Wine Talk with Guest Expert, Anu Karwa
Are there any unique ways to
incorporate wine into the wedding (wine tasting during the cocktail hour?)
idea of a wine tasting at the rehearsal dinner or cocktail hour. It gives your guests a way to get involved in
the evening and mingle with people they might not know yet. Pick wines that are special to the bride and
groom or their families (home state, honeymoon destination, dream retirement
spot). Or if you have the choice, pick
wines with a sense of wedding humor – “The Prisoner” “The Red Knot”. Create your own “flight” or series of
wines. Pick two white wines and two red
wines. Set them up from the lightest bodied white to the lighter red to the
fuller bodied red wine. Have the guests
try tastings sized pours of each of them. This gets everyone in on the action of the evening . Another idea, Set up a wine and food pairing during the cocktail hour. Elevate your guest experience by pairing up each hor d' oeuvres with a wine selected specially for that dish.
Do you have any suggestions about how
to discuss wine with a reception site (most often they have their own
stock/supplier, and if you chose your own wine you have to pay an additional
corkage fee…while most brides are looking to cut costs…)
Negotiating wine is a tough area and it’s a major expense for the couple. Find a few bottles on their menu. Check them out online and figure out how much
a case of the wine would cost (most wine shops give discounts for case
purchases) plus the corkage fee. Figure
out which is a better deal. You’ll often
find that even with a corkage fee, it’s still cheaper to bring in your own wine
– plus, you can personalize your event.
If you do
need to choose off of your reception site’s list, avoid the well-known regions
like Napa and Bordeaux. Try wines from
less familiar but still high quality regions like South Africa and Chile or
Argentina. And again, try to find a
Prosecco or Cava for the toast. A huge
savings.
LOCAL WINES:
Every
eco-chic bride knows the environmental impact of having wines from Europe
(Champagne toast, anyone?) But does she
have any alternatives? The answer – absolutely! Every state in the Continental US makes wine. Yes, every single state. Support your local
wine region while cutting down on your environmental impact. And swap out the French Champagne for equally
elegant sparkling wine from California, New York or Washington.
-A special thanks to Anu Karwa with Swirl Events for this fabulous series on wines.
Photograph, by Jenny Ebert 1. art beauty life