Most couples choose to serve wine at their wedding. A glass or two not only shows hospitality and enhances the culinary experience of their guests, but can also act as a sort of social lubricant, especially on the reception dance floor.
The process of picking wedding wines, though, can be challenging.
Brides and grooms want to offer complimentary sips — a cash bar is a wedding-etiquette faux pas — but they also need to stick to their budgets. Costs can quickly add up, alongside other expense like floral centerpieces and cocktail-hour canapés.
Sommeliers say that couples spend, on average, $25 to $70 per bottle. Based on 100 guests, a couple would need to provide around 140 bottles for a 60-minute cocktail hour and five-hour dinner and dance party. This would put the wine bill at between $3,500 and $9,800, before adding in other bar costs.
There are plenty of ways to save, beverage professionals say, without making it obvious that you’re serving “cheap” wine. Couples with wine-savvy guests know that their friends and family will recognize Trader Joe’s famed two-buck Chuck, just as they might identify the bright yellow label of the more expensive Veuve Clicquot Champagne.
Finding the best quality and most crowd-pleasing wine for your price point is the way to go. “It’s really more about your guests than you,” said Carlton McCoy, a master sommelier at the Little Nell in Aspen, Colo. “You need to have something for everyone.”
Know Your Budget
Start the wedding wine conversation by setting a budget and sharing it with your caterer. “Wine lists can be intimidating, and that is why we narrow the focus,” said Monica Zanotti, the estate sommelier at Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena, Calif. “We can create appropriate pairings at any price point.”
With a rough estimate in hand, collaboration with the beverage director or caterer will be more efficient. The professionals can steer you toward high quality wines that fit within your budget.
Tell your caterer what wines you like and dislike. You can balance the total budget by opting for a range of prices on your white, red, rosé and sparkling wines. When Ms. Zanotti advises couples, she includes well-known brands, local hidden gems and less expensive options. Couples can elect for one standout or recognizable label with value wines to keep the budget in check.
CreditGayle Kabaker
Bring Your Own
If your reception hall permits it, consider bringing your own wine. It gives you more flexibility in style and price. When Erica Taylor Haskins, 34, got married in Brooklyn, knowing her venue allowed her to drop off cases of wine was “thrilling.” She could offer the robust, well-rounded bar she wanted without feeling like a huge chunk of her budget was going to alcohol. “A trip to fill an S.U.V. with cases of wine saved us about $2,000,” she said. “Well worth it.”
For Jessica Bishop, 34, finding a B.Y.O.B. place for her Tennessee wedding was a top priority from the start, and she said that move saved 90 percent of what she would have spent using an events space’s list. Most of her guests were in their mid-20s, “and just happy to have some free booze to drink,” Ms. Bishop said, adding that having alcohol was more about celebration than top shelf. To hide the inexpensive wines she purchased, Ms. Bishop peeled off the labels and adhered custom wine labels adorned with her wedding monogram. “No one knew the brand or the cost of the wines,” she said. “The only feedback we received was how much they loved the labels.”
Ask a Professional
If you’re not a wine expert, ask someone who is. “Sommeliers not only have knowledge of expensive and esoteric wines, but they know where to find the values,” Ms. Zanotti said. A sommelier can point out varieties and brands you may not know of but actually like once you taste. If you’re bringing your own bottles, seek out the assistance of a colleague or wine shop associate who is more familiar with food and beverage. Ms. Haskins asked a friend who works in the beverage industry for guidance, and now refers to her as her wedding wine “secret weapon.” “Luckily, I had someone in my Rolodex who knew the best options for serving wine at a high volume for events,” she said. “Otherwise, it would have felt like a high-stakes guessing game.”
Swap Sparkling Styles
Just because you want a champagne toast doesn’t mean you have to serve Champagne. Since Champagne comes from a specific region in France with strict requirements, it oftentimes comes with a high price point. That’s great if it fits within your budget, but many couples go for less expensive bubbles. Mr. McCoy likes pouring cava, a sparkling wine from Spain. It’s stylistically similar with the same festive feel. Cremant, a French wine made in the same way as Champagne but not in the demarcated region, also makes a great substitute. You can also forgo the bubbles entirely. More and more couples are having guests toast with the glass in hand, which could be anything from chilled rosé to a soda.
