What white wines did you have for your wedding?

We did a Chardonnay. Spellbound and a Viogner. We also had reds, a Malbec, cab and zin. Everyone loved it. All moderately priced too.

I echo the Pinot Grigio & Sauv blanc suggestions for a white. I don't like an oakey wine, but I've had some unoaked Chardonnays that were also very tasty!

Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc

I second Pinot Grigio, they are right in between too dry and too sweet. We are probably either going with Vinho Verde or Grüner Veltliner, which are both really dry.

What I mostly see is Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. I personally can't stand Barefoot (and I'll drink anything, lol) but look at some of the upscale box wine; Black Box, Botta Box. You can decant them into carafes and no one will be the wiser.

If you go with a sauvignon blanc, Monkey Bay (from New Zealand) is the best bang for your buck. It's between $7 and $9 per bottle and is my very fave white. A few times a year for special occasions I cheat on it with a $30 bottle of sauvignon blanc, and I'm always sorry. It also gets better every day it's opened, for almost a week, so if you have leftovers you can enjoy. We are doing Monkey Bay and are still on the hunt for a second $10 or less white of a different varietal...

I'm a big fan of Concannon for budget wine. Chateau ste Michelle is a decent budget Pinot Gris too.

Eta autocorrect fail

Do you have a BevMo where you are at? You can do some damage with $150 at the buy one get one $.05 sale. Sauvignon Blanc pairs best with both chicken and fish. If you really want a Riesling too then serve with dessert.

I am in the wine business, so I come to this from a business perspective.

My recommendation, staying with easy to get wines, would be a Pinot Gris (I would do domestic and not an Italian Pinot Grigio as domestic will be a bit "heavier" and pair well with the Tilapia dish.) The Chicken Parmesan is going to have a red sauce, correct? In that case, you could do with an unoaked Chardonnay, or a lighter style red wine, such as a simple Italian Chianti (which is the Sangiovese grape) or a Pinot Noir or Merlot.

First of all, the varietal and the sweetness level are not related. I repeat, not related. The production methods determine the sweetness. Period. Any grape can be made into a sweet or dry wine. A significant majority of white wines are dry. A significant number of wine drinkers have no idea what dry actually means. There are sweet and dry versions of almost all white wines!

Now that we've cleared the up, Chardonnay is the most popular white wine, followed by Pinot Grigio then Sauv Blanc. In my opinion, when budget is a concern, you get the biggest bang for your buck from Pinot Grigio. You can get into a great Italian one for under $8 retail. (Hard to suggest a brand because I don't know what's available where you're at.)

Actually, production is part of the sweet/vs dry, but it is also when the grapes are picked (Brix).

Zoe is correct, there are sweet Rieslings and there are bone dry Rieslings. There are Sauv Blancs that lean toward "sweeter" and those that are drier. Actually, many wine are not sweet at all, but the fruit in them makes you perceive them as sweeter than they, in fact, are.

Brix account for potential alcohol, not alcohol acheived. Fermentation determines sweetness. Period.

Pinot Grigio and moscato. I cannot stand dry wine and there will be enough moscato for everyone one but we're having 2 whites and 1 red.

Brix is used to determine the final sugar content and alcohol levels in wine. From that point, a winemaker can manipulate the wine. Not that the majority of people here care about this info. ;-) They just want to know a simple answer to which wines to serve with certain foods.

I agree that for the purposes of this thread, it does not matter that you are incorrect...

Sauv blanc and an unoaked chardonnay. Eta- those would be my choices based on flavor profile. The girls above noting that sweet/dry has little to nothing to do with varietal are correct. Not to be a snob, but a lot of those super-produced brands like Barefoot, Yellowtail, Cupcake, etc are sweeter because of how they're produced to appeal to the mass public.

We had Mondavi wines - Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Grigio is my favorite white wine and a good middle of the road choice.

I'm a sommelier and a wine specialist by day. Snarky internet poster by night. Haha.

CK Mondavi is definitely a good pick for an inexpensive wine if it's available. Good suggestion!

Go for an unoaked, semi-dry white. And a medium-bodied, off-dry red, if you have to. From what I've noticed, wine drinkers that don't know their wines up and down prefer a SLIGHT sweetness to their wine (I'm not talking sweet reisling a la Chateau St. Michele, etc)--and wine drinkers that DO know their wine will probably be into something so specific that it won't matter. I love a sauv blanc with a touch of sweetness, or a crisp white blend with a touch of sweetness--it's pleasant and easy to drink, whether as aperitif, or with food. Cloud Break has a good, cheap, unoaked chard that is clean and you can get at Total wine for about 6 bucks (and they have a $15 off $100 coupon).

I would do not do barefoot or yellowtail unless you know that's what your crowd likes and drinks. I'm a big proponent of letting people drink what they like, but I find these brands heavy handed at their best and other times, just downright yucky.

You can get better wine than Barefoot for the same price. Go to a wine store like Total Wine and talk to the sales people.