Wine -- HELP!

Do most of your guests drink wine?

I would not do White Zinfandel. White Zinfandel will always be a blush, it is not a white wine. Real Zinfandel is red, White Zinfandel made by removing the skins of the grapes before fermenting, thereby making a blush wine.

It would be best to have a white wine , I would go with a Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris (Grigio). For red, either a Merlot or a Cabernet.

I would also avoid Spumante as the sparkler. Too sweet for most people. Look for Extra Dry (which actually has a bit of sweetness) or Brut, for a drier wine.

Coming from the URWL or Ultimate Red Wine Lover, I think it would be fantastic if you could include red wine instead of blush.

Which Merlot exactly did you have? Do you at least remember the region? Also, what exactly did you not like about it?

I think the problem, with not liking the Merlot, may be that Lyndsey and her fiance do not drink wine. We, on the other hand, love those reds. LOL!

Another suggestion, do not use the "cheapest wines" as a guideline for what is good and what is not. Not that you have to go with a spendy wine, but the cheapies are cheap for a reason.

You can get some great Argentine and Chilean wines at great prices. Same for some Italian and French wines.

Also, check with your local retailer (assuming that you are able to supply your own wine for the event). Often times, they give discounts on case purchases.

Most non wine drinkers do not like reds. I think if you are serving wine its important to have a dry red available for those who enjoy a dry red with dinner. Cabernet savignon is a popular red. Mos ato and growling are popular whites. If you want to go cheap id look into Barefoot brand wines. They average about 6 bucks a bottle and are quite good.

Moscato or reisling ...auto correct

I LOVE wine I personally think Burgundys are usually a safe bet for a lot of people.

I'm buying Livingston - I actually have a mix of merlot, cabernet and burgundy. They're a good basic wine that most people could like I think. In my area, a 1.5 L runs for less than $6. Cheap but good IMO

Ditto Kathy.

Are you providing your own wine or are you getting it from the venue? If you're providing your own, then really just a buck or two difference in price can make a huge difference in taste.

Merlot is not my favorite either, but it also has to be really good, to be good. If that makes any sense lol!

I think 20 people would probably give you 20 different answers on this one, it's really a preference thing. Also, wine lovers and non-wine-lovers will love and hate different things. So know your audience, not just what you would want as a non-wine-lover. If that makes sense.

Personally - my favorite white is Sauvignon Blanc. I think it's pretty light and not too sweet.

Cava is a good alternative to Champagne. It's a sparkling wine from Spain, and good Cava is much less spendy than good Champagne.

Blush is not a substitute for Red. But I think Merlot is a tricky red, and a cheap one won't taste good. A blended "table red", Malbec, or Cabernet will be easier to buy affordably and still taste good.

I love me a spendy good wine, but we buy Yellowtail 1.5L bottles and decant them. Once they get some air, I think they're actually pretty good, and the 1.5L is between $9.99-$14.99.

I would, again, avoid Moscato and Riesling for large groups. They will be too sweet for many people.

.

Future Mrs X. I laughed when I read your auto correct. Before I got to your second post, I was seriously thinking "Mos ato and growling? What the hell types of wines are those?"

@FutureMrsOhler, loved your response. LOL!

Another vote for avoiding Moscato and Riesling. We are offering some sweet wines b/c otherwise the German family will revolt. But for most people, those are way too sweet. When we have those at family functions I usually dilute them with seltzer and ice to make a spritzer.

Lyndsey, I've found a lot of "cheap" wines that I actually really like, but it will be hard for you guys to do that since you don't like wine. Do you have a wine drinking friend who might be willing to help you make some choices? I know I'd love that job if a friend asked me!!

In answer to your questions, I'd definitely include a red wine, a lot of wine drinkers are either red or white lovers, but I've found very few are blush lovers. The kind of wine is a matter of preference, but a Cabernet and a Pinot Grigio will probably make most people happy. Good luck!

Im a wine person, go with the house wines, they should be affordable and of average caliber. You really shouldn't skip the red (although it is your wedding, you do get to choose what you'd like to do Have you considered two whites and two reds? You could do the Reisling for the optional white (a sweet wine) and Malbec as the optional red (Malbec is sort of the up and coming red)

Moscoto is a big favorite of lots of people these days. It is a white. Pinot Grigio is also popular and red wine drinkers love Merlot.

I am thinking that Lyndsey must be at a Super Bowl party today. We are all giving her ideas.

@Mrs S

A thought just occurred to me. You favor other reds over Merlot. Have you tried Washington Merlot? It tends to be bigger and bolder than other Merlots, due to the land it grows on. Washington Merlots tend to be bigger than their Cabs. Odd, yet true.

Just tasted the Boomtown Merlot, from Dusted Valley Winery. Pretty tasty...and I am not a Cab, nor Merlot fan. I tend to lean toward French Burgundy (the REAL Burgundy) and Barbaresco.

Yes yes, big French Burgundy fan here! Let me peak into the wine collection and take a look... We got some Merlots for our wedding and I'm not sure if any of them are Washington. It's not so much that I don't like it, but I like fewer of them than cabs. But yummmm overall :-)))

As a wine drinker, I would be disappointed if there wasn't a red. Whites/blushes/sparkling are too ... sweet for my taste. If you aren't going to drink the wine anyways, why not get one of each (red, white, sparkling) so that everyone can be happy?

Thanks for the advice.

I've decided to keep the sparkling wine, even if some will find it too sweet. It's just one glass per guest for the toasts and I'd like even non-wine/champagne drinkers to like it (and that's a good portion of our guests).

I'm scratching the blush and just getting a Cabernet for the red, but I won't be trying it because I don't think red wine is my thing. I'm getting more white than red, but including red for any guests that do enjoy wine.

I'm guessing most guests will drink beer (Mr. Fiance has quite the redneck family), but I've got some guests coming down from up North, so I'm sure they'll drink wine at the wedding (but we'll be getting enough beer/wine for them to have both). I'm going to pick out a Chardonnay for the white wine.

We, or at least I, am planning on drinking some wine at the wedding. I hate beer and sweet tea all night just won't cut it. That's why I'd like at least one wine I like.

Again, thank you!