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As Mother's Day approaches, wine specials have flooded in. From this avalanche of offers, you may have noticed how wine writers (especially the men, it seems) recommend "feminine" wines for Mother's Day. What characteristics evoke femininity in a wine is a curious thing. As far as I've been able to tell, wine bottles come with neither the innie nor outie sort of naughty bits. If they did, surely I'd have noticed by now.
Perhaps the easiest way to engender a bottle of wine is through its label. A bottle wearing a label emblazoned with fire trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, fast cars, skulls or anything with flames... probably not one for mom. Unless her Harley is parked out back. There are always exceptions.
Though a label can hint at gender through the immediacy of our visual senses, our sense of smell and taste take over once the bottle is out of site. A wine's gender is implied by its characteristics - those that are lighter in body, smooth, nuanced and elegant are often referred to as feminine. Those that are big, tannic, high in alcohol, and deeply infused with the color and flavor of very ripe fruit are considered brutish and masculine (neither of which are good marketing terms, so the industry prefers the phrase "New World Style", AKA "Parkerized" in homage to the man who made them popular).
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But in my experience, these stylistic classifications don't actually seem to work when it comes to predicting which sex will prefer a certain style. In my unscientific observations, women are perhaps a bit more likely than men to be fans of the New World Style, and if not more so, certainly no less so.

So where does that leave those in a quandary over a wine for Mother's Day? With lots of great options, actually!
The Bantem Weight
Let's start with pairing the wine to the meal instead of worrying about Mom's palate preference. The former trumps the latter in the end. If selecting a wine for brunch the key is to find something with a light hand on the alcohol, a wine that doesn't leave the group comatose after an hour at the table. Both the earliness of the meal and the typical fare argue for wines light in alcohol and body (but then, I repeat myself).
Sparkling wine lends itself nicely to the brunch meal, but here's the twist - opt for the off-dry Demi-Sec instead of the usual Brut, or the often over-looked Prosecco or Moscato (sorry I have neither of these in inventory, but here are some favorites from other retailers - Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, Arlequin Wine Merchant. These options are particularly adept at complimenting fruit salads, sweet rolls and other mid-day fare. And if you're meal involves egss of any sort, a touch of sweetness will be key - dry wines and eggs fight like unhappy siblings.
For meals with more robust flavors, don't overlook the blush wines, though even many of these are being made with high alcohol these days - opt for something below 14%, if you can find it. Other options abound, including a good Riesling or Gewurztraminer.
What About Mimosas?
Ahhh, the old mimosa. The key here is to avoid the expensive stuff, as their nuanced flavors and lighter bubbles get crushed under the weight of the orange juice, without serving rock-gut Charmat-style bubbly. I recommend the Charles de Fere ($19 no on sale for $16) mixed with no more than 1/3 to 1/4 orange juice. And for a beautiful variation, top it off with a splash of grenadine, POM or (my preference) Framboise and a fresh raspberry.
The Middle Weights
Opt for Pinot Noir and bolder blush wines if your Mother's Day meal is bigger than brunch. These food-friendly wines span the range from light and elegant (such as the Molnar Family '06 Pinot, $34, or the Au Bon Climat '05 Pinot from Los Alamos, $35) to the richer style with higher alcohol, deeper color, and warmer flavors (Oak Savanna Cellars, '05 Pinot, $37 or the William James '06 Pinot from Garey's Ranch, $38). For a fun and memorable change of pace, the adventurous will kick themselves for not trying the Cabernet Franc-based "Chukker" ($24) from Happy Canyon Vineyards - still a lighter red wine, it is richer than the part way between the Loire style and the Bordeaux style, as this warm-weather vineyard comes into maturity.
The Heavy Weights
These wines are lush in sweet, ripe-fruit flavors with enough alcohol (14.5%+) to suggest they be saved at least until late afternoon. These are the wines often described as "Masculine", but I find them equally favorited by those with the double X chromosome as those with the X-Y.Wines made in this style includes many of today's California Zins (a good example is the Brochelle '07 Estate Zinfandel, $36), a wide spectrum of the Rhone world (such as Andrew Murray's '05 Syrah, $25 or the bigger and earthier '06 Petite Rousse, $28 or even the uniquely Aussie-styled wine from Barossa Valley - Torbreck's '08 Cuvee Juveniles at $24.50).
Whether your Mother's Day plans involve brunch, lunch, supper or dinner, or whether your family structure requires all four, this spectrum of wine suggestions provides a pairing for every situation.
Cheers!
Dave the Wine Merchant
Dave@SidewaysWineClub.com
866-746-7293
Toasts & Quotes for Mother's Day:
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never." ~Rajneesh
"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back." ~ William D. Tammeus
"Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children." ~Marilyn Penland
"Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected." ~Red Buttons