A corking wedding

Every girl dreams of a fairytale wedding – although each fairytale is different. Some dream of the country church, the big dress and more family than you have seen for years. Others insist on a small affair with a handful of friends and a simple supper around a table. Whatever the style of the occasion, you will need to choose the wine with care, both in quality and quantity.

These days there are just as many brides sweeping down medieval halls and hotel staircases as country churches.The rise in popularity of country wedding venues means that the traditional dash between church and reception is not always necessary. Instead, guests can arrive well in advance of the ceremony, settle in and enjoy their surroundings. On these occasions it is tempting to provide glasses of wine as guests gather before the ceremony, but this can be a risky strategy. The uncle that no-one has seen for years could turn up and be most of the way through a bottle of wine before it is time to share the happy couple’s solemn moment. Florid faces don’t make good photographs so restrict the choice to coffee, tea and water.

Once the ceremony is over, everyone is not only starving, having neglected to eat since breakfast but thirsty too. Photographs are an important part of the occasion for the happy couple, but try not to leave your guests with rumbling stomachs while the bride and bridegroom strike romantic poses by every local monument and lake. The last wedding I attended provided canapés and a selection of wine and non-alcoholic cocktails to bridge that gap, which avoided a stampede to the buffet later.

Any collection of distant relatives needs a good fizz to get the party started. If you are not locked into the dreary, expensive selection provided by your caterer then follow the choice of Kate and Wills and select Pol Roger Brut (£27.95 at Le Bon Vin, www.lebonvin.co.uk; £30 Majestic) as a welcome champagne. Its light, elegant flavours with a deft touch of toast is the perfect accompaniment to chit chat and general comparisons about how the other half of the family have aged.

You could keep champagne flowing all through the meal, but that will bump up the cost dramatically so if you want to stay with bubbles then a switch to a good Prosecco would probably go unnoticed and might even be preferred since its delicate touch of sweetness is family friendly. Of all the versions I have tasted in the last few weeks, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Prosecco Conegliano stood out for its harmonious flavours and light, floral fruit. Usually priced at £9.99, it often goes on offer and I’ll let you know when it does.

Recently tasted and enjoyed enormously is Cloudy Bay Pelorous Rosé (Majestc £16.99). This would make a terrific wine to drink all through a wedding, its delicate pink colour reflecting the happiness of the occasion and its light, cherry and spiced fruit providing enough flavour to go with the food.

You should offer a choice of red or white wine with the food, but steer clear of well-known brands because everyone will have seen them on special offer at the supermarket. Instead select wines that will appeal to many people without being too extreme in flavour.

Borderie Nord Marsanne Viognier 2010 is down to £5.99 on multibuy at Majestic and it has soft apricot fruit backed by clean, clear minerally zest which makes it good enough to go with almost any starters and fish main courses. For a red choose Saluti Vino Rosso from Waitrose (£5.99) which is a blend of wines from two regions in Italy, with Nero d’Avola from Sicily and Sangiovese from Emilia Romagna. The name means greetings which is highly appropriate for a wedding and its soft, positive cherry and raspberry fruit and gentle tannins means that it will go well with the food, and will carry on into the evening to be enjoyed on its own, if required.

The toasts require a return to fizz, and this can be a return to the welcome champagne or you could move a notch up in weight and style. Gosset has been a favourite for many years and the non-vintage Excellence Brut always shines at comparative tastings (£36.99 Harrogate Fine Wine 01423 522270) but why not sneak in a special bottle for the bride and bridegroom such as Gosset’s Celébris 1998 (£105 Harrogate) which has elegance, complexity and persistence – all qualities that will be needed in the coming years.

Whoever is paying the bills for the wedding will probably wonder whether it is worthwhile nipping over to France to stock up with wine. Undoubtedly, there are some serious savings to be made, since duty (£1.81 a bottle on still wine and £2.32 on sparkling) plus 20 per cent VAT are not levied on wine you bring in through the ports for your own consumption. The important factor is taking the time to select the right wines for the occasion and a quick dash around a Calais supermarket won’t really give you the chance to taste properly.

If you are intent on buying overseas, then take enough time to buy a few sample bottles and try them before you make the big purchase. Alternatively, head to Majestic in Calais or Cherbourg where the savings are transparent and the range is familiar (www.majesticinfrance.co.uk).

Finally, why not encourage the guests to buy wine for the happy couple? Most couples already have two households worth of cutlery, pans and cushions to put together so a few cases of wine should help them settle into married life.

Local wine merchants such as The Halifax Wine Company (01422 256333), Harrogate Fine Wine (01423 522270) and Field and Fawcett (01904 489073) will be happy to put together a mixed case, or half dozen bottles, that will provide far more cheer than yet another casserole dish.