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ask the wine expertWine guru Jason Harvie offers his tips for a top wedding tipple Where To StartFor many couples planning a wedding, choosing the wines can be somewhat daunting. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Jason Harvie, Sales Manager for TM Robertson Wine Cellars in Edinburgh, says that Now comes the fun part: “Once you have narrowed the potential list down to a few wines, ask for a tasting. Most wedding venues are happy to open the wines and let you sample them before deciding,” he says. Try to choose a style of wine that reflects the tone of your event, the venue and the style of food, as well as the time of year and the weather. “If you are unsure, there are hundreds of food and drink matching websites offering excellent advice,” he says. New World Or Old?The choice between New World and Old World wines is definitely a matter of taste, food choice and, to some extent, budget. “Many varieties from Australia, New Zealand and South America can make excellent wedding wines; the choice is wide, they come in a range of styles and also offer true value for money,” Jason says. “But there have also been dramatic improvements in South American winemaking recently, offering a quality and value for money no other region can match.” Jason has found that the classic wines from our Old World European neighbours seem to have fallen out of favour for weddings: “This is probably more to do with price than anything else. The big names in France, Spain and Italy are generally too expensive for the majority of budgets. But there is a new generation of great young winemakers in the little known regions of these countries, and they are setting new high standard, without the scary price tag.” So you may never have heard of the wine before, but your guests will certainly be impressed that you picked a real corker! Wedding Breakfast Wines
But the most important thing to remember is to “take advice, then taste the wines but ultimately trust your own taste buds. Don’t be pushed into taking a wine that you are not happy with, no matter what advice is given – it is your day, your money, your event, so stick to your guns and you will get a result you are happy with.” Useful Links Food and drink matching sites TM Robertson is a leading UK independent supplier of quality wines from all over the world. |
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following a few basic rules makes the process much smoother. “Firstly, think about the styles that you like, although this can sometimes be tricky as we all have different tastes. Although it’s your day, you’ll want to choose something that’s palatable to the majority.”
Many couples are unsure about whether to serve a Champagne or sparkling wine for the toast. Although there is nothing quite like a cold glass of Champagne to kickstart a celebration, if you are on a tight budget Jason advises going for a sparkler: “Every wine producing country in the world now makes good quality sparkling wine, which is generally about half the cost of Champagne. Look out for wines from Italy, Australia and New Zealand.” 
labelling, corking, packaging and shipping, spending more translates into more effort and quality in the bottle,” he says. “The difference even £1 can make is phenomenal.”