{"id":1406,"date":"2014-03-04T17:59:31","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T00:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danthewineguy.com\/?p=1406"},"modified":"2014-03-23T14:42:21","modified_gmt":"2014-03-23T21:42:21","slug":"champagne-and-sparkling-wines-make-the-perfect-beverage-for-brunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/?p=1406","title":{"rendered":"Champagne and Sparkling Wines Make the Perfect Beverage for Brunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1895, English writer Guy Beringer envisioned brunch as a breakfast-lunch hybrid meal served late morning to early afternoon on Sunday, a meal that \u201cwould make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIt is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you love that? Now add in a glass of Champagne or sparkling wine \u2013 today\u2019s preferred brunch beverage of many \u2013 and you\u2019ve got all the ingredients for a terrific meal.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure how Champagne and sparkling wines came to be a staple at brunch, but I can tell you why they work so well.<\/p>\n

The secret lies in their versatility. They generally have a high acid content that allows them to cut through the fat content of foods and sauces, typical of what you\u2019ll find on a standard brunch time spread.<\/p>\n

Champagne and sparkling wine with hash browns or fried potatoes? No problem. How about crispy bacon or sausage? Easy stuff. What about eggs benedict, any style, with a creamy hollandaise sauce? Now you\u2019re talking a food and wine combination that wineophiles dream of.<\/p>\n

One word of advice that may make me sound like a wine snob, but I\u2019ll put it out there anyway: Please don\u2019t turn your good Champagne into a mimosa by diluting it down with orange juice. Champagne is pricy and should best be enjoyed on its own, not in a cocktail.<\/p>\n

\"null\"But don\u2019t go too far in the opposite direction by serving a mimosa with a cheap, overly carbonated sparkling wine. There are plenty of good sparklers in the $9 to $15 a bottle price range that taste great and work perfectly well with fresh-squeezed orange juice.<\/p>\n

Here are three sparkling wine recommendations to consider for your next brunch:<\/p>\n

Vandori Non-Vintage Extra Dry Prosecco<\/strong> (about $10) \u2013 Light and slightly fruity, this Italian sparkler makes an excellent starter wine. Gentle pear and melon flavors lead off before transitioning into a whisper of honey with a trace of minerality.<\/p>\n

Segura Viudas Non-Vintage Brut Cava<\/strong> (about $10) \u2013 This reliable Spanish sparkling wine is an outstanding value that never disappoints. It carries a nice heady quality with a base of lemon zest and green apple, underlying notes of toasted almond and a clean finish.<\/p>\n

Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Yellow Label Brut<\/strong> (about $50 to $57) \u2013 Lovely clover and green melon aromatics are lifted on micro-fine bubbles, while layers of Golden Delicious apple and yeasty brioche in the glass melt into a slightly creamy finish. This is true, classic Champagne that consistently hits all the right notes and is one of my all-time favorites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1895, English writer Guy Beringer envisioned brunch as a breakfast-lunch hybrid meal served late morning to early afternoon on Sunday, a meal that \u201cwould make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers.\u201d \u201cBrunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIt is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1431,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions\/1431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}