Clink glasses with local wine selections

You’ve got your menu planned. The cake is a go. Table settings are artfully arranged. But before you check off dining from the list, there’s still wine to be selected! This process can be as methodical or simple as you’d like, but you’ll want to know what’s in your glass when it comes time to cheers-ing your happy union. A few experts from local vineyards weigh in.

Gooseneck Vineyards

When it comes to selection, Gooseneck’s co-founding cousins, Paul Fede and Liana Buonanno, can help even the least wine savvy among us. Currently trending is their Picpoul De Pinet, a zesty, dry white wine that pairs wonderfully with oysters and creamy cheeses. Wickford White is a refreshing and slightly effervescent choice perfect for the reception. They also offer reds that embrace, “…sassy red fruits,” and “serious darker fruits.” For clinking glasses, you can’t go wrong with bubbly: a fruit-driven Prosecco.

Though Gooseneck doesn’t host weddings, Fede says they do “love to create an experience at our winery and host a private tasting for the couple. It just creates a personal connection to their special day.”

Looking for a unique spin on the first anniversary frozen cake tradition? Opt instead for one of Gooseneck’s 15-liter bottles. Guests can sign it at the reception, leaving the couple with a distinctive keepsake.

4 Brown Street, Wickford GooseneckVineyards.com

Newport Vineyards

That pink-hued wine might still be trending everywhere, but Newport’s Dry Rosé just won Best in Show, out of 160 entries, at the Rosé Competition in Fort Lauderdale. “Great White is by far our most popular wine, very crowd pleasing and a nod to our coastal location,” says Cassandra Earle, director of marketing and business development. Newport also creates special seasonal sangrias and a summer “Frosé Pop” – literally a rosé popsicle (for a summer fête).

Catering for their own events, the chefs at Newport Vineyards are experts at pairing their wines with their fresh, in-house cuisine. So couples who aren’t sommeliers are in good hands. While able to accommodate up to 150 guests in The Meadow Room, which boasts reclaimed barnwood walls and a large industrial garage door that opens to a covered porch overlooking the vines, Newport Vineyards is happy to host events of all sizes. Your rehearsal dinner, reception, and post-wedding brunch can all be held in one convenient location, regardless of how many guests will attend each component of your celebration.

Gooseneck Vineyard’s variety of styles to choose from

909 East Main Road (Rte 138), Middletown NewportVineyards.com

WinterHawk Vineyards

With construction of the winery in full swing, smart couples with plans for 2022 and beyond can boast being one of the first to marry at “The most beautiful vineyard in Rhode Island,” according to owner Rick Dyer.

Popular right now are their award-winning Red Zinfandel and a Chardonnay so oaky it’s been called “tawny” and is a great choice for the bold and adventurous. Dyer assures couples that you can never go wrong if you “choose the wine you like and the food you like.” That said, they are happy to host a private tasting for couples who would like to familiarize themselves with the full current selection.

As a small boutique farm, WinterHawk will be able to accommodate up to 125 at receptions. “It’s intimate so you are never far from the vineyard experience,” says Dyer. Creating an understated winery with Old World charm has been the vision for WinterHawk over the past several years. Their goal is to offer an elegant backdrop for events without overshadowing your special day.

35 Yawgoo Pond Road, West Kingston WinterHawkVineyards.com

EXPERIENCE RHODE ISLAND’S UNIQUE TERROIR AT YOUR RECEPTION WITH THESE VINEYARDS BOTTLING WINES MADE WITH GRAPES CULTIVATED IN FIELDS CLOSE TO HOME.

Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard, Little Compton Diamond Hill Vineyards, Cumberland Greenvale Vineyard, Portsmouth Langworthy Farm Winery, Westerly Leyden Farm Vineyard & Winery, West Greenwich

Mulberry Vineyards, Chepachet Nickle Creek Vineyard, Foster Verde Vineyards, Johnston

PLAN AHEAD WITH THESE PRO-TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

TIMING

Buonanno of Gooseneck suggests couples start thinking about wines six months prior to the wedding: “The couple should consider the timing of the wedding and make sure they are tasting the current vintage of the wines.”

NUMBERS

As for quantity, Dyer suggests one bottle per couple for every two hours of event time. If special estate bottles are available, WinterHawk Vineyards also enjoys sending one as a gift to the newly married couple.

DETAILS

Newport Vineyards offers custom-labeled bottles: “They are personalized with the couples’ names, wedding date, and a photo, and given as guest favors or wedding party gifts,” says Earle.