Choosing the best wedding wines

Here's a guide on a few things to think about when picking your wedding wines, if you have the choice of supplier, that is.

How much wine should you order for your wedding?

Now this of course, depends on your guests. A very conservative estimate is about half a bottle of wine per person for the meal, that's two to three large glasses. Of course, you need to consider both red wines and white wines. Rosé wine is becoming massively popular too, so plenty to think about.

Also, you might want to think about some sparkling wine for the reception and for the toast(s) during the speeches.

However, Irish weddings hosts are often very hospitable, so we'd always advise that you order more that this, by about 20-30%.

And, if you do, ask your friendly wine shop what their policy is on returning any excess wines for a refund. 

Talk to the catering manager

Most venues are consummate professionals, but eager staff can sometimes overfill, pouring a little too much a little too often, leading to over indulgence and terrible dancing.  

Agree corkage fees and get it in writing

Ordering in your own wines gives you great freedom to pick the wines you really want, and save some money too. However, many venues and catering staff will charge a "corkage fee", a fixed amount per bottle, for opening and pouring your wine.

If this is the case, make sure you get it in writing.

Food matching

Picking the food for your wedding is often great fun, with many venues offering menu tastings. It's a good idea to choose your food first, unless you and your guests are the types who choose wines first and have food follow when dining out in a restaurant. 

The best advice we can give though is play it safe by catering for your guests' tastes and don't choose wines that are too edgy. 

How can we help?

We'd love to play a small part in your big day, by supplying your wines.

If so, here's how we'll do it.

  1. Contact us let us and we'll chat about the number of guests, what food you're going to be eating, and how much you want to spend.
  2. We'll then draw up a short-list of wines (white, red and rosé/sparkling).
  3. We'll make sure we work within your budget.
  4. Once you've bought them, we'll then deliver your wedding wines to your venue in Ireland for free.
  5. Unopened wines can be returned for a refund/exchange.