Confused between your champers and your Sancerre? Get clued up on your booze up with Wed's guide to sourcing the drinks for your wedding
Wine. Champagne. Cocktails. You know you like drinking them. But where it comes to sourcing the liquid lovelies for your wedding, you haven't got the faintest idea where to start.
Perhaps you're umming and ahhing over a booze cruise to France - after all, it means you'll escape the British duty on alcohol. However, fun as a fleeting mission to Roscoff might be, you won't be able to sample exactly what you're buying so matching your wine to your wedding breakfast will be a case of hit or miss.
Maybe you're planning to cruise the supermarket aisles and wheel home enough discounted booze to sink an Amy Winehouse-shaped battleship. Problem is, you don't know whether the tipples on promotion will a) complement your wedding breakfast or b) actually work out good value for money.
Alternatively, you could source your drinks from an independent wine merchant. Although the cost may work out a few pence more per bottle, a good merchant will offer flexibility and expert advice on sourcing the highest quality drinks for each stage of your day and will work within your budget to ensure a menu of lip-smacking beverages of quality and affordability.
Nigel Ede of Experience Wine in Truro serves up his expert advice for each stage of your cost-cutting and palate-pleasing party.
The drinks reception
So the emotional climax has been and gone, the 'I dos' have been uttered and the confetti has been scattered. There are a few things on your guests' minds right now: the slight stirring of hunger, maybe they're taking the opportunity to capture their preened composure on camera before the celebrations take their toll. But there's one thought that will be overriding this stream of mental chatter: drink.
While you and your new spouse pose for photographs, your guests will be chomping at the bit for some liquid refreshment, particularly if it's sunny. Save the luscious champers you've got your eye on for later - now's the time to serve up a budget-savvy and thirst-quenching drink. "Go for long refreshing drinks," advises Nigel, "Pimms and Prosecco, for example, make good welcoming drinks." If you choose Prosecco, consider adding a twist, "Combine Prosecco with peach juice to make the classic Italian Bellini or perhaps mix in some Framboise or Kassis," he suggests. For a beautiful and colourful effect, place a wild hibiscus flower into each glass and pour the bubbly on top; the bubbles will unfurl the edible flower and infuse the drink with a faint raspberry flavour.
Cocktails also make a chic and vibrant, not to mention delicious, option for kick starting the celebrations. For a personalised touch, devise a signature cocktail or choose a cocktail which ties in with your theme or colour scheme. You might even hire a mixologist to provide the entertainment factor.
The wedding breakfast
Where it comes to finding the perfect accompaniment to your meal, remember one basic rule: keep it simple. A complicated order of varying numbers of reds and whites leads to wastage. Don't get too caught up in agonising over the percentages of red and white devotees amongst your guests, as most merchants offer a sale-or-return policy.
Avoid mainstream and easily recognisable brands of wine. "Look for alternatives that taste just as good but offer better value for money." Nigel also recommends a tasting session. "Organise a social, perhaps with a select group of family or friends, and taste the wines alongside the dishes you've chosen for your wedding breakfast." It's worthwhile getting feedback concerning the wine and whether it complements your chosen dishes. "Wine tastes different depending on your mood and the food in question. For example, a fresh dry wine will taste drier with spicy food." Make the evening a fun occasion to kick back with your loved ones, while obtaining some useful feedback.
Then comes another crucial question: how much? "I recommend couples are generous with their order, allowing a bottle per head over dinner," advises Nigel. After all, it's better to return a few bottles under your sale-or-return agreement rather than run out before the roast beef has been served. "Alternatively, keep a couple of cases of a more quaffable wine which you can switch to as a back-up plan", he adds.
Don't blow your budget on expensive wines when only your aunt Freda will truly appreciate its notes of full-bodied oakiness. If you're on a tight budget, opt for cheaper alternatives which will satisfy your guests' palates without obliterating your remaining coffers. "There's a lot of good wines in the £5-£7 price range", assures Nigel. "Perhaps serve a £7-£8 bottle of wine with your main course and swap to a £5-£6 bottle afterwards."
Savvy shoppers should sniff out potential deals. Ask your trader what wines they stock specifically for weddings and whether they offer any discounts or deals for wedding orders.
Finally, make sure it's you and your fiance who choose the wine. It's your wedding and the beverages should be tailored to your tastes - not your well-meaning but Lambrini-loving Mother-in-Law to be.
The toast
Ah, the toast. After a feast of dewy-eyed sentiment and tales of rib-tickling hilarity, it's time to raise those glasses and take a swig of something refreshing, bubbly and suitably celebratory. Now's the time to whip out the statement sparkler - so make sure it's something a little bit special. Camel Valley's Cornwall is a good place to start. Nurtured and produced on the fertile slopes of the county, the trophy-scooping tipple is a delight for the senses and, as Nigel comments, a good value option: "With the current currency rates, Camel Valley is offering exceptional value as an alternative to champagne." Furthermore, the acclaimed wine will give your wedding that extra stamp of local identity.
If you've got your heart set on champagne, Nigel suggests avoiding the well-known brands, "Go for a small producer and unrecognisable brand, which will offer you better value for money."
The evening reception
As dusk falls and the party steps up a gear, the drinks are sure to be flowing as your guests oil up those limbs for some serious shape-pulling on the dance floor. "Choose different wines for the evening," suggests Nigel. "Obviously you can eliminate the issue of complementing the food and go for more quaffable wines."
Cocktails always prove a hit for an evening celebration. The number of bar staff and the time-consuming nature of making cocktails can, however, be an issue. "Consider having a batch made up beforehand, then it just needs a shake and the final ingredients added before serving."
If you're having a marquee wedding, serve up a selection of Cornwall's flavoursome ales straight from the barrel. A local cider also makes a refreshing party drink; try the selection from Cornish Orchards or Polgoon Aval, a light and elegant sparkling cider, served in a champagne flute.
And there you have it: the recipe to a tongue-titillating yet budget-savvy party.
Experience Wine
Toadhall, 18 Old Bridge Street, Truro
01872 240058 www.experiencewine.co.uk
words Rebecca Matthews
Copyright WED magazine 2010
