Match Your Wine to Your Wedding

Wedding Tips

Footloose beach wedding? Elegant hotel wedding? Different wines have different personalities.

Wine connoisseurs are to be admired. How on earth do they know which wine to pair with which steak with a single sip? Meanwhile, us regular people drink peach Schnapps with pizza and think it's pretty darn good.
Weddings aren't any normal day though. Weddings usually have a theme and it demands a fine wine to go with it. We at Hitchbird shared a drink with Abbelio Wines and found out everything they know about choosing the perfect bottle for your wedding.

BEACH WEDDING
Now that it's summer, you may be dreaming of a wedding under a cloudless blue sky to the soundtrack of lapping waves. These kinds of wedding are usually on the informal side with a quick, relaxed ceremony and champagne popping right afterwards. That's why these wines are best:

De Stefani Prosecco Metodo Zero NV
Its fruity, refreshing persona matches the casual atmosphere to the letter. The color of early morning sunshine, Prosecco is usually served at picnics and brunches. Outdoor, relaxed affairs. The modest alcohol content won't get your guests drunk as easily too.

Raventos Roig Cava Brut NV
Another fruity selection, this sparkling wine is made the same way champagne is. It smells like a tropical dream—apple and citrus fruit—and tastes even better, thanks to its nutty, waxy flavour.

CLASSY WEDDING
Some prefer the glamorous touch, in a hotel or resort surrounded by high-arching walls and glittering chandeliers that look like diamond-forged stars. A classy wedding is, well, classy and more formal and needs an elegant wine to go with it.

2013 Domaine Grand Veneur CDR Blanc Reserve
A white wine, the 2013 Domaine is pressed in one of France's best vineyards and uses lesser-known grapes, like Roussanne, Voignier and Clairette. It's good with traditional food courses like white meats and fish, which is exactly why it works great as a hotel wedding vintage.

2010 Luigi Bosca Malbec DOC Single Vineyard
The color is a rich ruby red and carries hints of fruit, sweet spice, and chocolate. It's a sophisticated palate that will look awesome sitting in the palm of your hand. Its parent grapes are also on the low-key side and was aged for a year in oak casks before being released for enjoyment.

Chateau Le Pey
A mix of modern and tradition, the Chateau Le Pey is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend similarly aged in oak casks. Its black hedgerow and plum fruit content makes it a warm, heady dining wine.

DESTINATION WEDDING
Destination weddings are getting more and more popular. It's a free honeymoon for you and your partner, and a free vacation for your guests. Everyone wins! To cut costs and ramp up the theme, you may want to consider packing your own wines.

2010 Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons
The Chablis is an incredibly versatile wine. Foreign places serve exotic food, so it's best to have a wine that goes with nearly everything. The aroma is floral and fruity, and the palate is crisp and bold with a soft undertone.

2008 The 8th Estate Winery Nebbiolo
This wine is pure symphony. Its character is a mix between supple tannins and vivacious acidity, two opposites that somehow work together to create a remarkably structured vintage for your varied diet. It smells heavenly too—violets and toasted cinnamon.

2010 Wild South Pinot Noir
The Pinot belongs on the list because it's tropical paradise in a bottle. Its velvety, slightly bitter persona compliments the tart cherry and plum flavours. The crisp, rich wine works wonderfully next to lamb or roast beef.

BACKYARD WEDDING
There's no place like home, right? It doesn't have to literally take place in your backyard. It can be any location close to your heart, like a childhood playground or the schoolyard where you and your partner met. They're intimate yet relaxed gatherings and deserve a likewise wine.

2012 Lealtanza Rioja Crianza
Abbelio Wines fondly calls it the "Every Day Drinking" wine. It's lively as well as poised with a rich, almost chewy palate. Inhale and you'll smell the delicious spiciness of fruits. Its all-rounded nature practically begs to serve such a laid-back affair.

2013 Contea di Lucca Chianti
The Contea represents that uncomplicated bright crimson kids primarily view the color red. A superb party wine, it carries whispers of cherry, raspberry, and liquorice in a single inhale. The palate is fruit-fronted with a splash of acidity. Goes excellently with a broad range of foods.

ELOPEMENT
Sometimes the spontaneity is what makes a blast of a wedding. You can always grab your parents and a few good friends, then hitch a ride to the chapel. It's not as big or organized as a regular wedding, but like any good party, it needs alcohol.

2013 Wild South Sauvignon Blanc
This is an elopement wine from start to finish. Refreshing and flavourful on the tongue, and an exciting combination of passionfruit and citrus blossoms through the nose. It's a balanced wine that gives your clandestine wedding that special zing.

2011 Velvety Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Velvety is a new wine brand, but already gathering quite the following. Young and fragrant, it's an easy vintage to drink and the flavours practically dance on your tongue.