Quiche and Tell: Looking at Brunch Wines

Some time ago, the Orange Juice Council, or some trade organization like that, waged an advertising campaign for its product with the slogan “It’s not just for breakfast anymore.” I’m surprised that the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association or the Bordeaux Council hasn’t taken a similar approach to boosting wine sales with a comparable pitch “Wine: It’s not just for dinner anymore.”

Indeed, readers and friends who have grown tired of Mimosas and Bloody Marys often ask me to suggest wines they can serve with brunch. My first response is almost always “Champagne,” because it goes so well with almost any food—from hot to cold, from sweet to savory. But serving a good bubbly, or even a comparable sparkling white, can be costly—especially if you’re entertaining a large crowd. That’s why I usually follow up by asking, “What’s being served?” and then try to recommend more affordable alternatives that will complement the menu.

These days, brunch menus have evolved from the simple choice between eggs benedict or steak au poivre that were so popular in the sixties to include a wide array of dishes, ranging from classic quiches to trendy grilled-vegetable terrines. Baked hams or roast turkeys are often a focal point on the brunch table surrounded by a plethora of side dishes like pasta salads, bruschettas, macerated fruit, and of course there’s always room for a side of salmon either poached or smoked.

To help you with your brunch planning, I’ve put together the following table of common brunch dishes and some wine suggestions.

Food	Wine
Berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc.)	Rieslings (fruity or off dry) Beaujolais Villages (not Nouveau)
Cheese soufflé	Sauvignon Blanc (dry)
Crepes or blinis	Champagne (Brut or Extra Dry) Sparkling whites
Eggs	Sparking whites Chardonnay (with not too much oak)
Fruit compote or melon	Moscato d’Asti Prosecco
Grilled vegetables	Zinfandel Sangiovese
Ham	Chinon Cabernet Franc Pinot Noir Merlot Moscato d’Asti Prosecco
Omelet	Pinot Blanc (Alsatian)
Pasta salads (mayonnaise, pesto, etc.)	Chardonnay
Pastries	Champagne Sparkling whites
Prosciutto	Pinot Grigio Cru Beaujolais (Brouilly, Fleurie, etc.) Sangiovese Valpolicella Merlot
Quiche	Chardonnay Pinot Grigio Chenin Blanc
Ratatouille	Syrah Zinfandel
Salads (green)	Sauvignon Blanc (dry) Chianti or Sangiovese
Salmon	Chablis Chardonnay Cabernet Franc Pinot Noir
Sausages	Beaujolais (Villages or Cru) Chianti Zinfandel
Turkey	Alsatian white (Pinot Blanc, Riesling) Chardonnay Prosecco Pinot Noir Zinfandel

Keep in mind that these food-and-wine pairings are only suggestions and that they reflect my personal taste. Your palate and your preferences should be the ultimate arbiters. After all, who knows better what you and your guests will enjoy the most?

Who knows? Perhaps after sampling a few of the suggested pairings with your omelets, quiches, or even with bagels and lox, you might hear yourself paraphrasing yet another citrus slogan “A breakfast without wine is like a day without sunshine.”

For this tasting, we put together a quick brunch that consisted of a quiche Lorraine, an asparagus quiche, and some smoked salmon served with dark pumpernickel bread. Unfortunately we forgot to add a meat dish for the reds. As is our custom, we first tasted the wines without any food and then with our meal. The wines are listed in the order in which they were first tasted.