Wine for Weddings: The Toast

5 tips to stay relaxed on the big day

Here's a confession: I served terrible Champagne (sorry, "Champagne") at my wedding. I was too young to know better and my guests were too Baptist to drink it, anyhow. If anyone was offended by the sweet, gold, fat-bubbled juice in their glass, they held their tongue. I blame those bottles in part on youthful ignorance, and in part on the sick, lightheaded feeling I'd gotten looking over the caterer's liquor prices. When you're mentally adding up those bills, it's easy not to care about wine. All you want is whiskey.

In the years since, I've bulked up on both wine and wedding knowledge, and I've seen the question of what to serve for the toast cause more than one bridal panic attack. The good news? It can actually be one of the easiest, most cost-effective decisions you make. Here are five mantras to help stay relaxed in the process.

No One Needs to Remember the Wine

I realize that's a bold thing to say to an audience of wine lovers, but unless you're a wine connoisseur marrying a wine connoisseur celebrated by your connoisseur friends and family, your "special bottle" will be misunderstood by half the guests. Do you want to watch a case you've cellared--or purchased at massive expense--be distributed to Aunt Edna, who prefers hers with Sprite? No. The bubbles you're breaking out won't be the center of attention here; if you're doing it right, they'll be lost in the noise of all the happiness (and cake) radiating off of those getting hitched.

That said, while you don't need the sparkling wine to be memorably good, you also want to avoid memorably bad. It may seem intimidating, but this is one of the wine world's easiest targets to hit.

Photo courtesy of e_calamar via Flickr/cc

No One Needs Champagne

Now, I love Champagne, but we're talking about a specific situation here where money counts and breathtaking quality does not. We want delicious and delicate, cake-worthy and crowd-pleasing, and for that we can look outside of France. Consider Cava (Spain), Prosecco (Italy), or shut down the search and just order cases from Gruet, in New Mexico. Their phenomenal flagship Brut goes for around $15 a magnum, and will please everyone from Aunt Edna to your cousin the wine snob.

For those working with a caterer, check during the introductory process whether they'll source the things you want, or if they charge corkage (and whether it's exorbitant) if you opt to select and purchase your sparkling wine on your own.

Photo courtesy of TiggerT via Flickr/cc

No One Needs More Than A Little

If you're on the tightest possible budget, don't just hit the bottom shelf at the grocery store because it's the only way you'll get 100 people sauced on sparkling wine. Pick the lovelier bottles for a few dollars more, and serve people less of it. You only need one glass served at the moment of the toast for maximum celebratory impact; it doesn't need to flow like you're in a Jay-Z video. Though, if you're looking for bottles solely to shake and spray, go ahead and get back to the bottom shelf at the store. That stuff will do.

Photo courtesy of "Cowboy" Ben Alman via Flickr/cc

No One Needs to Tell You What to Do

The worst part of wedding planning is being told what's proper, what's required, what your parents did, what your parents would never do, what may offend two- thirds of your guests and what's expected by the rest. There's an undeniable romance and tradition to toasting a newly married couple with a Champagne flute, but you're in charge and if standard sparkling wine's not your bag, your wedding won't be worse for it. If you'd like something a little sweeter, look into Moscato d'Asti; if you want something wild, taste your way through inky, sparkling Shiraz. It's as good a way as any to wish someone well.

Photo courtesy of onlinepastrychef via Flickr/cc

Five Sparklers to Try

And what is the most relaxing part of planning the booze for your wedding?
Research. Here are five affordable (and widely available) sparklers to try in your quest for the right bottle.

Gruet Brut NV

Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava

Zardetto Brut Prosecco

Mionetto Prosecco Brut Treviso DOC

Bera Moscato d’Asti 2010

Photo courtesy of bomvu via Flickr/cc

Want To Learn More?

Need tips on how to choose the best wines for your big day? Click here to read parts 1 and 2 of our Wedding Wines series!

Slideshow View

Tags: Champagne, Carly Wray, Wedding Wine Guide

Comments

lakenvelde-
r

Hand of Snooth

544484 519

I agree that Moscato would be great for a wedding. No one needs to tell you what to do but I am sure it will happen to just about everyone so just smile. Getting the amount for one toast is the way to go and then have a pay as you go bar for the rest.

