You know how there are certain situations where everything is just about guaranteed to go sideways in spite of everyone’s good intentions? And that usually it’s more like “everyone’s good intentions were exactly what made this situation suck?” Yeah. Mother’s Day. Nothing wrong with the concept. Reasonable. By some folks’ lights, noble. Set aside one day to actively recognize the contributions of mothers. Why not? We’ve freaking earned that. And yet, long before These Troubling Times, Mother’s Day has been a source of angst and even pain for many of us. People who had toxic moms, people who wanted to be moms and it didn’t happen, people who didn’t want to be moms and their family nags them into the earth’s molten core about it; divorced moms, single moms. This year, the good-news-bad-news reality is that most people’s go-to options for this oddly fraught Hallmark holiday don’t exist. Crowded brunch buffets are out (sigh of relief). Spa days are not a thing (weeping). Tempers are frayed, and most of us are jonesing for a vacation not only from our homes and routines but from the contents of our own heads. So thank goodness the lockdowns have created excellent conditions for day drinking.
Sparkling wine. I talk about it a lot, for a reason. It has magical properties, including a wealth of polyphenols, effective temporary pain reduction, a blessed gateway to relief from your own traitorous limbic brain, and the ability to not only complement a festive occasion but to be a festive occasion should the need arise.
Brethren, the need has arisen. Score some bubbly for your mom. Or your children’s mom. Or raise a glass to the mom you wish you had, or the one you wish you were. It’s all good. The point is, sparkling wine is an incredibly effective shorthand for “let’s appreciate what’s good for a sec” and I ask you, for whom is that a bad plan?
Following are my bubbly picks for Mother’s Day. Hopefully there’s something for everyone here with a range of price points and regions represented.
Billecart Salmon Brut Sous Bois (Champagne, $65)
There are lots and lots of Champagnes that I like and admire, and several that I love. And then there are a couple where it really gets personal. Of the many extremely tasty wines that come from this region, Billecart-Salmon is one that never fails to get an emotional reaction out of me. These people have figured out how to bottle happiness. Every expression they produce is distinct, but they all taste like joy. Their latest, Brut Sous Bois, is a blanc de noirs composed of all three Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, and Pinots Noir and Meunier) and aged for a good long time in oak. Perhaps you’re wondering if this makes it weird, excessively ponderous or dull. Not. At. All. This wine is full-bodied and pleasingly rich, with a luminous gold color, beautiful bubbles and notes of almond and yellow flowers, plum and brioche dough, tangelo and white peach, pear and apple. Delectable and technically flawless.
Ferrari Perle Nero (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, $90)
Sparkling wine is perfectly lovely young, but man, it ages like a boss. Ten years have put this one firmly into the “liquid gold” category, with a rich, concentrated hue and a perfumed nose (caramel apple, wet stone, white nectarine, and pastry notes). The 100% Pinot Nero wine is lithe and elegant, with complex layers including a lot of buttered-bread, graham cracker and marzipan notes. There’s a pronounced nuttiness to it (almond and hazelnut) and a long, lingering, emphatic finish with a trace of gingerbread. It’s aged but not “old,” and has a vibrant acidity and excellent structure.
