How to choose the best wine for your wedding.

Weddings are wonderful, joyous occasions that bring people together. A chance to throw a great party and be the center of attention with all your closest friends and family and make memories that will last a lifetime. Choosing the drinks to serve at a big event can seem a daunting task. From what styles of wine to choose or how many bottles to buy. We've been lucky enough to help many couples choose their wedding wines over the years. If you're looking for help choosing the perfect wines for your wedding, we've put together a few tips to guide you to the ideal solution for your big day.

Know what your venue can offer. 

If your venue offers it's own bar service, find out if they can provide the drinks you're looking for. If you're looking to bring your own drinks, check what the venue will charge for this. Corkage prices of £15 per bottle are not uncommon in some places, so it can make a big difference to your budget.

Keep it simple.

The easiest approach is to keep it simple. Break it down into what moments in your day you want to celebrate with a drink. Welcome fizz, reception drinks, raising a toast etc.

When deciding on the wines, choose versatile styles that can be paired with a number of dishes and enjoyed on their own. Crisp, dry whites like Sauvignon Blanc and juicy, fruity reds like Pinot Noir. Avoid oaky whites and heavily tannic reds.

Here are some great value, versatile wines that we'd recommend:

Calusari, Pinot Noir 2020 

Light and welcoming nose of autumn fruits. Smooth & spicy flavours throughout with generous soft red fruit flavours & a lovely, elegant finish.

Palazzo del Mare, Rosso 2019 

This easy-going Sicilian red has ample ripe, plummy fruit aromas with hints of spice and liquorice. The palate is supple and juicy, with delicately herbal, savoury notes. Uncomplicated, honest fruit and gentle on the finish. It's a good all-rounder.

False Bay, Windswept Sauvignon Blanc 2022 

Fresh and zesty with grassy, mineral notes, with hints of richness. This is a restrained Sauvignon Blanc with a palate that has lots of minerality and citrus with just a touch of green pepper and grass.

Sensale Grillo Organic 2021 

This has bright and juicy white peach and honeydew melon aromas that continue onto the refreshing palate with a tang of grapefruit. Really nicely balanced and very drinkable.

If you know your guests will enjoy it, a rosé can make for versatile wine choice too.

Estandon Le Rollier 2021

A treat for fans of the drier, fruity Provence style Rosé. This beautiful pale wine is made on the Mediterranean coast by a cooperative of growers from across the region. The quality of their fruit provides this crisp dry wine with aromas of white peach, citrus and a hint of red summer fruits. This is an elegant and effortless wine that you could enjoy with a variety of foods, or simply on its own.

If you're looking to serve sparkling wine on arrival, it doesn't need to be champagne. Prosecco is of course a good value option, and our Durello offers all the same light, delicate flavour at an even better price. Other sparkling wines from France that are made using the same method as Champagne such as Cremant are becoming increasingly popular. Our Domaine Landreau Cremant de Loire made using Chenin Blanc grapes was among our most popular wines last year. Cava can aIso be a good value alternative

It is a good idea to consider those who are not drinking and have an alternative like an alcohol-free sparkling wine and fruit juice.

Matching food and wine

If you are matching the wine to a menu and want to be more specific with your pairing follow these simple tips:

Match the weight of the wine to the intensity of the food. Delicate dishes require wines that won't overwhelm them. Big, hearty and flavoursome dishes need a wine that can stand up to them.

You don't always need to match red wine with meat and white wine with seafood.

Think about how the dish is cooked, not just the main ingredient. A creamy chicken sauce needs different pairing to a Thai chicken curry for instance.

Sweeter dishes need a wine with a greater (or at least similar) level of sweetness.

If in doubt, we can offer bespoke advice to match your menu.

How much do I need?

For the welcome fizz you can expect to get 5 glasses from each bottle. So divide the number of guests by 5 to work out the number of bottles you'll need.

e.g. If you have 80 guests to consider, you'll need at least 16 bottles to give everyone a glass.

80 ÷ 5 = 16

When calculating the number of bottles you need for the reception you have a few things to consider. An average guest is likely to have around 2 drinks in the first hour of the event then slow down to around 1 per hour. If you know your guests are likely to drink more or less, adjust accordingly.

e.g. if you have 80 guests and your event lasts 3 hours, you're looking at around 4 drinks per person.

Multiply the number of drinks by number of guests and divide by 5 to work out the number of bottles you'll need.

e.g. 80 x 4 ÷ 5 = 64

The time of year will impact your guests tastes in wine, so you might want to consider having more white than red in summer and vice versa in winter. Again knowing your groups tastes helps but if in doubt, an even split of red and white is a fine way to go.

Finishing touches

If you want to treat yourselves, you could select some special wines just for the top table. You might not have the budget to serve it to everyone, but a bottle in the superb English sparkling wine from Gusbourne, such as their wonderful Vintage Rosé, will really add some class to the occasion.

If your venue permits it, having a cocktail station with a signature serve chosen by the happy couple is a great addition.

Try before you commit.

If you're trying to finalise your choices, tasting is the way to go. We can arrange a tasting for you in one of our shops to give you a chance to try before you buy. Alternatively, pick up a couple of bottles and have a little tasting event with some trusted friends who will give you an honest answer on what they prefer. 

If you'd like to speak to us about your wedding requirements, you can contact us at hello@reservewines.co.uk or pop into any of our shops.