I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time…to post or not to post. The basics are this…we’re going to have a VERY small wedding. Less than 25 people in total and probably only 18 people will be drinking. The plan was to have a mix of excellent to outstanding wines. There will be about 8-10 people that appreciate quality wine but rarely spends more than $20/bottle for themselves. There are 4 wine geeks & myself: My Best Man, his wife, my fiancé and the man that owned the wine shop we met at while I was pouring for a tasting.
Food will be self-serve and right now Lobster bisque w/ bread bowls, fish (Haddock or Salmon), sausages, and salads are likely all part of the menu. My plan was to have a light bodied & full bodied whites to have a range with the 750’s also open to ensure a range of choices. The Reds are meant to offer a range as well, with a heavy leaning to my favored reds (PGC Etzel, Bartlett RSV B.B., Muser). I’m open to any suggestions that you think make sense. The only non-negotiable wines are the Champagne & Magnums. We’re trying to do this all from wines in my cellar that are already paid for.
I will be drinking very little at the ceremony. I’ll be opening and tasting all the wines, but we plan to have a lake-house for all the wine geeks to stay at with a plan for snacks and a handful of very special wines.
Do you see any gaps in wine styles that should be here but are not?
New World - Full bodied
New World - Restrained
Old World - One or more of the coveted “B’s” (Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Barolo)
Musar - Check!
Champagne: 2008 L. Aubry Fils Champagne Premier Cru Aubry de Humbert (12 bottles)
Whites:
2016 Domaine Luneau-Papin Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie “Le Verger” (Magnum)
2012 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau (Magnum)
2015 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot
2012 Dönnhoff Hermannshohle Riesling Großes Gewächs
2016 Gérard Boulay Sancerre La Comtesse Monts Damnés
Back-ups in case of corked or we need more white wine:
2015 PYCM Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Créot
2015 Weingut Keller Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs
2013 Meßmer Burrweiller Schloßgarten Im Goldenen Jost Weissburgunder Großes Gewächs
Reds:
1999 Chateau Musar (Magnum)
2005 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Etzel Block (Magnum)
2010 Bartlett Blueberry Winemaker’s Reserve
2000 Château Les Ormes de Pez
1996 Fontanabianca Barbaresco Sori Burdin
Back-ups in case of corked or we need more red wine:
1996 Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà
2013 Poggio di Sotto Rosso
2013 Thomas Pinot Noir
2012 Yvon Métras Fleurie (Magnum)
Gerhard, have you tried the ‘99 Musar? At times it’s very CdP-esque. I could throw a bottle of the 2016 Beaucastel in the mix though. Thank you for the suggestion.
Maybe a Rosé Chanpagne…but the fiancé is not a fan and there are few people that I can imagine asking for it…but to round it out and cover all the bases this is definitely a good idea. Thank you.
Looks like a good line up for that size group. The case of champagne will be a hit for most attendees, I do like to get larger bottles of champagne for events like this, just for the show of it.
I’ve been thinking about that and that’s why there’s wines in reserve that will not be opened until the rest is gone. If you follow Lafite-Rothschild’s expectation that most people consume 3/4 of a bottle at gatherings That means I’ll need about 13-14 bottles…after the magnums are concerned that’s 6-7 bottles…so 3 whites & reds along with the Champagne and we should be good.
Congratulations!
Obviously well thought-out, and well-purchased over time!
Given the presence of some who might not like “sour” wines, and in the context of sausages, and given how good such wines are, you might include a bottle of fruity German Riesling instead of one of the GG’s.
If you can find a 2014 Drouhin Morgeot get it. I have not had the 2015, but the 2014 is fabulous.
The big category you are missing is dessert wines. One recommendation would be 2014 Chateau Climens. Another would be a GCA from 2010 or 2015 from a producer such as JJ Prum, Schloss Lieser or Reinhold Haart.
Congrats Kirk! Looks like you have 85+ servings of the wines you are planning to pour for the 18 or so drinkers so you should be fine. You might want to have one of your wedding party be designated to open the wines and be sure to get your own tastes of wines you want to try early as you and your bride will be very busy.
No, we’re not opening all 12 bottles…it will probably be 3-4 with a few for gifts and to open on future anniversaries. It looks like we’re opening a lot more than will probably be needed. I just want to have enough there if folks want to drink more. We’re not having a very traditional wedding…it’s going to be largely like a foodie & wine-geek tour after the ceremony.
Sounds like you know who’s coming and they have an appreciation for wine. Periodically, we have people come in for wedding wines and/or cigars for a cigar bar at a wedding. I usually ask how many guests are connoisseurs of wine and/or cigars. If they don’t tell me all the people are experts I suggest they purchase the lowest priced wines they themselves like and the same for cigars. They can set up the tables to add an exclusive wine for special guests or personally serve the appropriate people. If there is wine/cigars left, they are the temporary daily drinker/smoker.
If everybody is not a professional or connoisseur, history shows us the amount of waste that is possible. Seven-up and ice added to a full glass of Dalla Valle and partially drunk. That guy that goes table to table to try every wine and is the first one belly up. And that connoisseur who pours half a glass of your Musar, goes yuck, pours it out and moves on the the next wine. The same with cigars. They are free so I’ll take four and put them in my pocket for later while the others smoke a half inch of a $15.00 cigar, set it down and walk away.
I guess what I’m saying is weddings generally aren’t wine appreciation events. Don’t waste what won’t be understood or appreciated.
Randy, thank you for this excellent advice! Because our wedding is so small and everyone there knows my passion for wine; one of the things we’re doing is a personalized wine recommendations for everyone attending. I’ve got 95% of the people attending figured out. My Brother & his wife are the only “wild-cards” in this event.
We’re also renting an Air BnB house for the wedding party to stay at and transition to after the ceremony & dinner. While we’re there…that’s when I expect i’ll Relax enough to enjoy the wines. That’s where we’ll open some wines held in reserve.
In addition, I wouldn’t have too many different wines opened; it’s a bit too confusing and many of your guests won’t appreciate the tasting
opportunity.
Unless the wedding party is HEAVILY wine geeky, I would open 1-2 different bottles from 2-3 different categories, but have multiple backup bottles
of each. Champagne almost certainly will be very popular, so plan on having more of that on ice.
A big +2 to Randy’s post, and to Bruce’s Champagne recommendation, but it sounds like you know your audience better than the typical couple Kirk.
My daughter wanted bag in box wines for her wedding because she was certain that’s what her friends liked. I complied, but brought a few cases of Champagne as well, thinking I’d have a case or more to take home after. When I checked with the bartender at the end, it turned out the bag in box stuff was barely touched. And they were down to the last half-bottle of Champagne.
Another thing to consider is your own focus. At our wedding, despite obsessing over and carefully selecting the wines, they became a pretty distant consideration once the day came. The joy of the event itself was overpowering.
