Wine / Champers help needed
Discussion
Need help for this week.
Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
tim2100 said:
Need help for this week.
Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
Don't shake it and open it in an F1 winner styleeee...Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
You may waste some...
HTH
If you are on a budget you could get some Cava ( from catalunya area of Spain) - good Cava is less than 1/3 the price of drinkable champagne and is very quaffable - you could pay around £5 - £8 a bottle for Cava.
for advice - I'd suggest any branch of Threshers in an upmarket town - they also sell wine always on "3 for 2 " -and have a refund policy if you dont like it.
for advice - I'd suggest any branch of Threshers in an upmarket town - they also sell wine always on "3 for 2 " -and have a refund policy if you dont like it.
As you are in the West Mids - IF you can get into Leamington Spa this week, pop in to S H Jones - the vintners on Regent Street.
They are really, really helpful on this sort of stuff. Not only will they make recommendations for people that don't know what they like, but they will also suggest stuff as alternatives to stuff you do like
They will also take into account your budget
121 Regent Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4NU
They are really, really helpful on this sort of stuff. Not only will they make recommendations for people that don't know what they like, but they will also suggest stuff as alternatives to stuff you do like
They will also take into account your budget
121 Regent Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4NU
Edited by ali_kat on Sunday 11th November 11:36
A good value real champagne that is reliabel is Heidsieck Momopole Brut (We had it for our wedding and went through ridiculous quantities). The champagne we buy for parties at the moment is Audoin de Dampierre (as featured in the Oz Clarke and James May programme). Available from www.swig.co.uk
Donut said:
tim2100 said:
Need help for this week.
Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
Don't shake it and open it in an F1 winner styleeee...Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
You may waste some...
HTH
Zod said:
er, it really depends on what quantity you need and how much you want to spend. Let us know those two variables and we can help.
Zod, Good point I guess about 4-5 bottles about £15-£20 or 4 cheaper bottles and one nice bottle for me in the car 
alfaman said:
If you are on a budget you could get some Cava ( from catalunya area of Spain) - good Cava is less than 1/3 the price of drinkable champagne and is very quaffable - you could pay around £5 - £8 a bottle for Cava.
for advice - I'd suggest any branch of Threshers in an upmarket town - they also sell wine always on "3 for 2 " -and have a refund policy if you dont like it.
hmm Good advice, Is Cava available in Threshers type place / Supermarkets?for advice - I'd suggest any branch of Threshers in an upmarket town - they also sell wine always on "3 for 2 " -and have a refund policy if you dont like it.
alikat said:
As you are in the West Mids - IF you can get into Leamington Spa this week, pop in to S H Jones - the vintners on Regent Street.
They are really, really helpful on this sort of stuff. Not only will they make recommendations for people that don't know what they like, but they will also suggest stuff as alternatives to stuff you do like
Ali Kat, That great Thanks, May try and get over there in the week.They are really, really helpful on this sort of stuff. Not only will they make recommendations for people that don't know what they like, but they will also suggest stuff as alternatives to stuff you do like
So far so good keep 'em coming!
What are your personal favourites?
Edited by tim2100 on Sunday 11th November 11:55
tim2100 said:
Need help for this week.
Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
That could be quite a long answer but you seem to have given a pretty small requirement, so assuming you need only a little, that tastes "delicious" to everyone other than a wine expert, this stuff is absolutely superb CLICK. You can buy it from any M&S and at £15 a bottle, it's a bargain.Getting married on Friday and need to get help. I want to get some fizzy wine for the bride on the morning for getting ready and in the cars on the way to the hotel.
Trouble is I know nothing about wine. So what sort of thing do I get, What sort of money do I spend? is there any sort of shop that will help with this?
I Know Champagne is just Sparkling Wine from Champagne region in France but thats about as far as I know.
Pop into an M&S today, get a bottle and try it out - I'm sure you'll agree
Good luck
They recomended one to us that was very similar to vintage Pol Roger (Churchill's favourite) lovely, light and biscuity, not too dry, and cheapish
Can't remember the name of it, and in a temper I threw all the wedding planning stuff I had away
when he called it all off.
But S H Jones will tell you which one it was if you ask
My personal favourites are Pol Roger, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Laurent-Perrier (Rose), but my ultimate favourtie is Perrier-Jouët
ETA - that one Pikey has just suggested is
I guess it depends if you want M&S on the label
Same with the Cava's IMO the best is actually Tesco's vintage, but for a wedding, it looks awful to have a Tesco's label.......
Can't remember the name of it, and in a temper I threw all the wedding planning stuff I had away
when he called it all off.But S H Jones will tell you which one it was if you ask
My personal favourites are Pol Roger, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Laurent-Perrier (Rose), but my ultimate favourtie is Perrier-Jouët
ETA - that one Pikey has just suggested is
I guess it depends if you want M&S on the label
Same with the Cava's IMO the best is actually Tesco's vintage, but for a wedding, it looks awful to have a Tesco's label....... Edited by ali_kat on Sunday 11th November 12:10
BebsFor a low cost (and perfectly palatable) drop of fizz, don't waste your money on bottom-end champagnes. Champagne at the lower end of the market is massively inflated and simply called champagne due to the region it is made in.
