Wedding wine recommendation needed

[bride2be]

I am getting married on September 20, and we are stocking the bar ourselves. Does anyone have recommendations for good, not too expensive wines (red and white) to serve our guests? Our entrees are a choice between beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce and chicken wrapped with pancetta. We also have a cocktail hour and can serve different wines during that (seafood bar, cheese bar, crudite, vegetarian strudel, mini crabcakes, Vietnamese spring rolls, stuffed mushrooms, and Jack Daniels barbecued chicken).

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, B2B, and congrats! You didn't mention your location, and that can affect availability of specific wines. However, will shoot in the dark and suggest inexpensive, widely-available reds and whites;
Red: Blackstone Merlot (the brown California label, not the grey Napa label). Should be no more than $8 per bottle, sometimes less at Sam's Wholesale club. Have paid as little as $6 per.
White: Kendal-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc. Sam's has it for $6 per. Serve that one chilled a bit, the Merlot at room temperature.

There are many others available, but availability can vary with location.

[Innkeeper]

Hotwine's suggestions are fine. Here is another option. For reds, tests have shown that large groups of wine drinkers like Australian Shriaz, as opposed to other reds. Steak, on the other hand cries for Cabernet Sauvignon IMHO. Therefore recommend a cabernet/shiraz blend such as Bleasdale Shiraz/Cabernet $10.99.

Chardonnay would be a good choice with the chicken and ham, and also as an aperitif. Preferable would be the kind without oak treatment. St Andrews Unwooded Chardonnay at $7.99 is perfect. If you don't have a good source of Australian wine near you, look up www.southernwines.com They currently have the '00 St Andrews which is still drinking fine, on sale for $4.99.

Both of these wines will be fine for walkaround and for the meals.

Don't forget some bubbly for toasting. Recommend a Spanish Cava. These can be had for around $10 and come in various shades of sweetness. Best to stick with Brut (dry) or Extra Dry (slightly off dry).

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 07-25-2003).]

[bride2be]

Wow, what great suggestions! Thanks for the specificity, especially on price. It adds up when you are buying cases.

I'm in New Jersey; hopefully that doesn't affect your recommendations!

Thanks!

[hotwine]

Suggest you contact Foodie, who owns a wineshop in Manhattan. 225 East Fifth Street [Between 2nd Ave. & Cooper Sq.]
New York, New York • Ph: 212 254-7800 • Fax: 212 254-9357.