There are two ways to obtain wines for weddings; buying commercial wine at a store or making it yourself, either at home or in a store like ours. If you go the home-made wine route, you have to make sure it is legal. You will need a special occasion license to serve wine in community halls, hotels and such, and that means you can't serve wine you made yourself. You may know people that have served this type of wine at these kinds of venues. Remember that your name is on the license and you are the one responsible. This type of wine can be legally served if the reception is in a private home or at a hall in a housing complex, as long as you aren't renting the facility.
Planning weddings can be a stressful time as you try and get everything just perfect for that special day. You have to plan just the right decorations, clothing, food, flowers and all the rest of it including deciding what wine to serve. Europe has had a wine culture for hundreds of years, but in Canada it is just starting to happen and so a lot of young people don't have much knowledge about wines. Some times the knowledge they do have has come from a bad experience with wines and so more stress has been added to planning for the event. It doesn't have to be that way and we can help you pick the perfect wine for your wedding.
Weddings now a days can be a very costly events with lots of money spent on the clothing, location and food, but because of lack of knowledge of wine, people buy the cheapest available, whether the wine is made in a store like ours or it is bought commercially. I am not talking thousands of dollars for good wine if it is made in a store like ours. You can have good wine for $200 to $300 for 60 bottles and fabulous wine for $400. If you made the best kits we have available the cost of a single glass of wine would be about the same price as an extra large Tim Horton's coffee.
At this point if you don't have a lot of wine knowledge you are probably thinking, "How will I know what wine to choose?"
The answere is simple; it involves a little research which can involve wine tasting. It can also involve just asking friends or family for some recomendations. The first thing you need to do is decide if you are going to serve commercial wines or wines made at an on premise wine making facility like ours. Check out Wedding Wine FAQ's to help you decide which way you can go. Also go to the general Wine FAQ's sections elsewhere in this web site. New to Wine Making Making Wine With Us If you need assistance in some of your other wedding planning, we strongly suggest you check out Local Wedding Vendors, which is a list of highly recommended businesses from White Rock to Harrison Hot Springs that are involved in all aspects of wedding planning.
If you are going to buy commercial wines I would suggest that you visit the nearest VAQ wine shop in your area. Sadly the Minter Garden VQA store in Chilliwack closed. If you are speifically looking for a VQA store, Nancy and I highly recommend Sip Wines in Steveston. Simmon Wosk and the crew really know their wines.
The local government liquor store can be a great source of knowledge on what wines to buy and you will find wine to fit your budget. If you don't know much about wines, go to the Sardis liquor store in the Canadian Tire mall and ask for Leslie Fearful. She worked in the provincial government's Signature liquor store in Abbotsford for a couple of years and really knows her stuff. Leslie will be able to tell you what wines in the lower price range will work into your budget and taste great at the wedding. She will even put you on to the sale items that can be real steals.
Or you can go on a wine tasting expedition to some of the great local wineries. Ask us for easy to follow directions. Or check out this website for a listing of great local wineries. There is no need to feel intimidated by the experience. Whether it is ourselves, or some of the local wineries, we are all there to help you. You will find that people will give you great suggestions so that you can find the best possible wines for your wedding at a price that will fit your budget.