We asked Mercedes to give us some expert advice for purchasing wine (Hunter Valley Wine of course!) for your wedding or event.
Here are her top tips! (You can find out more about Mercedes in her Vendor Profile click here )
How many varieties do I need?
From 30-80 guests, I recommend having one or two sparkling wines, one red and one white. If you choose crowd pleasing varieties, this is plenty. Far and away our most popular selections are our Claremont Brut Chardonnay, 2010 Semillon, 2014 Merlot and 2019 Moscato which are all beautiful wines that everyone will love!
From 80-150+ guests, I would recommend having an additional white and red option. That way your guests have a little more flexibility in their choice. Something like our light fleshy 2013 Grenache can be a fantastic second option in warmer weather – you can even serve it chilled!
How much wine should I buy?
The ratio I recommend is a bottle per adult, it sounds like a lot and it is but there is a method to my madness. Here it is – I would be simply devastated if any client of ours ran out of wine at their wedding. I’m being serious, it’s the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night and we all know there are SO MANY factors that affect how much guests drink. So what we do is try to take the risk out of the equation and offer sale or return to our celebration customers.
Talk to us for more details on this service as minimum spends do apply but it means that you can purposely over purchase, safe in the knowledge that you can return excess wine (in the appropriate condition) and we will refund you for it. Disclaimer: Most customers choose to keep the leftover wine because it’s just too good not to.
Do you have a perfect pre ceremony or reception wine?
Why yes, absolutely. You are describing our 2019 Saltire Moscato, it’s frankly ridiculously good. I know everyone is going to think ‘she has to say that, she sells it’ but I couldn’t be more serious when I say it’s easily the best Moscato I’ve ever tried and I’ve been around the (Moscato) block. It’s light, spritzy, refreshing and not syrup-ie (that’s a word right?) like a lot of other Moscatos out there. It’s also low alcohol!! Only 7.5% ABV which means only 4 standard drinks to a bottle so it should keep everyone out of trouble until you can feed them!
Can couples try the wines you recommend in your Cellar Door?
They certainly can! We are open Saturday and Sundays each week from 10am-4pm, bookings are definitely recommended to avoid disappointment (yours and ours) and during your visit we can guide you through the range, making personalised recommendations.
