Wedding trends
The troubled economy we have experienced over the last few years has created a trend in wedding planning and more specifically in wine consumption at the "big event." The general trend that has emerged is couples planning their rehearsal dinners, ceremonies and receptions at private venues like backyards, lakefront homes and the like, which results in couples looking for wine as opposed to that which would normally be provided by the venue. When couples do hold them at a rented location most times they are hiring their own caterers and buying their own wine for the events. In both situations the reasons are the same - trying to make the day special as it should be but with an eye to budgetary concerns.
This trend first came to our attention when one of our customers who did their bridal registry with us casually asked about providing wine for the wedding. As time went on more and more brides both those registered with us and others began asking the same question. As we started to search for wines that were good, met our customers' varietal requirements and were priced to please the large crowds at a wedding we were pleasantly surprised at the number of choices out there that could fulfill all these needs.
We taste anywhere from 20 to 40 wines a week from all of our great local distributors, we rarely pass up the opportunity to try new wines just for the reason that our customers are looking to find different wines to pair with different events. The combination of wines being closed out and those that are always value priced provides us the opportunity to find wines that are delicious and priced at "grocery store" levels, but are more original and higher quality than those typically found at the big chains.
For specific recommendations, we suggest for the Champagne toast the Kenwood Yulupa sparkling wine from the Sonoma Valley in California. At under $9 it offers the perfect amount of crispness to go with light effervescence and fruit flavors of apples and citrus. While a typical full pour of wine is 4 ounces or about 4 full glasses per 750ml bottle, when it comes to the Champagne toast you can most times get away with 8 pours per bottle, as many folks either pass on the bubbly or will take just enough for the toast before moving on to another varietal, although that will happen less frequently when serving one like the Kenwood.
For white wine, one of the great bargains we have found is the 2009 Linen Chardonnay from famed Washington Winery Bergevin Lane. This Chard is delicious showing elegance and balance. The wine is being closed out so retails for $8.50 making it a crowd pleaser for any special occasion, while the beautiful packaging makes it perfect for a special occasion.
In reds we have found the wines from Oak Grove Winery in California to be the perfect combination of value pricing and quality making them ideal for a special celebration like your wedding. The winery produces Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah all priced at under $8. The only mystery to us is how they manage to produce the wine with this level of quality and get it in the bottle and in our hands for that amount. The wines show depth and richness with great fruit flavor across their varietal spectrum. While we like them all we feel the Cabernet is the highlight of the portfolio.
Finally at a slightly higher price point we love the wines from Votre Sante, which is part of the Francis Ford Coppola family of wineries. Priced at just under $13 the wines fill a void for those who would rather have a lighter bodied selection for a summer wedding. The only two varietals produced under this label are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Pinot is a lighter interpretation of an already lighter bodied red varietal making it perfect on a hot summer day, while both of the wines feature beautiful labels that will impress your guests.
As you approach your special day stop by the shop or see your favorite wine professional and let us know what type of wine you like to drink, your budget and the number of guests you expect to have at your wedding. In today's environment of deflating wine prices and close outs, we will be certain to find you the perfect line up of wine for the most special of days.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.