Wine for your wedding - Your guide to the perfect wine menu

At Copenhagen Cava, we have put together a little guide for you to help you find the right wines for your wedding. We will guide you through the entire evening, from the welcome to the dessert.

Wine for the welcome or reception

As a welcome drink, we recommend a Brut cava or champagne (we prefer cava to champagne, as there is a better correlation between price and quality, but it is of course a matter of taste) which should be light, fruity and with crisp, fast bubbles which is ideal to combine with all types of light canapés, chips and olives. Brut cava also cleans the mouth between the different snacks. If you are going to serve snacks with fat, we recommend Brut or Vintage , as the acid from the cava softens the fat, and makes both snacks and bubbles taste better! If you choose not to serve snacks for the welcome, you can also choose to serve a rosé cava - a so-called blanc de noir based on the pinot noir grape, as it has a hint of sweetness without being overly sweet. It is therefore a really delicious glass if you want to drink it by itself. If you are into slightly sweeter wines or are serving in the wedding cake for the reception, you should choose to serve a semi-sec cava or proseco which has more sweetness but is still fresh. A rule of thumb is that bubbles should be as sweet, if not sweeter, than the drink it is served with.

Wine for the appetizer

For the starter, the recommendation depends on what is on the plate. If you are serving raw fish such as ceviche, sushi, smoked salmon or roe, which is generally relatively delicate, we recommend a dry white cava or corpinat of the types “ Brut Nature ”, “Extra Brut” or “ Brut ” which are best suited to raw and salty food. If you are more of a white wine lover, you can easily go with either Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis. Conversely, if you are serving cooked fish (e.g. fish soup or grilled zander) or shellfish (e.g. shrimp, lobster, lobster bisque, scallops), we recommend a dry and aged cava of the Gran Reserva type, as these go well with the umami basic taste that characterizes the cooked fish and shellfish. Alternatively, you can serve white wines of the type Chardonnay (barrel-aged), Chablis, Chenin blanc. If the menu consists of fatty or smoked fish (e.g. salmon or halibut), we would recommend a Rosé cava , as it has enough acidity to cut through the rich, oily taste of the fish, but at the same time is dry enough not to be overpowered by it. On the wine side, we would again recommend wine from Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis.

Wine for the main course

For the main course, it can be given a little extra gas, but again the choice depends on what is being served. If the menu consists of fish (e.g. grilled zander, salmon or sole), we recommend a dry and aged cava or corpinat from Reserva or  The Gran Reserva type, as these go well with the umami-influenced basic flavor that characterizes the prepared fish. If there is meat on the table, the choice again depends on the type of meat. For the slightly lighter and lighter veal (e.g. veal tenderloin), a red burgundy with its creamy structure will be a safe choice. For beef, conversely, wines with power and tannic acid are required, such as Bordeaux, Barolo, Ribera Del Duero or Rhone, to handle the proteins in the meat. Especially if the meat is served, as is often the case with stewed font-based sauces. For lamb or venison, we recommend wine from the northern part of the Rhone or Ribera del Duero. If you are ready to break with tradition, a dry and aged cava of the Gran Reserva or Paraje Calificado type, which are fantastic for heavier dishes with lots of (umami) flavor, can be recommended as a substitute for red wine for both veal tenderloin, lamb and game.

Between the courses

Try serving an elderflower granité with cava, which cleanses the taste buds and is therefore perfect to serve between, for example, the starter and the main course. A granité is incredibly easy to make, and is therefore also a good opportunity to impress your guests. In addition to being a good way to cleanse the palate between courses, a granité can also be served as a light dessert or drink. A dessert or drink a little out of the ordinary that tastes fresh and delicious with elderflower and cava - a surefire hit!

You can find the recipe for Elderflower granita with cava here

Wine for the cheese:

If you are serving fresh, soft or unaged cheeses (e.g. fresh goat cheese, brie, camembert, emmentaler, comté, gruyere, cheddar, gouda), we recommend a young and dry Cava or Cava Reserva, which matches the fresh cream, lactic acid and grassy aromas. The more aged cheeses you want to serve, the more aged Cavas of the Gran Reserva type should also be chosen. This applies (e.g. parmesan, manchego, aged cheddar, gouda, etc.). Alternatively, you can serve a chardonnay or red wine of the Barolo type with some juice and power. If there are blue cheeses on the table (e.g. roquefort, gorgonzola, danablue), we recommend a dry and aged Cava of Gran Reserva (vintage) or Paraje Calificado the type that makes a fantastic counterpoint to the strong cheeses. Alternatively, a Sauternes or Gewurztraminer.

Wine for dessert

Bubbles and dessert - it doesn't get more festive and is part of a wedding! However, you should be careful to choose the right bubbles for your dessert. A rule of thumb says that bubbles should be just as sweet, if not even sweeter, than the dessert it is served with. We generally suggest a Semi Sec when it comes to dessert. Alternatively, you can serve a Sauternes. If you are going to serve a fruity dessert with fresh berries or white or milk chocolate, we would recommend a rosé cava, as they are often dry but fresh in taste. The rosé cava will compliment the berries, as fruity desserts are typically not overly sweet desserts, which makes rosé cava an obvious choice. If the dessert is based on dark chocolate, for example brownie, Gateau Marcel or dark chocolate ice cream, we recommend a dry cava of the “ Brut Nature ” type, which creates a fine interplay between the bitter, the sour and the sweet. If you are more classically inclined, you can alternatively serve ruby or vintage port wine.