Help Pick Our Third Wine!

KPBM89

So FI and I are having an open bar and have all the liquor and beer all set. We are getting down to buying the last of the wine and aren't sure what third flavor to get. We have already decided on merlot and chardonnay as two of the wines. If you were choosing a third out of the following, which would you pick? The wedding is in early August, if that helps. Thanks in advance!  If you would pick two of them, please LMK and we can consider getting four wines instead of three.

AmJam04

Merlot tends to be a wine that's very hit or miss for people; some love it, some hate it. White wine is similar. I think your safest bet would be the cab, and if you want to appeal to non-wine-drinkers, the moscato may be a good choice as well (though if you're having an open bar anyway, the non-wine-drinkers may just opt for a cocktail instead). 

Blergbot

Cab is usually a crowd pleaser. It's hard to go wrong with that.

Peaseblossom55

I voted for Cab most people seem to like that.  I do love Moscato but there are a lot of people who find it really sweet.

chibiyui

Personally, unless you really love merlot and chardonnay, I'd go cab and moscato originally white zin, a $ they tend to be more "universal"

That said, I fucking hate chardonnay, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

pinkshorts27

I would go with cab because that is what my family drinks at events.

lovesclimbing

I voted for moscato. But take my vote with a grain of salt. I rarely drink, and have only had wine a handful of times, but I've always liked the sweet ones. I don't know what I've had (rando bottles at friends houses) so I have no idea if I've even had a moscato. But if I saw those options on a menu, I would go with the moscato.

KytchynWitche

This is really about knowing your audience, as always. But please, please, PLEASE have more than just Chardonnay for the white drinkers. When I was working at the wine magazine, I saw time and time again that Chardonnay is a love-or-hate wine. There is no middle ground with it. The people who love Chardonnay rarely drink anything else, the people who hate it will drink ANY other white wine.

For my money, I would go for a Chenin Blanc. Moscato is also a rather polarising drink. I can't comment too much on Pinot Grigio and White Zin because they're not big on the SA market so I have virtually no knowledge of them.

I also think you should have a Cab Sauv as well as the Merlot. But that's just my $0.02. FWIW, we're having a good red blend and a good white blend and being done with it, and serving more white than red because our wedding's in summer and our guests generally drink more white then.

JaxInBlue

So I'm another anything-but-Chardonnay white wine drinker.  I love a good Moscato, but agree with PPs that it can be too sweet for a lot of people, so I voted Pinot Grigio.  I think it's got a slightly broader appeal that other whites.

I'm also with PPs that I'd either do a blended red or split your red between Merlot and Cab.  Not that I drink a lot of red, but I know people that prefer one over the other in a big way.

KPBM89

Chardonnay is FI's family's favorite.  It was an absolute must have for them, as I know his mom and at least 3 of his aunts will want chardonnay.  There are also quite a few merlot drinkers in the family from what his mom told me.  

My family isn't big on wine, except for me, but I do know a few drinkers of sweet whites in my circle of friends.  I like pinot personally, but I want to appeal to the masses.

I think we'll add two: both the cab and the moscato.  I think having the four options should appeal to any wine tastes.  And if someone doesn't like any of those four, we'll have a full bar of liquor for cocktails and we have four beers as well.

cupcait927

Cab and White Zin would probably be your best bet. Moscato is good but sweet and most people I know wouldn't drink more than one glass of it before switching to something else.

Swazzle

I personally hate moscato. Way too sweet for me. I voted for white zin since you're already serving a white and a red. 

winelover123

Merlot and Chardonnay are very hit-or-miss. I don't like most merlots and only chardonnays that are aged in stainless steel instead of oak. I'd definitely get a cabernet sauvignon as it tends to be a people pleaser. Pinot Grigio or White Zin should satisfy the white wine drinkers, but I usually prefer pinot grigios. Moscatos are far too sweet for me and should be a know-you-crowd thing. 

Dignity100

I'm not a big fan of wine, but I do like Moscatos (and fruit wines), so that's how I voted.

KPBM89

So after talking with FI, he said there aren't as many merlot drinkers in his family as we thought before, so we're nixing merlot.  So now, we're going with chardonnay (his family loves it), moscato, cab, and pinot.  Sorry white zin voters you got the least number of votes.

Thank you everyone for your input!  It definitely helped us!