Wine Drinkers, Anyone?

We are not wine drinkers either. When we got married, we went to a wine shop and they recommended some wines, and gave us a deal because we ordered cases of wine. Everyone at the wedding thought the wine was good.
Congrats!
S.

Try "Hip Chicks Do Wine", they are local here.. I was just at an event there last night and had a few samples.. I am not a huge wine drinker either, but what I had was light and good tasting!

‘MORE THAN MANISCHEWITZ’ WINE TASTINGS

Thursday, December 6th, 2007 @ 6:00-8:00 pm
Wine Tasting at Tree of Life

We welcome you to come by or Bellevue location, 137 106th Ave NE, where we will be celebrating Chanukah with a special kosher wine tasting. Come for the lighting of the menorah and have a nosh provided by Goldberg's Famous Delicatessen and delicacies from local bakers while tasting selections of delicious Kosher wines.

I'm not sure when the next event is, but you may be interested in contacting the store for more info. They have a store in Seattle also.

I wonder why you are serving wine if you don't drink it? It's your day and you should choose the menu, including the beverages. If you don't drink at all then offer sparkling cider and offer a "no host bar" for those who desire alcohol.

It's certainly not mandatory to serve it. Serve what YOU like.

We frequently travel for business and "wine tasting" seems to be a real popular thing but we simply have a beverage we can stomach and leave the "tasters" to it. You don't need to get a PHD in wine to satisfy your guests.

Hi there, go to Pete's either in Belleue or over in Eastlake, they have a huge selection with a great wine person who can direct you to a reasonable good tasting wine that won't break your budget.

We served "two buck chuck" at our wedding reception. It's really Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe's. It's very cost effective and everyone loved it!! It was a classy reception, not a potluck or anything like that....

Are you in Portland? We bought the wine for our wedding from E&R wines on SW Macadam. The owners were super helpful and I think it ended up being $5-6/per bottle for really nice wine.

This isnt exactly wine but a very old tradition calls for honey meade to be drunk for wedding toasts and feasts.It is also very tasty.It's especially traditional at May weddings and everyone loves it.The use of it at weddings goes back several thousand years.Go online to find it in your area.

Hi M.. If you want a "light" wine ... try a Pino Grigio for a white. They are lighter and a little "fruitier" than a Chardonnay. There are several good local vintners and just about any California Pino Grigio is good. If you want to also do a red wine, I suggest a Shiraz (Australian red wine). They are more fruity and full-bodied... not as heavy as or "oaky" as a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm a red wine girl, but I usually prefer a good Shiraz (or Syrah if it is a French red). Same grape ... just a different region of the world. You can also go into any grocery store that has a large wine section (something like Fred Meyer or QFC) and usually they have a wine steward that can tell you about bottles of wine and make good suggestions. Once you find the wine you like, try Costco. You get a discount if you buy it by the case (12 bottles) and I have heard that you can return unopened bottles (but you may need to check on this because I am not 100% sure).

If you are looking for something that is inexpensive, you might try Trader Joe's. They have what they call their "3 buck Chuck" wine. They usually have a white and a red. I am not a big fan of the red wine, but the whites are usually okay and they cost around $3 - $4 per bottle.

My brother is also a wine drinker and he likes the boxed wine from Target. He drinks they Pino Grigiot. The brand is Wine Cube and it is $15.99 for a box which is the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine.

Besides, trust me ... if people are at your wedding/reception just to "drink wine", then they aren't there for the bride and groom! Don't worry about finding the perfect wine - just enjoy your day!

Congrats on your upcoming wedding and good luck!

Hi M.,
There are a lot of very good wines on the market now that are affordable and delicious. If you are near a Trader Joes go in and as them to help you out. My friends and I drink red wines and some are between $4 and $5 a bottle and are every bit as good as the $15 to $20 a bottle wines. You don't have to go overboard in researching wines. Just ask at one of the stores like Trader Joes, Safeway and Fred Meyer. I've had some really rank wines at weddings so certainly know the difference in good and bad wine. There are so many wine makers the price had become very reasonable for this beverage.
Good luck and best wisher in your marrage.
J. S

Hi M., I am not much into wines here in the US. However I was lucky enough to live in Europe for close to 8 years and have found the wine in Germany is wonderful. The wine we liked best is from the Mosel-Saar region, it is a white wine and is sweet. I have seen some here in the states now that we are back but haven't been able to try it yet. You can also get some online. Hope this helped and congratulations on your up coming wedding.

Tschuss,
K.

Chateau Ste Michelle has excellent wines. My parents are members and at least once a year we go wine tasting and every quarter they pick up their selected wines. A good sweet wine are the reislings and one of my favorites is called Eroica and any of the Gertzaweimer (spelled wrong but close). I'm not a big Chardonnay drinker but love their Horse Haven. As far as their reds go, all of them are excellent. You couldn't go wrong getting any type of wine from them. However, wines from Robert Mondavi are wonderful. They are several others to mention but not ot make it more difficult for you to choose from such a wide variety- I mentioned my favorites that my family drinks in our household. Let me know if you have any questions about it I'd be happy to help!! Good luck and congrats :=)

Hi M.!
With just a little research, you should be able to taste for free! Most wine shops have free wine tastings. Sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month. They usually feature a winery, but sometimes they just have a variety. Call up your local wine shops and ask! Good luck!
Also, Trader Joes has great wines for cheap if you want to splurge on a bottle.

