wine choices

@Kristin. These are just suggestions so I am open to anything. And yes something to compliment malbec

@Melissa thank you. We are actually finalizing everything this weekend and the lady is nice enough to open some wines for us to try.

Any suggestions on a brand of Riesling?

Personally, I would ditch the chard for a pinot grigio, a lot of people don't care for chard. My go to is sav blanc but that's pretty dry. If you wanna do a sweet reisling, I would do the pinot with it. I love malbec, it's my favorite, but it's dry and heavy so you should add something a little lighter like pinot noir. Cabernet is dry as well so you shouldn't do both of them. Also, add prosecco! I bartended for 12 years so this isn't just my personal taste.

I would do a Chardonnay, a Pinot Grigio (I think this will be more popular than Riesling since Riesling is very sweet), a Pinot Noir, and a Merlot.

Our brand of Riesling that we offer is Bex Riesling.......I am not a fan of sweet wine, but our guest who are say it is very yummy. I am a fan of Sauvignon Blanc which I think is a good choice to have. Typically on our bars on the weekend there will be: Cab, Pinot Nior, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc..........if it is a premium bar then Prosecco and champagne are added.

I (and most of my wine-drinking friends) am not a fan of Chardonnay or Riesling (which is really a dessert wine). If you want dry white, I would suggest Pinot Grigio or Viognier. For sweet, I generally prefer Moscato to Reisling. Malbec is a good choice for red. Pinot Noir or even a table red wine should compliment it. If it's hot (since you have a July wedding), people may prefer a rose over red wine. At my wedding, the rose and bubbly went way faster than than the white and red (especially the red). If you have a wine-drinking friend, it may be helpful to take him/her to a tasting before you decide your wines. EDIT - typo

I would maybe consider a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio instead of Riesling unless you know your crowd likes SUPER sweet wines...i'd also steer away from barefoot in general, there are TONS of options at a low price point that are better.

Try looking at brands like Cupcake, Simi, Ecco Domani, Apothic, heck even black box wine would be better than barefeoot. There are tons of good wines in the $7-10 range, but there is no telling if that store would carry in less common brands.

As for another red, I also suggest a cabernet sauvignon.

You guys rock! The liquor store is being so kind and opening a few of their popular wines for us.. so I will take all of these suggestions!

@JSull, what is prosecco?

Okay so you guys are thinking

pinot grigio

pinot noir

merlot?

AWEEE I am just getting so confused! LOL. I know nothing about wine, sorry everyone.

I agree with Pinot Grigio for white but I'd also include a sweeter wine like Riesling. A lot of my girlfriends will drink sweeter whites. As for red I'd do Pinot Noir and a Cabernet.

NatHam11, prosecco is a sparkling wine made in Italy. It is not as dry as champagne. I think it is delish!!! I think more people ask for that at the weddings lately then champagne.

Oh my!! you guys are losing me! @APZ- I love Apothic red! I think this store has a great selection of wines.. we are going to stop there this weekend since we have only been in contact via phone and email.

@TarHeel729 - my wedding is actually next month and in WI it is normally in the 60s.

@Kristin, I am in WI. We have some delicious Door County Wines normally available all over the state too. I never thought of doing a local wine

OP, are there any total wines or other wine stores near you? They have tons of selection and usually are doing some kind of tasting. Check any smaller local wine stores too...one in our area will let you sample basically any wine in their store before you buy it so you're sure you like it.

Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine, Martini makes a delicious one!

@nat--we did 2 whites, a rose, and 2 reds initially (and signature drinks/beer), but I panicked and grabbed a case of apothic red the week before the wedding as a backup because I knew a lot of our guests drinks reds---and while the other choices were a good bit higher end, apothic red is such an easy blend that most people will drink, so glad I did because we ended up using 2/3 of the case of it!

I think Chardonnay and Riesling are good choices for the whites. Riesling can be pretty sweet (although there are drier Rieslings, too) but I don't think that's a bad thing. Riesling is what my mom and her rarely-drink-but-want-a-glass-of-wine-because-it's-festive friends drink. Chardonnay is the most "famous" white wine variety, so it makes a solid choice for a second offering. I do agree with finding a different brand of Riesling; Barefoot will do if that is the only way to make wine fit into the budget, but it really is ultra-low-end stuff.

Malbec is a nice middle-of-the-road red. I say add a Cabernet and you will be all set there.

Oh, and if there is room in the budget add some bubbly. Prosecco is a crowd pleaser and can be purchased for significantly less than an equivalent quality Champagne.

@EML, we don't really have anything like that by us. Small farming towns around me. We have a lot of grocery stores and liquor stores!

@APZ, I can say that I know only 1 or 2 guests that are anything close to wine specialists.. majority of my guests only drink beer (and bud light at that). I think apothic red may be a good choice actually. and I wouldn't complain if I have to take some home.

I am going to check on the Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, cabernet? You guys are being great but now I just feel over my head LOL! but I am loving the idea of a sparkling wine

OP, if no one is a big wine drinker maybe just do a red blend like the apothic and a white blend (apothic also makes a white blend). That way guests who don't know anything about wine aren't trying to figure out if they like sweet or dry/ how sweet/ how dry. Blends are usually really easy to drink and enjoy...and then your guests just need to know red or white! Sparkling wine is always a great choice too!

@EML, that is kinda a great idea. Our families are from WI and MI and they are all huge beer drinkers. I want options for everything. So that may be a good idea! I may get one red and one white wine too.. who knows!

@OliviaP, I will check that out too! thanks

My advise is: Pinot Grigio & Sauvignon Blanc for whites, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz/Sirah for reds. You can also cut out one of the whites and substitute a nice Rose or a Prosecco instead. Generally, sweet wines are for after dinner, not during.

If I were picking out 4 wines, I would do a Cabernet (14 Hands is my favorite about $14 a bottle), and a Merlot (FH actually loves Cupcake and it is only like $8 a bottle!)

Then for whites I would do Seven Daughters Moscato (it is sweet and sparkling!), and then either a Pinot Grigio (good base of the road wine that pleases most white wine drinkers) or a Chardonnay.