Look at neighboring areas to acclaimed wine regions to save, too. For example, Sauvignon Blanc is the grape used in the popularly requested Sancerre. But Sancerre, like Champagne, commands a high price because of production laws. Henry Rich, a managing partner of Purslane, a sustainable catering company based in Brooklyn, likes to swap in sauvignon blanc from Touraine. Touraine is a nearby region also on the Loire River in France. Since it’s less common, it offers better value for an analogous taste profile. He also does this with French chardonnay, recommending wines from the Mâcon instead of the famed Côte d’Or, and looking to Southwest France for great deals on well-made red wines.
Variety Is the Spice of Life
In addition to changing the style of the wine, couples should compare wine varieties. Try a cabernet sauvignon-based red wine blend rather than the highly prized — and expensive — 100 percent cabernet sauvignon wines from Napa Valley. In recent years, an abundance of small producers has hit the international market. That means couples can pour lesser-known wines from all over the world, such as indigenous varieties from Italy, Greece, and Eastern Europe. You may not be able to pronounce it, but they are a fraction of the cost of big names like merlot, nebbiolo, and chardonnay. “For a fun sparkling wine, we tend to go to Brachetto d’Acqui, an off-dry sparkling rosé from Piedmont,” Mr. McCoy said. “It’s beautiful, inexpensive, and goes great with cake.”
Go Big and Take a Picture, Too
Large format bottles are on the rise, said Mr. McCoy, who, increasingly, has couples order their favorite wines this way. Large format means that the bottle is bigger than the standard 750-milliliter bottle. This includes magnums, double magnums, jeroboams and other photo-worthy bottles. While these bottles are physically larger, their price often is not. They also make for excellent Instagram posts on a couple’s hashtag.
There Are Deals Out There
Deal hunting for anything involved in a wedding is easier said than done, but there are ways to secure a discount on wines. If you’re bringing your own, talk to your local wine shop. Most stores extend case discounts of 10 percent for mixed cases of red and white wines. Just note that sparkling wines and champagne are commonly not included. Wholesale liquor stores may have lower prices, and it’s wise to always confirm the store’s return policy. Many couples recoup some cash by returning unopened bottles postwedding.
If you have a distinct bottle in mind, use a website like Wine-Searcher, which allows you to research the price and availability of the wine at stores in any ZIP code. Wines can differ in price by significant dollar amounts, even in the same city. For Ms. Haskins, this meant picking up her wedding wines in Massachusetts near her in-laws’ home. She explained that the prices in New York City were nearly double what she paid in a small town in Massachusetts.
Also, ask your venue or caterer about deals. While they may not slash the price per bottle on the list, they may steer you toward wines that they can order at discount.
Different Pours for Certain Guests
Pouring different wines for groups of guests is perfectly acceptable, Ms. Zanotti said. She often serves newlyweds a special bottle reserved for the two of them. This may be a wine they brought from their collection, such as vintage Champagne, or it may be a more expensive style. This goes for family members as well. Ms. Zanotti will serve select bottles for certain tables, such as parents or the wedding party. This doesn’t mean that the other wines poured are of lower quality. They just may be more recognizable brands or feature more fruit-forward, crowd-pleasing flavors.
Train the Servers
Beyond the actual wines, there are service requests that can help couples save money. Food and beverage teams charge by the bottle, even if it’s not completely empty. Serving one white and one red option reduces the number of bottles you need to open. Request that servers only refill glasses after asking guests if they would like more. This saves couples from being charged for wine tossed down the drain. During toasts, have half glasses poured instead of full glasses, especially since guests tend to take only a sip or two during speeches. Your sparkling wine bottles will go twice as far.
Buy What You Drink at Home
No matter your budget, genuinely like the wines you pick. You want to be a great host and offer delicious sips, but you also want your wines to be a reflection of who you are. If Argentine malbec is what you drink together every Friday night, think about serving that variety. A good rule of thumb is to consider the types of wine you don’t mind sipping a few times per week. Oddly enough, these tend to be on the affordable end of the spectrum. “A wedding is an opportunity to extend a couple’s household to their friends and entire family for one evening,” Mr. Henry said. “It should be a wine that you actually drink, something enjoyed with friends and family before. Pick wines that you absolutely love.”
