| Lindeman's
is hands-down our favorite all-around wine for any wedding
or reception. This Australian wine is affordable, and tastes
as good as any red or white in many price ranges.
I used to work as a waiter at Forest Highlands Country
Club in Flagstaff, which is a very, very rich golf club
with some of the "snootsiest" wine people in the
world. The wine list at Forest Highlands was something to
behold, and you can imagine that all wines on the list went
through some rigorous scrutiny before being added.
We had a wine rep come in one day to do a tasting for the
managers and staff of the club restaurant. She started off
by saying that she has a wine that will stand up to the
best wines on the list, and that she would like to do a
blind taste test with the management and the staff. The
management agreed, and brought out several bottles from
the upper tier of the wine list.
Each person, including me, were allowed to taste the glass
off of the list, and then taste what she had to offer (or
vice versa). Every single person chose what she was pouring,
and we were all amazed at the complexity of what we were
tasting, and just how darned good it was. She then said
"Are you ready for a surprise? This bottle at any store
is about $6 per bottle."
We were all floored. We were choosing this "cheap"
stuff over bottles that sell for $60 or $70 in the restaurant?
What could this magic liquid be? Well, it was "Lindeman's
Bin 65 Chardonnay" pictured to the left.
My mom's birthday was that same week, and that's what I
went out and got here, and it is still to this day one of
her favorite wines (15 years later).
It is usually very hard to go wrong with Australian wines
(which Lindeman's are). Their reds are always very intense
and complex, and their Chardonnay's are almost always delightfully
oaky and buttery.
Hands-down, Lindeman's is our top recommendation for a
wedding or reception wine.
Rosemount Shiraz - Another Australian
favorite in the "affordable" wine category. This
is a very "fat" wine that is bold in taste and
has very complex and delicious flavors.
Concha Y Toro - Chilean wines that are
very tasty and quite affordable. Come in most varietals
Freixenet - I saw this sparkling wine
at more weddings than I can count or remember. It's excellent,
and is not going to put you in debt. Good enough for the
bride and groom's dinner, as well as the reception and toast
Common "Varietals" of white wine:
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Gewürztraminer
Common "Varietals" of white wine:
Cabernet Sauvignon (or "Cab"), Merlot, Pinot Noir,
Zinfandel, Syrah or Shiraz
Joelle and David's General Rules and Tips About
Wine - I (David) spent many years of my younger
life working in glitzy ski resorts as a Food and Beverage
manager. I was pretty young, but somehow landed some pretty
high end jobs at some of the best restaurants in the world.
The greatest thing about my job is that wine vendors would
almost chase me down every single day to taste their wines,
or to have me join them at a formal wine tasting after work.
I truly felt like royalty, and most of the time I had a
bit of a buzz going on, to be perfectly honest. These folks
would even have me taste wine before I had a chance to have
breakfast.
Besides waking up with a bit "chapped" feeling
each morning from all of this tasting, I did learn a lot
about wine, and I was able to taste some great stuff. I
think the most important thing that I learned was to not
believe everything you hear about wine, and that nobody
knows everything about wine. A lot about wine is simply
personal preference, and in many cases a bottle that cost
$7 tastes a lot better than one that cost over $100 a bottle.
I had one gentleman who was a multi-millionaire from South
America come skiing each winter, and he dined exclusively
at my restaurant. He would have me order a case of wine
beforehand (a variation of Château Mouton Rothschild),
which ran at over $500 per bottle. The amazing thing was
that he would be alone, and order this bottle in my restaurant,
and have a plate of Nachos as his meal. At the end of his
meal, there would always be about 1 glass of his wine left
(about $100 worth!). I would take that amount and let a
few of my staff taste it. I also had tasted it before. The
response was always "What's the big deal..It tastes
good, but not THAT good."
I had to agree. It was tasty, but not so tasty that I would
take out a loan to purchase a case (which I would have had
to do). It was so expensive because it was an older vintage
from a very high-end winemaker, and this particular variation
was made in limited quantities.
For a wedding, anyone can find wine that tastes just as
good, and that is completely affordable. If you aren't tied
up into the ego of what's on the label, or how much you
are spending on your wedding wine, then you will be able
to offer your guests something they will truly enjoy, and
something that won't break your budget and bank. Here are
a few things that Joelle and I have learned over the years
about wine that will apply to your wedding.
1) Don't let anybody tell you what a good wine is, and
what isn't. Take anybody's advice or recommendation (including
ours) as just that - a recommendation. What tastes good
to you may taste like vinegar to a wine expert and vice-versa.
2) There is usually not much difference from a $20 bottle
of wine to a $100 bottle of wine, but there is usually quite
a difference between a $4 bottle of wine and a $20 bottle
of wine.
3) South America, Australia, and South African wines are
outstanding, and usually quite inexpensive. A good South
American Merlot will be about half as much as a comparable
Californian Merlot
4) Tasting wines is the only true way to learn more about
what you like
5) Be wary of the "banquet pour" at your reception.
Many hotels inform their staff to "fill it up"
at weddings and receptions. This is because many weddings
or receptions are charged per bottle of consumption. You
can instruct whoever is catering or working your event to
pour a normal glass of wine for your guests. This will save
you a great deal on your final bill.
6) Labels mean nothing, really. My mother buys wine based
on the prettiest label. Unfortunately, I have experienced
the opposite effect - the more that is put into the label
usually means the more substandard the wine is.
7) The more you learn about wine, the more you realize
how much you don't know about wine. Joelle and I really
know very little on the grand scheme of things, but we know
the basics, and that is enough.
8) Wine should be fun, not stressful
Did you happen to see our cool little "wine
bottle wedding invitation" page?
Remember to have
fun when choosing your wedding wine list!
Wine is something that you should never get uptight about!
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