This Sunday is Mother’s Day and contrary to popular opinion, it is not just a “made up” holiday invented by the greeting card industry to drum up sales.
Mother’s Day has been around for a long, long time. It appears to have its origins dating back to early Egyptians who honored Nut, the goddess of the sky. The Greeks honored Rhea, daughter of Gaea, and the Roman’ honored Cybele, mother of the gods. In the U.S., Anna Jarvis is credited with initiating a Mother’s Day-like event in the early 1900s. In 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution making it an official holiday.
So, now that you know that Mother’s Day is legit, what are you going to get the mom in your life to toast to her accomplishments? I suggest something “tasteful.”
Here are a few wines that every mom would enjoy this Sunday. And I should know, since these suggestions actually came from my wife. At least I know what she’d like to take for a taste drive this Sunday.
Of course, bubbles are my bride’s go-to choice for starting any celebration, or any day that ends in “y” for that matter. She is currently on a Champagne kick and really likes the Nonvintage Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Réserve. A blend of wines fruit sourced from vineyards in the Montagne de Reims of Champagne, it sports a bouquet that features fresh white fruit scents of apple, pear and peach. The palate continues the theme with flavors of nectarine and peach with a touch of baked bread. The mouthfeel is ultraclean on the attack, with an elegant and complex finish. Enjoy it as an aperitif or with smoked salmon crostini. $28
While many moms may like a classic, well-crafted chardonnay, my spouse tends to take the vineyard less traveled and opts for the white wines of Italy. The 2017 La Scolca Gavi di Gavi White Label DOCG from the Piedmont region of Italy is produced from the Cortese grape and is loaded with fragrant scents of apple blossom, orange blossom, and acacia flowers on the nose. This medium-bodied white is studded with gobs of stone fruit flavors, green melon and mineral highlights that extend throughout the crisp, clean finish. $20
If she is in the mood for a red wine, it will definitely be something with grace and elegance, like the 2016 Landmark Vineyards Overlook Pinot Noir from California. Full of fresh crushed red berries, raspberry, red cherry and minerals on the front of the palate, this wine seems to jump out of the glass and onto the tongue. Notes of red plum file in on the soft, round finish. A delicious match with grilled salmon. $20
