The Auswine Forum

Hi All,

I am reading through a list of wines and i'm struggling, see im not a wine connoisseur and yet I have to choose wines for my wedding in September to be held in the hunter valley. I have to choose 1 sparkling, 2 white & 2 reds. I would appreciate any suggestions because I really dont want to poison any of my guests.

the possible choices are:

Sparkling:

the chapel Sparkling Semillon (hunter)
Sobels Champagne (blend)
Tyrrell's Pinot Noir Chardonnay brut (Hunter)
Lindemans Sparkling Rose (Blend)

White Wines

Semillon
Audrey Wilkinson Semillon
Brokenwood Semillon
Tyrell's Lost Block Semillon
Littles Semillon

Semillion Blends
the Chapel Semillon/sauvignon Blanc
brokenwood "cricket Pich" semillon/sauvignon Blanc
thomas wines "Two of a Kind" Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay
Audrey Wilkinson Chardonnay
Brokenwood Chardonnay (unwooded)
tamburlaine "Wine Lovers" Chardonnay
tyrell's Chardonnay

sauvignon Blanc
David Hook sauvignon Blanc
Tamburlaine sauvignon Blanc
trout Valley sauvignon Blanc

Verdelho
Sobels verdelho
Tamburlaine verdelho
Tyrell's verdelho

Other white wines
Tyrells Pinot gris
David Hook pinot grigio
David Hook Voignier
David Hook Riesling

Red Wines

Pinot Noir
Brokenwood Pinot Noir
tyrell's Pinot Noir

Merlot
David Hook merlot
Chalice Ridge merlot
Sobels Merlot

Shiraz
The chapel Shiraz
David Hook Shiraz/Viognier
Tyrells "broken back" Shiraz
McWilliams "Phillip" Shiraz
tamburlaine Shiraz
brokenwood Area Blend Shiraz
Rufus Stone Shiraz

Cabernet/Cabernet Blends
Tyrells Cabernet merlot
Tamburlaine Cabernet sauvignon
Sobels Cabernet sauvignon
Audrey Wilkinson Cabernet merlot
Littles Cabernet Sauvignon

Hi John
Do you know what vintages are available of each wine, what price you are willing to pay and what sort of consumers you have invited?
I doubt that you will "poison" anyone with any of these wines as they look like a reasonable selection to me (not knowing the vintages and not being a big Hunter drinker).
If you follow up with more info, you might get a more focused response from the more Hunter oriented forumites out there.
Cheers and good luck for the big day.
P.s. Maybe it is a standard price?

Vintages would be handy. However if it was my wedding:

Lindemans Sparkling Rose - been a while since I tried it and it was predominately dry, it is a wedding and the girls love a sparkling pink
Brokenwood Semillon - I cannot help myself with this one, it is a favourite of mine and for those who are looking for something more interesting in a white, they will love it.
David Hook pinot grigio - tried this last weekend for the first time and bought a case. It will keep the girls happy and give a little more to those who are looking for it.
David Hook Shiraz/Viognier - nothing wrong with it at all, in fact it is better than that, the Philip is an easy swap if you want a straight shiraz
Tamburlaine Cabernet sauvignon - fairly fully bodied C/S and I am happy to be mistaken, Hunter Fruit. Neither of the Pinots are Hunter, I would as a rule avoid the Merlot and something with a bit more body after the Hook S/V would be perfect.

The only poisoning that would occur would be from over consumption. Best bet is to try them and make your own mind up, the Bride and I did a blind tasting with my family and based what we supplied from there. It's your wedding go with what you like and have a fantastic day.

For the reds, the Tyrrell's Brokenback (if it's the 2006) is a very nice wine. Had a bottle the other night and was quite impressed for the price.

One of life's tragedies is the wine lists you are forced to select from by event caterers for weddings and other special occassions. Very difficult to get around.

I do remember one wedding I went to a few years ago though where cellared 95 Te Mata Awatea was the 'house red' all afternoon, seemingly as much as you wanted. Very tasty

Thanks everyone, especially beachbum thats superb help, taking up the tasting option today, but guided by your suggestions, many thanks