I need help ordering champagne.?

Question

My wife and I are going to a fancy resturant for our one year anniversary, but we have a small problem. We both don't care for wine (too dry for us), and want to order champagne, but we also don't care for the expensive kinde (to wine-y).
What brand (s) are common at wedding receptions, as that's the kind we like and perfer to order? The place we are going to doesn't do menu's, so as a second question, how do we ask what we want without sounding like an idiot?
Any help would be great :)

Just to add, price isn;t the3 main concern; it's mainly the taste!

Thanks for the GREAT replies so far :)

Answer 1

It sounds like you would prefer a sweet sparlking wine

I would recommend a Asti Spumante

Most people who "don't like wine" like Asti

Answer 2

At weddings people should always serve the cheap stuff as people only get a few drops in each glass and no one will ever remember it. What type of champagne will never be the highlight of a weeding. At your anniversary you should bring up the quality a little, but that should not be hard.

Two things: First – with all the different wines in the world, it would be impossible for you to know what wines are on the menu. Second - There is a tremendous markup of wines in Restaurants. Some places will have a 25% mark up and others will raise it 300%. An $8.00 bottle of wine can turn into a $45.00 bottle. The lower end seams to get marked up more.

You may have some idea as what the food will cost you, but you have no idea as the cost of wine. It is all right to ask. A good waiter will be eager to help you and not embarrass you. Tell them that you are not into wines and you do not want to pay a lot of money for a bottle because cannot tell the difference. Portending you know what you are doing when you do not make you sound like idiotts. A good waiter want’s to make you happy. Tips are very important to waiters.

Another option is not to order wine at the restraint. There is no rule saying that you have to. As you are not into wines, this is something you will not know . Some restraints don’t have good wines on their menus. No reason for spending money for something that you will not enjoy.

Domestic under $20.00 store prices - we like Roederer Estate from the Anderson Valley.

Answer 3

I am a former chef, and the best advice I can give you is most all champanges taste similar, some subtle differents, check there wine list, and see what kind they have, most places in the US and Canada will have several, one or 2 domestic and several imported from France, price wise it is a steep investment, markup in restaurants is 150-200% over the price at a liquor outlet.

Heidseck, Verve Cliqout, Roger, Mumms and Dom Perignon are popular French brands and will run around $25 to $100+ a bottle, domectic can be around $15-$30 a bottle and figure for 2 people and a full bottle, about 3-4 glasses each.

Find out if the sell "splits" a half bottle, you get the same enjoyment, but have the amount and cost, for a special dinner cost is usually not an object, but why spoil a nice dinner and romantic evening with either to much alcohol or wasting half a bottle of expensive champange, unessessarily.

Answer 4

I kind of have to agree with the guy before me. Why do you feel like you have to order anything if you don't enjoy it? Also, no matter what champagne you drink, good/bad, cheap/expensive, it isn't going to go well with many foods like beef, red pastas, etc.

Anyway, if you feel you must, a high-end restaurant isn't going to have the bargain type champagnes usually poured en mass at a wedding or other event. There is nothing wrong with Tott's, Cook's, or Andre and they are made in a style to appeal to nearly everyone, but a fancy restaurant just isn't going to have them.

Probably what you need the most is a champagne with a touch of sweetness, so look for anything labeled "Extra Dry". Despite the label, this is actually the second most dry style behind "Brut". The hint of sugar should provide the style you are looking for.

Happy Anniversary.

Answer 5

At my first wedding reception I served Cooks, and everyone thought I'd paid $30-some a bottle. (It was only $4 and only a step above Andre) However, a nice restaurant won't have that. You could ask the sommelier or server if they could recommend a demi-sec or cremant champagne. (Both are sweeter bubblies and not as dry, that is, if you like a slightly sweeter champagne.) If you both like more dry champagne, just say "It's our anniversary, can you recommend a good champagne for us to celebrate? Around $xx to $yyy?". You will not sound like an idiot. A good server or sommelier will then proceed to ask a couple more questions like sweet or dry, do you have a brand in mind, and then that's when their job kicks in to pick the best wine for your tastes and budget. Don't be embarrassed, that's what they're there for!

Answer 6

if you don't really like sparkling wine, why toast with it at your anniversary? There's no law set in stone that says you must toast a special event like an anniversary with sparkling. It is a matter of preference.

Not all weddings serve sweet one. I work in the wine industry, and most weddings i attend in the area usually have a dry or semi dry sparkling, because we enjoy that style.

You shouldn't feel like an idiot when asking about wine at a nice restaurant. Be honest with them. Ask the waiter to tell you about the different kinds of bubbly that they have on the menu. You can even ask them for their advice. indicate that you like sweeter wines and ask for their recommendation.

Some of my favorites that are not too expensive or too dry are Mumm Cuvee M. Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs, Schramsberg Cremant is very sweet, and very elegant.

price also is not a good determining factor for "winey" either. i personally feel that the lower priced brands smell and taste way more winey than higher priced brands.

Bottom line, just ask questions. You shouldn't be afraid to inquire about wine. It is the same as inquiring about food on the menu.

Answer 7

Just some random thoughts to consider....

Champagne is a region in France. Therefore, true Champagne must come from France. The American equivalent is called sparkling wine. There are nice varieties from all over the U.S., but most are from California.

Champagne can be very dry too (like some wines). In fact, you often see "Brut" on the label of Champagne or sparkling wine and Brut means very dry.

Champagne is a very nice drink to celebrate with, but would seldom be served with your meal. Not that it's wrong to do so (you should do what makes you happy), but it would probably only be paired with something very rich in flavor.

I would recommend you go to the store before your dinner and try a more sweet wine, like a Riesling. I would recommend you try a Chateau Ste Michelle. About $12 per bottle. It's a fairly sweet white wine and would be fine to order with dinner.

Then, after dinner, order Champagne to celebrate!

Answer 8

Why bother with any Champagne or sparkling wine. You are both together enjoying each others company. If you don´t drink don´t spoil the evening by having something you don´t like. Just enjoy the occasion.