6 Bubbles to Toast Your Wedding

Are you thinking of what wedding Champagne to buy? Then come through and check out assorted wines at their different price range, categories and quality.

If you want to pull off a wedding to remember, bubbles must be in abundance for many things including the toast. And a Champagne wedding will take about 5% of your budget, just like the wedding music.

So, the idea is to spend wisely by knowing your wines. In this post, we’ve grouped your favorite wines into categories. You can splurge by going for Champagne brands, try Cava, enjoy bubbles on a budget or you can go organic with the Petillant Naturel.

Get inspired by our six categories of bubbles.

How to calculate wedding alcohol
To know how much alcohol for the wedding you need, estimate how many hours your reception. Next, break down the number of servings per bottle of alcohol. For instance, 5 glasses per 750ml of wine. Multiply guests by the number of hours and divide by the number of glass per bottle.

1. Prosecco
Prosecco originates out of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions in northeastern Italy. It’s made mostly from the Glera grape using the bulk method called Charmat.

Juice gets extracted from blended grapes and the first fermentation begins. It’s fermented d a second time and the process involves the bubbles trapped in a pressurized tank. After which it’s filtered to remove impurities and bottled.

This process involved in making Prosecco is faster which makes it more affordable than Champagne. The second fermentation, bubbles are well trapped in a large pressurized tank. It’s then filtered to remove any impurities and bottled.

You can find Prosecco at different price ranges and they are perfect for cocktail hour.

• Bottega gold non-vintage Prosecco
Buy for $11.49.

2. Cava
Cava is of Spanish origin. Cava features grape varietals which include Macabeu, Parellada and Xarello.
Cava is the perfect balance between Prosecco and Champagne. In the price point, it rivals Prosecco, but in character and production, it’s the same as Champagne. For instance, where the second fermentation of Prosecco happens in a tank, Cava fermentation happens in a bottle just like Champagne.

Cava can be lighter in style than Champagne. Cava also hits you with a balance of citrus, melon, pear and sensual acidity. This differs from the brioche and biscuit notes associated with Champagne.

Due to similar attributes of Cava to Champagne, it is a better option when you feel like Champagne on a budget. This is the stylish bubbles for a wedding that never gets exhausted.

• Anna de Codorniu Cava Brut
Buy for $14.00

3. Champagne
Champagne originates from the Champagne region of France. Yes! Those are the true real Champagnes. They must be quite produced from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or Chardonnay or a blend of all three.

Champagne production is by méthode Champenoise invented by a certain monk called Dom Pérignon and refined by widow Cliquot.

As a result of the prolonged process of sitting on the lees, Champagne takes on a certain richness and complexity. It comes yeasty or biscuit-like signature notes. This may transcend to bolder notes and flavors of toasted brioche, roasted fruit, and toffee.

Champagne brands are generally expensive but you can go for cheap Champagne. Reserve the best Champagne for the wedding toast unless you can afford to buy plenty.

• Bollinger Special Cuvée
Buy for $58.99

4. Cremant
This is the French term for the traditional method used in making sparkling wines made outside Champagne. In other words, the second fermentation responsible for giving the wine its bubbles must happen inside the bottle. Next is to subject it to a minimum ageing period of nine months on yeast cells, or lees. This maturation brings about the creamy texture of the wines.

Almost all Crémant d’Alsace originates from crisp Pinot Blanc even though Champagne elements can also be used. All blends of Crémant are rich but exhibit a certain freshness and dryness.

They are not as pricy as fancy Champagnes, but they are a bit costlier than Proseccos. This can be a balance between the costly Champagne and the really cheap Prosecco.

• Cremant de Limoux
Buy for $23

5. Petillant Naturel
If you’re a fan of the organic movement, you’d say Pét-nat (for short). It’s made using the ‘ancestral’ method. This method is the oldest practice of making sparkling wine with origins in France.
Pétillant Naturelcan be a blend of red or white wine grapes. Its end product is usually dry and sometimes slightly sweet to taste.

The vintage approach applied in making this blend means it’s less refined which is great. This gives each Pet-nat a different taste that edges towards the aromatic.

• Orbits moderandi sauvignon blanc Petillant
Buy for $17.99.

6. Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine should not be mixed up with Champagne, Crémant, or Cava. These ones have specific origins. Sparkling wines originate from all over the world with varying processing practices.

This brings about the differing in bubble size, fruity taste and methods. Their tastes run from Rosé to Brut, exotic dessert sparkling wines with qualities that run the gamut. There are varieties from different regions like the Sekt of Germany, English and American sparkling wines, etc. Also, note that all Champagnes are sparkling wines but not all sparkling wines are Champagnes.

• Mumm Napa Blanc de Blancs
Buy for $18.99

Buy only the best wines for your wedding Champagne blast. See our six comprehensive categories for some shopping inspiration.