Cheap but nice tasting champagne

Guinea_2

Hi there

Got our wedding coming up in August and we have decided (and worked it out monetary!) that buying our own alcohol (even with corkage on top) is cheaper than buying a drinks package at the venue.

Anyway, we need to think of a drink for the arrival of the guests. We were thinking of champagne so if anyone knows of any websites/shops that are doing cheap deals at the moment then could you please let me know? Many thanks.

Another question is....we are expecting approx 100 for the sit down meal so how many bottles would you say we would need for the arrival drink? Many thanks.

Or....anybody got any ideas about a different arrival drink that is cheap but tasty? Yes...as ever, money IS an issue.

P.S. If there are spelling mistakes then I apologise. I am trying one of our wines for the reception that we bought from Tesco tonight. I've tried two glasses but I can't tell how good it is yet. I'm just going to have another try of it...see you later!:rolleyes:

Pink_butterfly_3

Right - ASTI. Its only £4/5 a bottle and it tastes much better than champagne. No-one will notice the difference. At our wedding we served glasses of Asti with a strawberry floating in it and everyone loved it.

As for how many you'd need. I think that you will roughly get 5 glasses per bottle. So you would need 20 bottles - maybe a couple more just to be safe.

Pink_butterfly_3

Also, we went to France to get the booze for our wedding.

Depending on when your wedding is, you could also buy bits and pieces throughout the months. Asda, Tescos etc. always have deals with Asti.

Edit - Sorry you did say August. I'm tired, lol!

Pink_butterfly_3

Can i be nosey?? Where abouts in Bucks are you and where are you getting married?

Jay-Jay_4

Asti is very sweet and to be honest I would be able to tell the difference before it hit my mouth. If you want a cheap alternative to champagne then a Cava is going to give a dryer flavour which is still distinguishable from champage but closer than asti. (Sorry Pink Butterfly, I'm sure your Asti was lovely at your wedding )

If you want champagne then most supermarkets do their own. Sainsburies do a very nice one and Tesco do one too for about £11 a bottle (ish). Asda are doing Berringer (a sparkling rose) for about £5/6 a bottle which is actually very nice and a littel bit different for a wedding. I served champagne at my wedding but also had the Berringer which totally fooled my guests into thinking that they were drinking pink champage. I think though that the atmosphere at a wedding helps you get away with murder when it comes to drinks

Pink_butterfly_3

Lol, i really hate champagne. Its one of those things that you buy and then end up leaving after one sip. Asti, though. Yummy, that goes down nicely!

I agree that the sparkling wines or Cavas tend to taste very similar to Champagne.

My opinion was that we are paying for your drinks so like it or lump it!

ooobedoo

I would check in on https://www.madaboutbargains.co.uk for the deals, there is a nice one but I can't remember the name and it comes on offer in sainsburys often...I'm not much use am I?? starts with a F

Nicki

Prosecco is nice too - a bit like champagne but a different drink so wouldn't be thought to be a cheap stand-in, and quite trendy at the minute. You could try some out at Tesco's and then see if you can get it on a deal, or use points for it.

Counting_Pennies_2

Tesco Premier Cru has come out on top in the taste tests for years, often beating the big Champagne brands,

Look out for special offers, such as now Valentines.

liney

Sparkling Chardonney, is technically the same grape and method used to produce Champagne, however it is not produced in the Champagne region of France so is not named as such.

It can be found for about £5 per bottle if you look around. I would guess 5 glasses a bottle will be reasonable, but buy a bottle and measure. You could always serve Bucks Fizz which may be the cheaper option.

jamjar,

Pimms and lemonade would be nice at that time of year. It could be quite reasonable, as it needs to be diluted about X 5 with lemonade. You can often get the Pimms on offer at that time. If you buy the lemonade in Lidl it is really cheap.
A strawberry split and put over the rim is nice, and you could make up some cocktail sticks with a half slice of lemon/orange, and a free sprig of mint from the garden.
We did this last year at a village fete. We contacted the Pimms local rep, who got us jugs, cocktail sticks with strawberries at the end, trays etc.