Brunch wines for MOTHER’S DAY
Traditional eggs Benedict is a commanding dish, especially when it’s made with a thick-cut slice of ham, pile of prosciutto or peameal bacon. So you need a wine with enough body and flavour to match
Toast an English muffin. Top it with a slice of ham, a perfectly poached egg, and a dollop of creamy-tart hollandaise. And it tastes like edible art. Eggs Benedict is a tough brunch to beat. But not impossible.
Serve it with the right wine on Mother’s Day and it becomes greater than the sum situation. That right there is better than anything you can write in a greeting card. Love is a verb.
To set you up for Mother’s Day heroics, here are wine recommendations for eggs Benedict, as well as eggs Florentine, smoked salmon Benny and sautéed mushrooms on sourdough toast.
Traditional eggs Benedict is a commanding dish, especially when it’s made with a thick-cut slice of ham, pile of prosciutto or peameal bacon. So you need a wine with enough body and flavour to match.
Enter, Sofia. The 2020 Sofia Rosé from Monterey, California (Vintages Essential $24.95) is a sophisticated-tasting, medium-bodied wine that blends five grape varieties, Grenache, Syrah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio and a splash of Pinot Noir. Each glassful shines the colour of sunlit coral with rose-gold inflections and exudes a quiet crush of redcurrant and cherry on the nose laced with lemon zest, apricot and wispy notes of lilac. The wine streams in like sunlight, bright, smooth and polished.
Then the flavours drench the palate. Allusions of muddled berries and apricot, a touch of wildflower and a hint of stone fan out then recede toward a persistent finish. This pale pink Californian is all charm, with enough weight and substance to stand up to the dish. Stylish choice for mom. Score: 92
Swap out the pork for steamed spinach to make eggs Florentine. This lighter dish works well with white wine — especially the 2020 Featherstone Four Feathers, VQA Niagara Peninsula (Winery, Vintages $14.95). This aromatic blend of riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer beams in with mouthfilling vivaciousness that tastes light and lively.
There’s enough flavour to complement the egg dish without overpowering it. Find a lick of lime cordial, lemon curd, kiwi fruit and a whisper of rose petal in every sip resulting in a juicy-clean wine with zippy acidity that offsets a kiss of sweetness. Undervalued gem of a wine that’s fantastic with eggs Florentine. Score: 94
Or swap out the ham for smoked salmon and elevate the meal with a bottle of pink Champagne. Smoked salmon with Champagne is a classic pairing, of course. But pink Champagne, which gets it hue from Pinot Noir, is truly tops. And an easy-to-find, reliable choice at the LCBO is the NV Laurent Perrier Cuvée Brut Rosé Champagne (Vintages $109.95).
It’s expensive, but it’s excellent. Each sip of this hundred-buck bottle of pure Pinot Noir opens with gorgeous, articulate aromas of glazed raspberries, sun-warmed violets, toasted pastry and marzipan. The attack is cool and crisp with fruit-floral-pastry notes layered with lemon zest, pink grapefruit and a touch of cool stone that lingers. This elegant Champagne sets smoked salmon Benny alight. Score: 94
For a plant-based brunch, serve sautéed mushrooms on a slice of good sourdough toast with a glass of 2020 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay from the Cape Coast of South Africa (Vintages $16.95). The wine glows yellow-gold and releases scents of orange zest, caramel apple and toasted nut with a touch of bitter lime. Then, the wine sweeps in, cool and dry, with wonderful weight and body and compelling flavours of apple, grapefruit, nut and a touch of toffee. Outstanding dry white that works marvellously with mushrooms on toast. Score: 92
You could toast her frozen waffles, scribble I love you on a card, and call it brunch. And of course she’ll love it. Because it’s from you. But to really warm her heart, put the effort in. Whip up one of these dishes and pour her a glass of wine to match. Actions are everything. And she’s worth it.
CAROLYN EVANS HAMMOND IS A TORONTO-BASED WINE WRITER AND A FREELANCE CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST FOR THE STAR. WINERIES OCCASIONALLY SPONSOR SEGMENTS ON HER YOUTUBE SERIES YET THEY HAVE NO ROLE IN THE SELECTION OF THE WINES SHE CHOOSES TO REVIEW OR HER OPINIONS OF THOSE WINES. REACH HER VIA EMAIL: CAROLYN@CAROLYNEVANSHAMMOND.COM