Buying for weddings and receptions

Tips

Buy champagne - the biggest savings are made here. With 6 - 8 glasses per bottle, you will need about 20 bottles for 100 guests, for the toast. Champagne prices

Lanson Black label costs £19.99 in England (Tesco 12/99) and £11.72 in France (Carrefour Mi-voix supermarket 12/99). The perceived wisdom is that you need to spend £25 and more for a good bottle of champagne. 1990 is a good vintage to look out for.

For 20 bottles the cost would be £399.80 in England but only £234.40 in France - a saving of £165.40 ! (or 41%). If you popped over on the best value ticket you can save a lot of money.

Go to the supermarkets (Carrefour Mi-voix is best) or Le Chais.

1 bottle of 75 cl = 6 glasses of 12cl, or 4 glasses of 18cl

For the apéritif = 12 bottles, Entrée = 12 bottles of moelleux* and 18 bottles Blanc sec, Main course and cheese = 60 bottles, Dessert = 18 bottles

Buy wine - even the better value wines are good value in France - the biggest savings are on wines under £5.00 though. Avoid the supermarkets.

Lace - Calais has many lace shops - worth a visit.

Royale Dentelle - 6, Bd. Clemenceau, and 74, Bd. Lafayette, 62100. Tel: 0033 321 34 91 36.

Local traditions - in the North of France the families meet on the Thursday before the marriage in each others homes. No invitations are issued - you just turn up with your firends.

Anniversaries (noce de) - What? When?

1st - cotton, 5th - nylon, 10 - pewter, 15 - crystal, 20 - porcelain, 25 - money, 50 - gold, 60 - diamond.

Wines for wedding meals

Apéritif ou déssert - champagne, crement.

Entrée - Foie Gras, Terrine Brochet

Main course and Cheese - Pintade aux truffes

Dessert - champagne, crement.

If you have any Method Traditional Champagne left you can always use it for dessert. Or serve it with the Foie Gras, but it may not always be appreciated. It should be remembered that the Gold wines (so called because of their colour) are wines rich in sugar and alcohol. You could replace it with a Medoc or a Chablis (wines proposed for other dishes). The dry white wines can be also been served as an aperitif with a crème de mûre (blackberry) or alone - Sancerres, Chablis and Pouilly Fumé. Champagne can also be served with certain cheeses or desserts. White wines as above (and see table below).

Wedding wine service - The Wine Temple in Calais can advise you on what selection of wines to buy.

A few examples of wines that go well with certain cheeses.

Emmenthal, Fromage de Tête - Bordeaux supérieur.

Crottin de Chavignol - Riesling, Sauvignon de St Bris

Fourme d'Ambert - Côtes de Bergerac moelleux, Coteaux du Layon.

Comté - Graves.

Hot cheese - Sancerre.

Goats cheese - Sauvignon de St Bris, Riesling, Bordeaux supérieur.

Roquefort - Monbazillac, Coteaux du Layon, Sancerre.

"Let us remember simply that behind a wine bottle or a label, there is an artist, it is the vine grower. Let us learn how to respect its labour, its passion, its life. Let us honour this virtuoso with the pleasure we gain from the fruit of his work, drinking the wine with a new frenzy and a pure language which goes with this nectar."