Choosing the right wine for your wedding

The state of wine in the Philippines is currently undergoing a slow but steady makeover. More and more people are coming to realize that wine is not just for the rich and affluent, and that it doesn’t require a complex degree in oenology to appreciate wine. The former is largely due to the fact that more and more countries are growing, harvesting and bottling their own wines, while the latter is, by a large part, from local and international wine distributors, who are making conscious efforts to make wine easier for local consumers to understand and enjoy.

One major hurdle the industry deals with is the common perception that wine is only meant for celebrations – such as weddings, milestone birthday parties, debuts and big corporate events. Whatever the case, it’s undeniable that wine holds a special place in our hearts when it’s a momentous occasion like your wedding and you want to make the best choices possible for those days for the enjoyment of your guests.

Drink Up

Wine is largely subjective and no one can tell you what you like and don’t like.  That said, the best way for you to develop a taste for wine is to try different kinds, as often as within reasonable limits of budget and sobriety. Trying different types (red, white, rose), grapes (merlot, cabernet, etc.) and blends (cabernet sauvignon) will increase your range and will allow you to make an educated guess as to what will work with your guests.

Head Back to School

The fun part is the tasting but the work comes in when you need to recall and analyze all the data your senses pick up. Is the wine sweet enough or too much so?  Is it too dry?  Are the tannins too strong?  This is why wine appreciation classes offer tasting notes – you really have to take note of the wines you try, what you enjoyed and why you enjoyed it.  It’s a fair assumption to make that if you liked a particular brand, then your guests will enjoy it too. So consider attending a few wine appreciation classes – where you can be exposed to anywhere different kinds of wine and food pairings – information that will help you determine what wine (and budget) will work best for your wedding.

Don’t worry about wine pairings

You’ve heard bits of advice such as red wine with dark meat and white wine with fish but that’s really subjective as well. There reality in the Philippines is that we don’t keep changing wines to match different courses in a banquet – most people will just stick with red or white throughout the reception. So keep this in mind when selecting your wine – and determining order quantities. Most people tend to prefer red wine, so it’s usually advisable to order more red than white.

Regional Differences

Knowing where your wine comes from makes as much a difference as the varieties of grapes used for it. Sunnier climates create sweeter grapes and bolder flavors and thus, stronger wines because sugar translates to more alcohol (Chilean and Australian wines are known for this). Conversely, more grey days equates to more subtle, delicate wines with less alcohol. Grapevines are temperamental and require just the right amount of comfortable climate to grow nicely. These plus all the other esoteric elements (types of casks, harvesting periods, pressing methods, etc.) needed to make wine and you get to the heart of the ephemeral concept of terroir – all the proper conditions necessary to make a superior bottle of wine.

It is because of the difficulty of consistently replicating terroir that the landscape of wine is ever changing – the 2014 vintage of your favorite wine brand might not be as good as its earlier 2012 vintage, for example. So it’s always best to taste the actual vintage to make sure that you get the best wine for your once-in-a-lifetime nuptial celebration.

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