May 30, 2012 at 3:04 PM
spossum

520172 3

Agreed on most points.

Another idea - choose a venue that lets you bring your own wine. Not only do you cut down on the sea of possibilities, but you also avoid the $3 horrible - mediocre wine that costs you $10.

May 31, 2012 at 12:24 PM
PKS100

1074083 59

No mention of Cremant? That's another great inexpensive alternative to Champagne.

May 31, 2012 at 12:36 PM
redredwine-
lover

1065900 2

I am getting married this September and I already found the bubbly I'll be toasting with. I live in Oregon and fell head over heels for the Wine By Joe Joe's Secco last year. They call it a Prosecco style rather than a champagne and it is AWESOME and way cheaper than nice champagne. They just released the new vintage last weekend and when I tried it I was more impressed than last year. They put more Muscat in it. DELICIOUS! Nice and dry with really yummy tropical fruit flavors. I think you can get Wine By Joe in almost any state. I highly recommend it.

May 31, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Camila-
Araujo-
Simmonds

904691 1

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice. I had to take into consideration price and quality. In our country we have to pay all drinks for all of our guests and for the whole night. I wish i could pay only for the toast so i would have more money for my honey moon.

May 31, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Dena Hurst

1021590 7

The advice we got when planning our wedding was to just have a bottle of champagne (sparkling) for the bride & groom to toast with. The caterer said that by that point in the reception, most of the guests probably already had their beverage of choice in hand and wouldn't care about getting handed another glass to toast with. Good compromise to save some $ and get to drink the stuff you know you'll appreciate without wasting it on guests who wouldn't...

Jun 01, 2012 at 12:46 PM
messygonzo

1327679 35

No mention of Cremant? That's another great inexpensive alternative to Champagne

Aug 02, 2013 at 5:55 AM
locustskie-
r

1331641 34

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Aug 14, 2013 at 12:41 AM
CarBuyWhiz

1332598 26

That's great

Aug 17, 2013 at 2:25 AM
secondleve-
r

1339413 34

great

Sep 06, 2013 at 1:04 PM
irategoal

1339624 38

Thats terrific

Sep 07, 2013 at 5:06 AM
bunchnegat-
ive

1341069 33

excellent

Sep 11, 2013 at 2:01 AM
winkscete

1372394 30

Thats terrific

Sep 24, 2013 at 1:23 AM
Eerstehulp-
SEO

1372427 34

marevellous

Sep 24, 2013 at 5:47 AM
knotbirds

1380229 34

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Oct 09, 2013 at 3:27 AM
dugoutdaff-
y

1380245 31

Beneficial

Oct 09, 2013 at 5:22 AM
burlypear

1383363 35

Thats superb

Oct 17, 2013 at 7:19 AM
baldytrip

1385272 33

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Oct 21, 2013 at 11:07 PM
languidbox

1385782 33

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Oct 23, 2013 at 5:25 AM
jamchimps

1385295 43

Genius.

Oct 28, 2013 at 2:09 AM
wildunique

1390221 33

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Oct 31, 2013 at 12:10 AM
poleerst

1400658 33

No mention of Cremant? That's another great inexpensive alternative to Champagne

Nov 08, 2013 at 12:31 AM
purrflimsy

1400671 35

good

Nov 11, 2013 at 1:28 AM
localcompa-
ss

1422727 33

Thats terrific

Dec 11, 2013 at 4:51 AM
regaltaxla-
w

1423820 33

Beneficial

Dec 13, 2013 at 4:05 AM
steveazhoc-
ar

1428038 31

Beneficial

Dec 20, 2013 at 5:34 AM
snipgymnas-
t

1454253 33

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Jan 15, 2014 at 11:40 PM
mouldymarc-
h

1457071 33

i am getting married in the end of june and one of the most popular sparkling wines served here in Brazil for weddings is the demi sec freixenet , which i find it nice.

Jan 21, 2014 at 11:13 PM
gamysplash

1487309 35

Its helpful :)

Apr 04, 2014 at 4:55 AM