How to Choose a Breakfast Wine

How to Choose a Breakfast Wine

By Catherine Whelan

Somewhere in the world it is 5pm. Although this statement is quite correct it is no longer necessary as justification for drinking before cocktail hour.

Global events (and economics!) have recently changed the way many people think. We seem to appreciate the small things more, value our loved ones more and are starting to shy away from overly flashy social occasions when really, deep down we know flash was never necessary. A little sparkle, however, is always welcome.

When I was growing up in Melbourne, a Chicken and Champagne Breakfast was de rigueur on Melbourne Cup Day. I had no idea of the possibility that perhaps not every being on the planet started this huge day in this way. Aside from this somewhat magical occasion I do not recall another time wine was served at breakfast until I was eighteen.

Fast forward to 2011 and there are many reasons why wine with breakfast is a great idea. Here a just a few:

1) Sparkling wine offers more pep than caffeine

2) Juice was invented to be blended with wine

3) Everything seems brighter with a rosy hue on your cheeks

4) You have all day to drop below.05

5) It is a much more economical treat than a corporate dinner

6) The metabolism is performing better before 11am

7) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

8) It is a little taboo, making it all the more fun!

So How to Choose a Breakfast Wine?

There are two main considerations. The first is alcohol content and relevance to the day ahead. Will the people you are serving be going to work after breakfast? Or is it party-hard time? Low-alcohol wines are becoming increasingly popular as alcohol and sugar content are a direct correlation in wine- and many of us a more than happy to consume fewer calories!

The lower alcohol content is also gentler on empty stomachs or sleep-deprived guest. Common labelling terms found on bottles of wine that have deliberately been made with a lower alcohol content include:

*low joule- and any reference to less sugar or calories

*early harvest/eve- references to early picking as they grapes won't have fully developed

*light/lighter in alcohol- and other direct indicators.

Great Australian lower alcohol wines are most often 25-30% less alcoholic than their counterparts. Great wines to try in this category are Rosemount 'O', Cockatoo Ridge Brut Cuvee, and Yellowglen Jewel. Entire ranges are made by McWilliams, an Australian range called Balance and a New Zealand range called All Hallow's Eve. These two ranges are Weight Watchers approved and a glass of these wines equates to a single Weight Watchers point. Lindemans also have two low alcohol ranges, Early Harvest, which at last count there were seven wines in the range with Australian wine making influence. Their second range, Sweet Seasons, has an Italian wine making influence.

So what if alcohol content is not your primary concern? Consideration then falls to wine styles. Some wines are much better suited to some foods, more so than others. Which wines could possibly go with breakfast, I hear you ask? Well there are two key features I look out for. Bubbles- and fruity flavours.

Pretty much anything sparkling is a great breakfast wine. Champagne breakfasts are common, Cabernet breakfasts? Not so much. Sparkling wines awaken the mind, cleanse the soul and are the most palatable. We don't have to concentrate on them too much as the bubbles do all the hard work getting the aromas and flavours to us nicely. The acidity of sparkling wines also works perfectly with creamy eggs or pastries as well as cuts through fatty bacon or sausage.

Sparkling wines to try include Frizzante, Moscato, Lambrusco, and Spumante or blends of these. These four styles are usually lightly spritzed and are best served well chilled. Cava, Prosecco, Champagne and method-traditionelle are sparkling wines with full-sized bubbles, are usually drier than the earlier four styles and are definitely the most fun!

Roses and light-ish fruity reds are additional excellent breakfast accompaniments and it doesn't hurt to serve these chilled at breakfast time. Chilling a wine gently subdues some of the flavours, so make sure you choose wines with a big fruity burst of flavour to begin with. Try Chianti, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Malbec, Nebiollo or Gamay in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Some honourable mentions in the breakfast wine club are wine coolers (like Sangria or other blended beverages), fruit wines made from fruit other than grapes (such as pineapple or strawberry wine) and biodynamic/organic wines which leave the head much clearer!

So there you have a five-minute guide on How to Choose a Breakfast Wine. I have no doubt that soon your friends will be elbowing their way to YOUR breakfast table! Enjoy.

Catherine Whelan is the director at Which Wine Is That Pty Ltd, a business that focuses on wine education and appreciation for beginners. Catherine says it is all about 'Everyday Drinking' and wishes to impart her knowledge on to those who wish to be able to go to the local liquor store and choose an interesting and enjoyable wine, each and every time.

For more see: http://www.whichwineisthat.com/

For Melbourne, Australia based wine tasting tours click here: http://www.whichwineisthat.com/category/tourism/guided-tours

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