A prefectly good drop of fizz is Graham Beck (chardonnay/pinot blend as with all champagnes). It is South African and costs around £10, I much prefer to drink this over a non-vintage Moet, Mumm or Heidseck. Admittedly it will come a little unstuck when compared to Bollinger, but for £10 I would say it is one of the best value bottles of fizz on the market !
A prefectly good drop of fizz is Graham Beck (chardonnay/pinot blend as with all champagnes). It is South African and costs around £10, I much prefer to drink this over a non-vintage Moet, Mumm or Heidseck. Admittedly it will come a little unstuck when compared to Bollinger, but for £10 I would say it is one of the best value bottles of fizz on the market !
there is a lot of good new world fizz out there.
As Dr Frank says South Africa has some of the best value wines on the planet
If you want to confuse then most of the famous champagne makers (Mumm, Roederer and Chandon) seem to have vineyards in California producing nice champagne method fizz at good prices. The bottles still have the famous names on them and wont be obvious to many that corners have been cut. Might look less cheap than Cava.
Danny
As Dr Frank says South Africa has some of the best value wines on the planet
If you want to confuse then most of the famous champagne makers (Mumm, Roederer and Chandon) seem to have vineyards in California producing nice champagne method fizz at good prices. The bottles still have the famous names on them and wont be obvious to many that corners have been cut. Might look less cheap than Cava.
Danny
If it's something special you are after then the holy trinity of champagnes are usually considered to be Krug, Crystal and Dom Perignon. Their latest vintages are usually around £90-£175.
Failing that one on the best non-vintage champagnes is Louis Roederer (makers of Crystal) and should be around £35.
The standard non-vintages of Piper Hiedseck, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Lanson Black label etc are all usually very good, albeit predictable but that's what the are designed to be.
On the cheaper side there is a very good one from NZ as well, Lindaer Reserve - think it's about £8-9, one of the nicest sparkling wines I've tried outside France.
Failing that one on the best non-vintage champagnes is Louis Roederer (makers of Crystal) and should be around £35.
The standard non-vintages of Piper Hiedseck, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Lanson Black label etc are all usually very good, albeit predictable but that's what the are designed to be.
On the cheaper side there is a very good one from NZ as well, Lindaer Reserve - think it's about £8-9, one of the nicest sparkling wines I've tried outside France.
Noger said:
It is shame nobody mentions English Sparkling Wines because we do produce some absolute crackers.
Denbies. Nyetimber. Camel Valley...
Very easy to drink.
Indeed, as there are also many from many other countries which nobody has heard of or doesn't drink out of snobbery. However I'm going to be shallow and suggest that for a wedding, one of the known quality brands would go down best. I mean would your wive/partners be happy being given a bottle of Tesco or M&S champagne on their special day? (not a comment on quality)Denbies. Nyetimber. Camel Valley...
Very easy to drink.
kiwisr said:
However I'm going to be shallow and suggest that for a wedding, one of the known quality brands would go down best. I mean would your wive/partners be happy being given a bottle of Tesco or M&S champagne on their special day? (not a comment on quality)
I know what you mean - there's a lot of "occasion" from presenting a bottle of (ie.)Veuve, but I think the answer depends on the OP a little. As he's asking about a wedding in <5 days and he's said he only wants 6 bottles at £15-ish each I imagine something sparkly and yummy is all that's required. A £100 bottle of Krug may well be lost on him / her (as it was lost on MrsP and I when we tried one at a special occasion!).There's a lot of bollox in the champagne world and if they're all happy about their day and what they're sipping whilst fitting in with the budget, then everyone's a winner.
It sounds to me like the OP and his wife to be are not great champagne drinkers so I do think it needs to be a known brand as it's a bit of a demonstration that he cares rather than something more obscure that might taste great.
She probably won't drink very much of it and won't necessarily appreciate the quality of Krug et al given that she'll be focusing on other things.
I bought my Hubby a magnum of Veuve for his best man to give him at breakfast on our wedding day, I wrapped it and got the hotel to keep it in their fridge so it was cold.
IMO a magnum is a nice touch, to me it looks that bit more special.
Congrats and good luck for Friday.
She probably won't drink very much of it and won't necessarily appreciate the quality of Krug et al given that she'll be focusing on other things.
I bought my Hubby a magnum of Veuve for his best man to give him at breakfast on our wedding day, I wrapped it and got the hotel to keep it in their fridge so it was cold.
IMO a magnum is a nice touch, to me it looks that bit more special.
Congrats and good luck for Friday.
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