Enjoyed for the aperitif, along the meal or with the dessert, champagne is the ultimate beverage for a successful and festive wedding ! You might wonder how many bottles per guest? What kind of champagne? When is the most appropriate moment to enjoy it? How to find the ideal champagne according to the menu and budget? Envie de Champagne helps you to select your champagne for an unforgettable wedding !
How much for champagne?
Before choosing your champagne, you must define your budget. Do you want cuvées from a great Maison? A winemaker champagne? A confidential champagne? Should you wish a champagne from a great Maison, prices rank from 25€ to 35€ per bottle as a starting price, whereas for a winemaker champagne, the price is around 20€. On the other hand, these bottles can rise to higher prices depending on the crus, the raising length, the kind of wine culture, or some specificity…
What kind of champagne to serve and when?
Usually, the wine you serve during the reception cocktail is Brut champagne with a majority of Chardonnay. These champagnes combine fineness, elegance, delicacy, freshness and lightness that appeal almost everyone. They make the perfect match with salted petits fours.
Thanks to its lightness feeling, you can enjoy champagne throughout the meal. In this case, you will have to select the cuvées according to the menu. It is strongly recommended to choose a Blanc de Blancs if your meal is based on seafood, lobster, oysters or various fishes. Nevertheless, if the dishes you have selected is fish in sauce, or a white meat, a more powerful champagne than the one served during the aperitif is recommended. A Blanc de Noirs will be perfect. Then, if the dish is a red meat or a stronger meat such as a wildfowl, we suggest you to choose a vintage Blanc de Noirs which are elaborated from red grape variety such as Pinot noir and Meunier. These are powerful and rich champagnes, characterized by red and black fruit notes, accompanied by more heady flowers such as peony or rose flavors.
Most of the champagnes are delicious with cheeses, such as Chaources, Brie, old goat cheeses and hard cheeses such as Salers and Laguiole. A beautiful and promising harmony between them.
For the dessert, a gourmand touch is often more appropriated. The wedding cake is delicious with a demi-sec champagne which highlight the various ingredients without hiding them. A younger demi-sec is more appropriated with cakes based on a buttery cream, a pastry cream or fudge. If the flavors of your dessert are sweeter or based on chocolate, almond or coffee, we recommend you to select a rosé or vintage champagne with more fruity and voluptuous notes that will avoid an unpleasant contrast. Rosé champagnes are the perfect match with red fruit desserts.
How many bottles per guest?
The classic bottle size of 75cl allows to serve 6 to 7 flutes. As the guests often drink more than one glass, do not hesitate to forecast 1 bottle for 3 guests during the aperitif. You can choose to add some rosé cuvées too, as some people prefer this type of champagne during the cocktail. Throughout the meal, 1 bottle for 5 to 6 persons and per dish is ideal. Then, 1 bottle for 4 guests for the dessert.
Our advices:
- We strongly recommend you to buy your champagne in the magnum bottle size, or Jéroboam for the aperitif, as these bottle sizes are really impressive and spectacular!
- Always have some additional bottles, this would be vexing to run out of champagne, and be sure that the remaining bottles will never be lost anyway.
- Another advantage of champagne is its preservation ability, in proper cellar conditions, without losing its quality. Therefore, you can order it way before the wedding.