I don’t know about all of you, but I am completely clueless when it comes to wine. I got married in 2005 and I couldn’t tell you with any certainty what type of wine was served at our reception or even how many bottles we went through. Some of you out there may be struggling with choosing the type and/or quantity of wine to serve on your big day, so here are some tips for my fellow “vino challenged” brides out there…….
Wine Tasting — Set up a wine tasting with several friends to help you select your wines. There are many great wineries in Oregon, so make a day of it! Get a party bus, designate a driver and hit the road!
Bargain Hunting — Start with the the local wine shops. Many shops will offer you excellent discounts if you purchase several cases. You can also check out online wine retailers for bargains and quantitiy discounts.
Personalized Wines — Many wine companies offer their wines printed with custom personalized wine labels. This means that your names, date and sometimes even a photograph can be the actual wedding wine label! Depending on the budget you can give gifts of these to hotel guests, wedding party members and even given as wine wedding favors.
Buying Enough — There is no magical answer to the question of how much wedding wine to buy. Everyone calculates the amount differently, but a good rule is 1/2 red and 1/2 white, although people tend to agree that more red will be drunk. One bottle serves only about 5 glasses of wine and you should plan that people will have a minimum of 2 glasses. It is always better to have more than too little wedding wine. Some shops will allow returns of unopened cases if you arrange it with them ahead of time. Otherwise you’ll have plenty of wine for months to come. Nothing wrong with that!
Tasting For The Novice — If you are a wine novice and feel intimidated by the process of selecting wines just keep one thing in mind……if you like it…you like it. If you don’t, then don’t buy it. It is common sense, but don’t let anyone talk you into a wine unless you enjoy it!
There you have it folks……go forth and taste!
Rachel
