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. It's about $10 at Wine Exchange and $11 at Wine House in the L.A. area. If you want to go for Merlot, Bogle is a decent inexpensive one for about $10. Or you might try Columbia Crest Merlot from Washington State. You may want to try some of these wines before selecting one. Perhaps a good wine shop could arrange a tasting for you and your fiance.
I'm not very experienced with Champagne/sparkling wines, but the ones you suggested sound okay. Gruet in New Mexico is another economical one that has proven popular. Good luck on the wedding!
- wineguruchgo - 12-14-2004
Just going to add a note about the bubbly. Most people won't drink it - they will take a sip for the toast and that's it. Yet, I know that you want something decent.
I would go lower than your $14.00 target to Domaine Ste. Michelle out of Washington. It's great and you can probably spend close to $10.00 per bottle for it. Here in Chicago I can get it for a little over $100 per case and each case has 60 glasses.
I have nothing against Roederer mind you - it's a great bottle of wine. Yet if people aren't going to drink it, why spend the money?
Pick up a bottle of DSM and try it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
- Innkeeper - 12-14-2004
Agree with the suggestions above. For table wines, reseach has proven that Syrah/Shiraz and Chardonnay are the favorites for large groups such as wedding receptions. To parse this just a little look for red blends from Down Under such as Bleasdale Cabernet/Shiraz. For Chardonnay, I would go with an unoaked/unwooded one such as Coopers Creek, Gisborne, Unoaked Chardonnay. Both my recommendations are at or under $10.
If you absolutely have to stay with California, recommend Pepperwood Grove Syrah, and Sierra Vista Chardonnay. Both of these are in the $10 range too.
- anabanana - 12-14-2004
Thanks for your quick responses!
We're really like to stay under $10 for wines. My boss had recommended Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc for the white wine selection. Are these good? What's a good Sauvignon Blanc for under $10?
There was a sale at Safeway for Chandon Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine for $10, seems like a good deal?
Also, if I buy these wine/bubbly right now, will they still be good after a few months?
[This message has been edited by anabanana (edited 12-14-2004).]
- stevebody - 12-15-2004
Please, do yourself a favor and look outside CA/WA for your bubbly! Try either the Gruet Blanc de Noir or the Italian Mionetto "Sergio". We served the Sergio at my step-daughter's wedding and even non-bubbly drinkers loved it. While I seldom find anything from Guruchgo to disagree with, I think the Ste. Michelle Brut is one of the most over-hyped wines in the current market. I had the new issue of it in a trade tasting last month (with 36 other bubblies in all price ranges) and everybody there thought it was mediocre, at best. We also tasted the Chandon you mentioned and ditto on that. This is all IMHO, of course, so try them for yourself.
For the Sauv Blanc, I'd at least try the R.H. Phillips. It's cheap, nicely balanced, and a crowd-pleaser. For the red that costs pennies and works beautifully with food, try the Francis Coppola Rosso, Promessa Rosso Salento, Laurel Glen "Reds" (!!!), or Cline "Red Truck". I'd second the Pepperwood Grove Syrah but it might cover up the chicken.
As a possible CA/WA bubbly, try the St. Innocent Blanc De Noir or the very fine Argyle Brut. The St. I is an obscure favorite of mine and the Argyle is a staple of weddings around the Northwest. It's as elegant and balanced a bubbly as you'll ever find out of this region.
[This message has been edited by stevebody (edited 12-14-2004).]
- californiagirl - 12-15-2004
If at all possible, do not get your wine from Safeway. In your area, I'm sure you can find quite a number of discount wine stores. Check out wholesale clubs- Sam's and Costco. Try Beverages and More, Cost Plus Imports and Trader Joes. Go and price out their selections, and let us know what's available, when you're ready to purchase.
IMHO, I would strongly recommend against the Red Truck. One of the few wines I tried that went down the drain. Cost Plus Imports and Trader Joes frequently have Bonny Doon Ca' Del Solo Big House Red and Big House White on sale for $6.99- regular retail about $8.99. Very universal, good tasting wine. Should go well with anything you are planning. I would recommend picking up one of each and sampling them with similar entrees.
[This message has been edited by californiagirl (edited 12-15-2004).]
- hotwine - 12-15-2004
Ana, you're in LA, so you could also try Wine Expo in Santa Monica. Roberto is the honcho there, and is a member of this board; he would probably work with you to find selections to meet your needs.
- anabanana - 12-16-2004
I'm not sure what you mean...the lowest price that I've seen for Chandon Blanc de Noirs is $10 at Safeway.
I'll keep looking for wines in wine clubs and Cost Plus or Trader Joes. I'm still looking for a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for under $10...
- Innkeeper - 12-16-2004
You can get Zenith Vineyards Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for $10 by the case from the Southern Hemisphere Wine Center in Huntington Beach. It is difficult to find a reputable Kiwi SB for much less than that.
- wondersofwine - 12-16-2004
I don't know if this is carried near you but The Wine Merchant in Raleigh and Cary, NC has 2002 Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand at $10.99. It may be discounted further by the case. When I did a wine tasting for some friends they prefered this wine to the St. Supery or one from the Loire Valley. (I liked all three Sauvignon Blancs but would have chosen the French one as my favorite of the three).
- stevebody - 12-16-2004
Still think you should try the Red Truck. CalGirl and I seem to have a stylistic difference of opinion. The Big House Red, Vitiano, etc. have always struck me as too big and bombastic. The Red Truck is a Rhone-style blend that goes for a softer approach and less in-your-face power. As a veteran caterer, I think that's what you should aim for at a wedding. You're going to have wine drinkers of all experience levels. There WILL be some need for a homogenized flavor profile, i.e., softer, smoother, richer - in short, all those adjectives novice drinkers use to describe wines they like. Try both the Big House and Red Truck and decide for yourself. It won't be that much of an investment and you'll get a clear picture of two stylistic poles. That said, my first recommendation would be - if you can find it - the Laurel Glen Reds. It's just a little masterpiece, almost every vintage.
- californiagirl - 12-16-2004
sb- I guess we do disagree on the Red Truck. Go back a few months on a search, if I remember, I wasn't the only one.
I wasn't refering to the bubbly when I was speaking of Safeway. (I've never priced them out in that area.) Does Safeway give 10% off of 6-packs of wine in LA also? Is that figured into your price?
Good Luck with your wedding plans!
- Drew - 12-17-2004
Do agree with the Gruet Blanc de Noir as a great sparkler for little money but thought the Cline Red Truck needed to be "dumped" if you get my drift.
Drew
- hotwine - 12-17-2004
I'm with Drew.... Cline's is a truck I'd push off a cliff.
- Kcwhippet - 12-17-2004
Not a favorite here, either.
- anabanana - 12-18-2004
Thanks again everyone for your helpfulness!
With our friends' and your suggestions we've decided on the following:
Chandon Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine
'03 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc
'01 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot
'02 Frei Brothers Chardonnay
'01 Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Originally we wanted to stick to 1 red and 1 white and under $10, but we ended up with 2 of each and a little over $10.
If you were my guests would you like these wine choices?
- californiagirl - 12-18-2004
Good selections! Now enjoy your wedding. It's your special day. Congrats!
- Innkeeper - 12-18-2004
All sound great except the Frei Chardonnay which is just another oak bomb from Gallo. Most people, I have to admit, have been convinced to like these.
- anabanana - 12-18-2004
Thanks! I guess it's a good thing we only got 6 bottles of the chardonnay. What would be a better choice?