The Perfect Wines For A Wedding Day

Royal Wedding Champagne

To all the brides to be – be honest with yourself. Have you been obsessed with the royal wedding between Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton? You probably stayed up until 3 a.m. to see the happy couple all the way through to their first ride home in the car.

In that case, I’m sure you already know the official Champagne and wine that was served for the festivities. The Champagne was Pol Roger, a great choice. And the wine was a homegrown, another apropos choice using local wines which boosts the domestic wine prestige.

So now what wine will you be choosing?

In any case, there must always be a toast, and the best wine for that is always Champagne.

Interestingly regarding Champagne, Queen victoria issued a royal warrant to Bollinger Champagne in 1884.

And Prince Charles used Bollinger during his wedding festivities with Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

A rich, toasty Champagne

The choice of Pol Roger is an easy one as it is another terrific Champagne house with strong ties to england, including producing a special Tete de Cuvee named after the famous prime minister and statesman Sir Winston Churchill. By the way, Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill ($189) is fabulous, rich, toasty and full of depth and masculinity (for Champagne) and terrifically complex; it’s worth the search. even their ‘White Label’ Brut Non-vintage ($59) is lovely and has the same style if less richness and complexity.

But Champagne at weddings is a must. of course not everyone can afford Champagne, especially when the number of attendees is more than the population of Lanai. So there are some great alternatives. Spanish Cava has become almost mainstream and provides a lovely option for those seeking a great bubbly for little money. My recommendation would be Segura viudas Aria Brut ($12). This Cava is ebullient with fruit (pun intended), soft and creamy as well as refreshing. The price is right and no one will mind slugging back a few glasses of this wine and then hitting the dance floor to “cut a rug” with the band riffing in the background.

But what about with dinner? Should you serve a white or a red? And the answer is, yes. You should have both. If you are a foodie, then you’ll probably want to try to pair things with the food, but that will only work if you are having a sit-down, course by course, served dinner. I’ve never been to one of those personally, but if you can do it, go for it. The large majority of us will have a buffet line going with a smorgasbord of different dishes for everyone to pick from and enjoy. The most widely consumed white wine is Chardonnay and its red counterpart is Cabernet Sauvignon. So those are the two types of wines I would recommend. The trick is finding the best one in your price range.

Now here is something I have never offered to do before. But if you are planning a wedding and need a recommendation for a wine, Champagne, sparkler or otherwise, please feel free to email me with your request. I’d be happy to help you make one more choice among the hundreds that you need to make for planning a wedding. You may not be marrying a prince, but you can be made to feel like a princess for at least your wedding day.