Weddings are brought to life by the celebration of family and friends, but nothing adds zest to a reception quite like champagne. The release of all those gently streaming golden bubbles gives an unbeatable sense of occasion. Not that champagne should be taken too seriously. The whole point of fizz is that it doubles the fun you can have with a glass of wine. You do need to think carefully, however, about what style will best suit your celebration and how much to buy.
Choosing the right one
Bottles or magnums, white or pink, vintage or non-vintage, champagne or sparkling wine? The choice can seem daunting at first. As ever, the best advice is, if in doubt, keep it simple and, unless money is no object, compare the expensive labels with some of the less well-known champagne houses. Most of the famous names make reliably consistent fizz, but there are also some excellent champagnes with less well-known labels. You are probably going to be buying a lot, so your supplier should be happy to let you try a selection first.
What to serve
As an aperitif or toast wine, the smoothly rounded style of a non-vintage (NV) is ideal. On a hot day, served with light, summery canapés, an elegant, lighter style of fizz such as Billecart-Salmon or Nicolas Feuillatte will be a perfect match at your reception. You'll want to step up a notch to a fuller-bodied fizz such as Pol Roger (Winston Churchill's favourite), Jacquart or Bollinger if you're serving fashionably spicy Asian-flavoured nibbles or hosting your wedding during autumn or winter.
The most important thing, though, is not to worry too much about creating a perfect food and wine match. A wedding is a party, after all. champagne is a remarkably versatile style of wine so choose one you both like the taste (and look) of and the chances are your guests will all enjoy it too.
Vintage wines - those dated on the label - are fuller and richer in style and excellent if you are making a splash by serving champagne throughout the meal. Veuve Clicquot, Pol Roger and Moët all make excellent vintage wines that pair well with dishes ranging from roast fowl to Thai-spiced cuisine.
For the toasts you could either stick to the same champagne or swop to a pink fizz. Laurent-Perrier is very popular, but my favourite is the sublimely elegant Billecart-Salmon Rosé, a champagne that works especially well if the speeches are during the meal.
Sparkling wine
Champagne is definitely "the real thing". However, many top sparkling wines are now so good that they make an excellent alternative if your budget only allows for very modestly priced champagne. In fact, top new world sparkling wines such as Deutz, Green Point, Cuvée Napa and Jansz are all made in partnership with leading champagne houses, which should give you an idea of how good they can be. At between £10 and £14 a bottle, these offer superb value for money. If you are feeling patriotic, an English sparkling wine such as the excellent Nyetimber - served by the Queen at Buckingham Palace - is a superb alternative.
Champagne cocktails
Charles Howard, creative director of Jalapeno and caterer at Victoria and David Beckham's wedding, says, "Champagne is always expected at a wedding and the fashion at the moment is for cocktails at the reception and champagne for the toast." For something a little different, he suggests serving sparkling cocktails as guests arrive at the reception and a pink champagne for the toast. The best sparkling cocktails are the classics. Think of the fresh orangey tang of buck's fizz, peachy smooth bellini, cassis-infused kir royale and the splendidly decadent champagne cocktail. A true bellini is made with Italian sparkling Prosecco, for buck's fizz and kir royale a lighter champagne or good sparkling wine will do, but for a champagne cocktail mixed with brandy and sugar, the quality of the wine should shine through.
Serving tips and ideas
As wedding organiser Siobhàn Craven-Robins points out, a lot depends on the venue, caterers or even whether you are doing the whole event yourself. "A great idea is to think about the champagne glasses you use," she says. "A good caterer will be able to supply something a little different from the norm, with colour or bubbles in the glass, which adds even more fun to drinking champagne."
Those elegant, shallow bowl-shaped glasses, said to be modelled on Marie Antoinette's breasts, are once again fashionable. Purists and wine buffs, however, will want to preserve all those precious bubbles by serving their fizz in a traditional flute. "A simple, inexpensive way of making a real splash is to serve champagne in magnums," says Fred Panatois, the winemaker at Veuve Clicquot. I couldn't agree more. Pouring fizz from these impressive double-sized bottles always has a luxurious appeal. For the toasts, liaise with the caterers or venue's staff to ensure everyone has a glass brimming with fizz at the right moment. Even at a small wedding, ensuring everyone has a fresh flute filled with bubbles on cue is no mean feat.
Buying your champagne
Oh, to pour a non-stop stream of Krug or Cristal throughout one's wedding without a care in the world! Of course, unless you are a millionaire, you will be working within a strict budget. Fortunately, there is a fantastic choice to suit all palates and wallets, along with some excellent money-saving deals when buying in large quantities.
If you are relying on the venue or caterer to supply your champagne, discuss what you would like, at what price and for how many people. Any caterer worth their salt will be able to source a wide range and give good advice, allowing you to taste a selection well in advance of the big day. If the venue is offering to supply the champagne don't feel you have to stick with their suggestion. With a little negotiation they should be able to source the wine of your choice at a fair price.
If you are buying it yourself, whether at a supermarket, wine merchant or from across the Channel, the same advice applies. Buying by the case almost always ensures a better price and is usually accompanied by free delivery. Some wine merchants also offer free glass loan and sale or return is a good option if you want to safeguard against the well running dry. One word of advice, though. If you are supplying your own champagne, give it to your caterer in plenty of time for it to be properly chilled.
Another tip is to try out the house champagnes of the better independent merchants. Typically the merchant will have sourced a smaller champagne house to make a fizz exclusive for their business and, while often not the cheapest, quality is high as it carries the company's reputation and name. Own-label champagnes from Berry Bros & Rudd (0870 900 4300), Armit (020 7908 0600), Lay & Wheeler (01206 736304), Adnams (01502 727200), Tanners (01743 234455) and Yapp (01747-860423) are all impressive.
