Wine and champagne for wedding: 6 tips to choose them

For his wedding, the choice of wine, or champagne is a real headache, especially when you know nothing about it! Well, the positive point is that France is well-placed in this area. Here are 6 tips to help you choose the wine and champagne for your wedding.

♦ How to choose the right champagne?

First of all, it is important to set a budget and try to stick to it. Just like the wedding caterer, the choice of champagne and wine is a decisive criterion for the success of a wedding. How many cocktails and wedding dinners leave a bitter taste due to the lack of attention given to this item... First of all, good champagne is recognized by the finesse of its bubbles, the gold of its color, and the harmony of its block. The balance between its acidity and its roundness will be decisive and the finish will have to be refreshing.

♦ How to properly match food and wine?

The wines (whether white or red) should be the perfect allies of the dishes on which they will be served. Again it is a matter of balance. For a wine and a dish to go together, they must:

– Balance in terms of power (eg: a powerful wine with a game). A common mistake is to combine all types of cheese with red wine, while the majority of our French cheeses (including Camembert) go much better with white wines.

– Balance on the structure (eg: a lively wine with oysters, a fatty wine with langoustines). On this point, understanding the consistency of the dish will prove to be a serious asset when choosing the wine.

– Match their aromatic palette (eg: a Chateauneuf-du-pape on a pepper entrecôte). Understanding and recognizing the aromas of wine is a long job that requires a bit of method but above all practice. A word of advice: rather than tasting by region, learn to recognize the typical aromas of the grape varieties. Compare together a 100% Pinot Noir (Burgundy), a 100% Cabernet Franc (Loire), and a 100% Syrah (Rhône). This will allow you to distinguish the distinct flavor families of these three major regions.

♦ How to make a successful tasting?

It is very easy to succeed in your tasting if you apply a little bit of method. The first thing is to put aside your preconceptions (especially on the label), the best way to do this is to taste blind (a sheet of newspaper to roll up the bottle and you're done!). Then, clean ovoid-shaped glasses are used (note: avoid flat champagne glasses which were used in the last century and which will not enhance the champagne at all), taking care to hold them by the stem so as not to heat them up. the contents.

To taste well is first to compare! Serve all the wines at the same time (if possible) from left to right (taking care not to mix the glasses). Examine, smell then taste (preferably in silence, not to give a solemn side, but not to be influenced by the comments of its neighbors). Be sure to leave a little wine in each glass so you can come back to it later. Bring some bread and water to cleanse your palate. Finally, discuss the impressions felt.

♦ How not to be mistaken in one's choices?

The choice of champagne and wine must be made collectively, taking into account everyone's opinion, budget requirements, etc. Many parents or family members of the bride and groom have a “good plan” for wine or champagne. But that does not mean that the bride and groom must take the same wine. A wine order for a wedding can, on the contrary, be an opportunity to discover a young winemaker who is on the rise!

♦ What is the average budget allocated to wines and champagne?

In general, the budget for good quality champagne is around 15 € including tax. At this price, small winegrowers offer Grands Crus whose quality is in line with the great Champagne Houses. For wine, the average budget is around 7-8€, where you can find a lot of wines from different regions with a very good quality/price ratio

♦ What quantities should be planned for wine and champagne?

Just like the wedding budget to be determined, the quantity to be planned is essential to the success of your wedding (neither too much nor too little). To do this, you should ask yourself if the champagne will be served only at the cocktail party or also at the party or even at the brunch the next day (if there is one). Same reasoning for wine.