Planning · from tasting to delivery
Ordering the wine for an event: how far in advance?
Tasting and choice three months ahead, firm order six weeks ahead, delivery the same week. That is the rhythm for a wedding or a reception of 100 people, and it holds except in June and December, when everyone orders at the same time. Enter your date: the countdown is calculated.
Your countdown
Set for an event in 90 days. If your date is sooner, the calculator compresses the steps and tells you which ones no longer fit.
The seven steps, and why in this order
- D−90
Tasting and choice
The caterer has given you the menu, you know how many you will be. You taste three or four wines for each moment of the day, at a wine shop, with samples, or at an organised tasting. Three months, because couples change their minds once, and this is the time to do it.
- D−60
Final quote
Quantities are settled with the confirmed number of guests. The quote names the wines, the vintages, the prices per case and the delivery. It is the document you compare, if you are comparing.
- D−45
Firm order
Your written agreement. From then on, the wines are reserved from stock. Six weeks, because an older vintage or a large format may need ordering from the château, and the carrier needs a slot.
- D−30
Payment
Before dispatch, by card or bank transfer. A month ahead, so the wine leaves without waiting for a reminder.
- D−7
Delivery
The week of the event, to your home or the reception venue, with someone there to receive it. Not the day before: a parcel a day late can no longer be caught up. Lead times and charges are on the delivery page.
- D−1
Chilling
Whites, rosés and sparkling in the caterer's cold room or in the fridge the evening before. Tubs of ice on the day take over.
- D+1
The leftovers
Whatever hasn't been opened is yours to keep: cases are not taken back. That is why the order at D−45 is tight rather than generous.
The two periods when everything takes longer
June, July, September
Wedding season: tastings fully booked, carriers overloaded, rosé in short supply. For a summer wedding, the firm order is placed in April. The details are on the wedding in June, July or September page.
December
Client gifts, festive meals: the whole country orders wine at the same time. After 5 December, delivery times are no longer guaranteed. The end-of-year festivities page gives the deadlines.
Can you order two weeks before the event?
Yes, for wines in stock and delivery in mainland France: the quote in 48 hours, the order, the dispatch, it all fits in ten days outside peak season. What no longer fits is the tasting, the rare vintage and the large format. The calculator says so when you enter a close date: it removes the steps that no longer work.
Should you order before knowing the exact number of guests?
No. You price at D−90 on an estimate, and order at D−45 on the replies received. In between, the quote is rewritten as many times as needed. What to avoid is waiting for the last “yes” to set everything in motion: latecomers rarely account for more than 5% of the list.
And for a wedding, when should you taste?
Once the caterer's menu is known, never before: you can't match a wine to a dish you don't know. The wedding wine page gives the quantities and the budget; this countdown gives the calendar. The two are read together.
What happens if the delivery arrives before I'm there?
The carrier leaves with the parcel, and the second attempt isn't the next day. That is the reason for delivery at D−7 rather than D−1: a week leaves time for a second attempt. On the quote request, give an address where someone is there during the day.