Wine for a wedding: recommendations for a good value one?

Dostoevsky

I need around 40 bottles of some sparkling wine for the arrival reception, and the same number in red/white wine for the main dinner.
Not knowing my wine - I don't drink it - it's a maze out there trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. I don't know what's a "deal" and what's not a "deal" today. The corkage alone is €10 per bottle so obviously I want to keep the price low. I'd go to Newry etc if the price made it worth it.

I'd be very grateful if somebody who knows her/his wine would have recommendations. Thank you.

johnnyskeleton

€10 for corkage is very high in my view, you could try to negotiate this downwards.

In any event, most depends on your budget. I would tend to go for wines that are light, drinkable and have chateau names and vintages. The reason being, weddings are more about prestiege than taste.

If you want champagne, supervalu are doing a champagne for €20 until the 5th May apparently, although I can't speak to its quality. Otherwise, if you want a non-champagne sparkling I'd go for a prosecco.

For the reds I'd go for a claret, rioja or usa cabernet sauvignon. For the whites maybe a new zealand sauvignon blanc.

Most wine sellers e.g. obriens, wines on the green, drinkstore, supermarkets will offer a per case price which will usually save you a few quid.

Finally, you might want to re-consider getting the same amount of non sparkling as sparkling. Usually people will be given a small glass of sparkling wine at the start, but they will expect a lot more wine at the table with their meal.

There are a few threads on wine and they might give you a guide. If you want to suggest a price per bottle people might give you a few recommendations here as well.

irish_goat

Definitely negotiate the €10 corkage, that's just taking the piss.

Have a good look in here too. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=670

Slaphead07

€10 corkage maybe is "taking the piss" but it's not uncommon. I've heard anywhere between €5 and €15 (sometimes zero!). It's there to try and convince you to go with the hotel's own wine supplies which are often vile. Negotiate hard on that one, even threaten to walk away. Corkage can drop sharply and quickly!

The label is important on the bottle but the quality even more so - that is what people will remember long after the wedding. Prosecco is the usual reception bubbly these days and decent Prosecco is better than poor Champagne.

You'll have to work out how many bottles you'll need yourself. On average it's 1/2 bottle per person but your crowd might drink more wine than others... or maybe less... maybe more red... maybe more white. Do your homework. A good supplier will take back unused bottles as long as they're unopened and intact.

johnnyskeleton

Slaphead07 wrote: »

A good supplier will take back unused bottles as long as they're unopened and intact.

Or, you could drink them in the first few months of married life!

Don't necessarily agree that people will prefer quality over prestiege at a wedding and usually you won't get people taking the time to savour a good wine. Mostly, people want to get drunk and there can also be an element of snobbery to these things (unfortunately). But as you say it is all about knowing your target audience.

Slaphead07

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Don't necessarily agree that people will prefer quality over prestiege at a wedding

Quality is prestige.
I've known couples who bought cheap supermarket wine and regretted it as soon as it was served. A very typical Irish group of guests, not wine snobs, were winching at the wines. The poor bride was in tears telling me.

gandalf

Agree with everyone else €10 corkage is taking the absolute piss. I'd ring them up and tell them to drop it or I'd cancel the booking.

Superquinn do a lovely Cremant De Loire Premier Cru Rose which could be used as a reception tipple instead of Champagne or Prosecco.

I'd suggest you go to the main wine sellers armed with the menu and what your budget is and if one of your mates knows their wines bring them with you. My experience in places like O'Briens or Wines on the Green is that they know what they are talking about and once you give them an idea what you need they will direct you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to ask for discounts

irish_goat

For what it's worth, I'm having one or two of these going round the room at my wedding whenever the sparkling wine is being served.



Just need to engaged first...

Tigger

irish_goat wrote: »

For what it's worth, I'm having one or two of these going round the room at my wedding whenever the sparkling wine is being served.



Just need to engaged first...

can i come

poitinstill

from a friend who is married to a self confessed wine snob / champers merchant ..in dunne saccechtto a procesco ............ he had it at their wedding and at the time it was 15 a pop. now 6.99. meant to be good stuff. you will see it in dunnes it has a string on the top of the cork. @6.99 try iy and see yourself

sourgrapes

My tips are:

1. Negotiate corkage and GET IT IN WRITING.

2. Go to a good wine merchant. They'll host a wine tasting for you (it's a fun part of wedding prep.), they'll deliver the wine for free, discount it because you're buying in bulk, give you good advice and will take back unopened wine.

A few years ago, I went the northern route but in terms of the car journeys, storage and hassle when I get married a second time in a few years I'll follow my own advice above.

sourgrapes

Dostoevsky wrote: »

I need around 40 bottles of some sparkling wine for the arrival reception, and the same number in red/white wine for the main dinner.
Not knowing my wine - I don't drink it - it's a maze out there trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. I don't know what's a "deal" and what's not a "deal" today. The corkage alone is €10 per bottle so obviously I want to keep the price low. I'd go to Newry etc if the price made it worth it.

I'd be very grateful if somebody who knows her/his wine would have recommendations. Thank you.

And I would say this, if you are going the Tesco route, look no further than Tim Adams. Riesling (white) and Shiraz (red) are down to €7.50, a genuinely brilliant deal from a really good winemaker, I've met him here in Ireland and interviewed him (see http://www.sourgrapes.ie/2010/10/01/tim-adams-interview/)

Slaphead07

poitinstill wrote: »

from a friend who is married to a self confessed wine snob / champers merchant ..in dunne saccechtto a procesco ............ he had it at their wedding and at the time it was 15 a pop. now 6.99. meant to be good stuff. you will see it in dunnes it has a string on the top of the cork. @6.99 try iy and see yourself

Dear God, don't be tempted to give that battery acid to guests.

mikep

I'd agree with the Tim Adams suggestion...we had the 2007 "The Fergus" last night...a delicious blend which develops nicely with air...also at €7.50 when you buy 6 in tesco...

poitinstill

havnt tried it myself ...and wouldnt even know if it was good or bad.