A good Red Blend that is not that expensive is CMS. You can buy it at costco. For whites just about any brand of Resling is good. But I like Chateau St Michelle. The winery is here in the NW but it is sold just about anywhere that I know of.

Do you have to have wine? Sparkling apple cider is better in my book and alot more pleasant. My husband and I prefer that. My mom swears but Oregon Blossom and it is inexpensive (Under $10 a bottle) Congratulations!

Whether or not you like the wine depends on your personal taste. Some wineries and some stores give free wine tastings. How far from Seattle are you. You can find the tastings listed in the newspaper.

We drink most of our wine from Trader Joes, Fred Meyer, and Safeway. I rarely spend more than $10 for a half gallon. Two Buck Chuck is now closer to 4 bucks for a fifth but it's usually good. I suppose someone who knows a lot about wines might not think so. All of those places give you a discount if you buy 6. The discount may be even more if you buy a case or more.

If you're having your reception in a place that caters to groups they may have access to wine at a reduced price. We had my daughter's wedding and reception at the Vintage Hotel and I think the total cost for room, appetizers, and wine for 25 people was around $400. They served several different kinds of wine.

If I were you I'd taste or have a friend taste some of the less expensive ones from the super market. Let their wine steward know what you want and he/she'll help you with suggestions and prices.

A common wine to serve at a reception that is not a meal also is champagne. There are some good ones that are also less than $10 for a fifth.

If you're asking what are good brands, we drink most of those from west coast; whatever is on sale. You could even find a good local wine on sale for a reasonable price. I recommend that you talk with a wine steward at a grocery store with a wine department or a specialty wine store.

M.:
Congrats on your up comming wedding. No need for endless nights and needless spending of money shopping for wine for your reception. My husband and I are very much into the wine scene and have done all the wine tasting tours at places such as Nappa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Temecula Valley just to name a few. Yes, we have enjoyed some of the wines that we have tasted at those places but for the best ultimate cost effective standby is "Woodbridge" which you can easily purchase at costco at a very good price. Good luck with your wedding plans. D. W

Everyone is different. You'll have to try a few different kinds. If you like wine with a buttery finish, try a Chardonnay. Merlot can be very heavy on the palate. I find Zinfindel to be too fruity. A Cabernet Sauvignon is good. A shiraz/cabarnet is a great table wine, easy drinking and it doesn't leave you with a heavy taste. I personally love Grenache. If you are serving wild game a Pinot will balance the "wild" flavor. You can't go wrong with something from Austraila or Sonoma,California. I hope that helps.

If you're not a wine drinker, starting with a Reisling might be the way to go. It's a sweeter white wine and tends to be a little more to the liking of non-wine drinkers just starting out. Pinot Grigio's are paired nicely with salads and then a Chardonay which is a richer more buttery white wine. If you can find a winery in your area that doesn't charge a tasting fee that's really the way to go....also letting them know you're planning a wedding there are some that will set up special tastings for the bridal party in order to make decisions. Good Luck and have fun tasting!

As I'm sure you already know, there are a lot of options, but one thing that would help to narrow it down is to know answers to these few questions. Red or white (or perhaps both?)? How many bottles will you need? What is your price range? Once you know answers to those 3 questions, your options are reduced conciderably. From there, if you want to be fancy, you can pair a wine with the entre you are serving. There is a book called "The Wine Bible" that is very good at describing each type of wine, what is should typically be served with, what different regions have to offer, etc. You can probably find it at your local public library. Depending on whether or not there will be any wine enthusiasts that you would like to impress with you selection, you may not need to go all that far. Typically, red wine is good with steak, roast, tri-tip (red meat) and white goes with poultry, but there are exceptions. Congradulations on your marriage! Hope this is helpful.

One other thing that I did not mention is that the local Washington wines are quite often relatively inexpensive and very good.

My husband collects wine and knows them pretty well. Maybe he can help you guys. You can contact him directly tru his email: ____@____.com

Hi M.,

In Eugene at about 29th & Willamette is WineStyles. I know one of the owners, Brie, and she is fabulous about helping people pick out wine. She would be an excelent help in getting started. If you stop by, tell her M. Frasieur from SmartWoman told you to talk with her. She'll take good care of you. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! My wedding was in May, and it was beautiful.

Cheers!
M.

may wine by laytah creek here local in spokane, is real good, and you can even have them custom your label for you and your soon to be husband, that was the kind i had at mine and my husbands wedding

wow you have got a lot of advice already but i just wanted to say that you could pick up a book called "the wine bible" or many wine stores do tastings from time to time and if you talk to some one in the wine store they can really help you figure out your tastes just by asking a few questions but it is really hard to tell someone what they will like without first knowing their tastes and habits (smokers taste wine completely differently)also they can suggest an appropriate wine for the occasion depending on how formal your wedding is and time of day good luck