Why are wines served at most weddings so bad? At the last one I attended, I ditched both the red and white and sipped a watery cocktail instead. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Choosing wines for a wedding—or any big party, for that matter—is about more than finding labels you like for a reasonable price. It’s about having a firm plan and principles, such as these nine below, per wine directors and sommeliers.
Go for deliciousness, not famous regions or labels
“Cocktail bar wines are where you can save money,” says William Carroll, beverage director at Westchester County’s Blue Hill Farm (which includes the restaurant at Stone Barns), which hosts three to five weddings a week. He chooses racy, thirst-quenching whites and fruity, easy drinking reds with up-front flavor.
Instead of pricier Sancerre, he suggests smoky, aromatic Domaine de Reuilly Blanc Les Pierres Plates ($21), an organic sauvignon blanc from the eastern Loire valley, an area that’s left behind its former status as the poor man’s Sancerre.
For reds, Carroll singles out the lush, fruit-driven 2016 Wyatt pinot noir ($15), from California’s central coast.
Gramercy Tavern sommelier Katie Venezia, who just got engaged, says she’ll look to such regions as Spain or Italy, or underrated regions of the U.S. such as the Finger Lakes for the best quality-to-price ratio.
Pick wines to please a lot of palates, not just your own
“People run into trouble when personal taste rules,” adds Carroll. In other words, put on your hospitality hat and decide what’s best for your guests.
He and others advocated for highly versatile crowdpleaser wines, with sparkling, red, white, and rosé examples at the bar during the reception, whites and reds that match the lunch or dinner menu, and a sparkling wine for a toast.
Splurge where people will notice—on the big dinner red and white.
Chris Dunaway, the new beverage director at Aspen’s the Little Nell, advocates serving both a light-bodied and a full-bodied red, as well as a white.
Dinner is the time to pull out a wine with bottle age. Blue Hill’s Carroll comes through with a top example for the price: earthy, spicy, complex 2011 Bodega Hermanos Pecina Senorio de P. Pecina Reserva Rioja ($30).