Wake and wine

[Kent Wang]

Maybe it's because I have the luxury of not working a 9-to-5 (for now anyway), but I rather enjoy a glass of wine in the morning. Usually I'll wake up, have a light breakfast and then sit at my computer reading news and checking eGullet with a glass of wine. Something light seems to do the trick, like a chardonnay or champagne, though sometimes I'll just finish up the bottle I opened the night before. What do you folks like?

[Mark Sommelier]

Maybe it's because I have the luxury of not working a 9-to-5 (for now anyway), but I rather enjoy a glass of wine in the morning. Usually I'll wake up, have a light breakfast and then sit at my computer reading news and checking eGullet with a glass of wine. Something light seems to do the trick, like a chardonnay or champagne, though sometimes I'll just finish up the bottle I opened the night before. What do you folks like?

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Um.... sounds like you have a drinkin' prollem, little buddy.

I normally wait till after 7PM. Daytime liquor makes me sleepy.

[Anna N]

I really doubt he has a drinking problem but if he does, then so do I.

I don't make a habit of it, but if wine is what I fancy then wine is what I will have.

The rule in this house is no drinking until the sun is over the yard arm but then we figure it is always over the yard arm somewhere in the world.

[Andre]

I do most of my wine tastings in the morning - so I am busy working. I do enjoy wine on my spare time [ lunch dinner ]

On vacation a bucks fizz [ Champ. + OJ] is a nice way to start.

Other than that a nice glass of chilled riesling with soft aged goat cheese like a 3 week old Valancay with or without bread is a proper breakfast.

No wine before my Karate Lessons or before widsurfing or swimming in the Mediterranean.

[David McDuff]

I can think of no more classic breakfast wine than a well chilled glass of Moscato d'Asti. Examples from the best producers can be absolutely delicious and have the added plus of being cleaner and more natural than most of the mass-marketed fruit juices with which many people choose to start their mornings. Besides, the low alcohol content is a little less likely to send you back to sleepytime.

That said, some fresh goat cheese and a little glass of Sancerre or Vouvray (or Riesling) does sound good right about now....

[Brad Ballinger]

Typically, I don't drink in the morning (but, then again, I'm working). Yet, there is something to be said for doing so. Most people whose profession involves tasting wine will generally do so in the morning before their palates become ruined by letting something else cross them first.

[jsolomon]

Since I personally think there isn't any physiologic difference between drinking alcohol in the morning, or drinking at night (or, more correctly, drinking shortly after one wakes vs shortly before one goes to sleep), I don't find I have any trouble drinking in the morning.

Drinks of choice: light wines (whites and rose`s), lighter beers (IPA's, American FCW beers), and fruit juice cocktails with said drinks (mimosas, red beer, orange beer), and of course, the occasional bloody mary.

I don't do it on days that I'm working, and when I'm not working, I don't do it often. But, I do it a couple times a year. That kind of social deviancy keeps the mind young and the soul flexible.

[carswell]

A bit drop-jawed at most of the responses here, frankly. I equate alcohol in any form with punching out, with wrapping up the day. I'll pop a cork, pour a martini or flip the lid on an extra pale ale only when I have nothing serious, nothing intellectually demanding, left to do. (Trade tastings are an exception but then my rule is spit, don't swallow.) Even Sunday brunches are non-alcoholic. No mimosas or bloody marys, TYVM; one drink and I need a nap or I'm a basket case. And even if I get a nap, the rest of the day is tinged with a sense of unreality. Nope, the only drug I want before sunset is caffeine, preferably in the form of a double espresso.

[Tess]

Since I personally think there isn't any physiologic difference between drinking alcohol in the morning, or drinking at night (or, more correctly, drinking shortly after one wakes vs shortly before one goes to sleep), I don't find I have any trouble drinking in the morning.

I feel as if there is a physiological difference for me. If I drink any alcohol in the morning, there will be a great drop in blood sugar later and I'll feel like crap all day. I don't even usually drink at lunch for the same reason. I know people who can start the day with mimosas or bloody marys and just chug along, but I'd have to have a nap and start over.

When I've flown across several time zones or my schedule is shot for some other reason, there's nothing better than champagne with breakfast. Then sleep.

[jsolomon]

I feel as if there is a physiological difference for me. If I drink any alcohol in the morning, there will be a great drop in blood sugar later and I'll feel like crap all day. I don't even usually drink at lunch for the same reason. I know people who can start the day with mimosas or bloody marys and just chug along, but I'd have to have a nap and start over.

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I used to, but then I doubled my daily water intake. If you keep your blood pressure more under control by having a larger reservoir of for your body to work with, you will have a less marked post-prandial depression, as well as a less marked depression from other things (including alcohol consumption).

At least, that is my personal, anecdotal experience. Stay hydrated, stay awake.

[rich]

I have lived by this rule all of my life: never drink alcohol until the sun sets in some part of the world.

Of course you need to invest in one of those world-wide 24-hour clocks.

[mrbigjas]

Since I personally think there isn't any physiologic difference between drinking alcohol in the morning, or drinking at night (or, more correctly, drinking shortly after one wakes vs shortly before one goes to sleep), I don't find I have any trouble drinking in the morning.

Drinks of choice: light wines (whites and rose`s), lighter beers (IPA's, American FCW beers), and fruit juice cocktails with said drinks (mimosas, red beer, orange beer), and of course, the occasional bloody mary.

I don't do it on days that I'm working, and when I'm not working, I don't do it often.  But, I do it a couple times a year.  That kind of social deviancy keeps the mind young and the soul flexible.

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what he said.

my preference for morning wine is vinho verde. that is, when i'm not having a redeye.

[Busboy]

I believe it was some sort of office celebration. There were two or three bottles floating around the conference room and my wife had dropped by to carry me off before I got carried away. I handed her a glass of prosecco and she took a sip, gave that little BFD half-eye-roll and said dismissively, "it'd make a good breakfast wine."

[Brad Ballinger]

A bit drop-jawed at most of the responses here, frankly. I equate alcohol in any form with punching out, with wrapping up the day. I'll pop a cork, pour a martini or flip the lid on an extra pale ale only when I have nothing serious, nothing intellectually demanding, left to do. (Trade tastings are an exception but then my rule is spit, don't swallow.) Even Sunday brunches are non-alcoholic. No mimosas or bloody marys, TYVM; one drink and I need a nap or I'm a basket case. And even if I get a nap, the rest of the day is tinged with a sense of unreality. Nope, the only drug I want before sunset is caffeine, preferably in the form of a double espresso.

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I think I need to clarify something on my post. What I mean by "there is something to be said for doing so" was merely a lead into the the rest of what I had written -- about being in the business where tasting is part of the job -- and not that there is something to be said for drinking in the morning as a rule. But I can only comment for me.

[Daniel Rogov]

Drinking wine in the morning hours is as much a question of culture as it is of personal life-style. Think, for example, of the many French men and women who start their day "at the brass" (standing at the bar in a cafe) with a small glass of marc to accompany their first espresso and croissant; of Inspector Maigret who found that there was "no way better to start the day than a glass of crisp white wine with my earliest coffee"; of Ernest Hemingway who both found that a glass of fine Beaujolais Cru was a "wonderful way to open the day"; of Anais Nin who enjoyed starting her day with "just a dram or two of the red wine with which I had finished my meal the evening before".

Now it is true that Maigret's doctor warned him that the white wine would one day hurt his liver but by the age of 89 that damage was yet to be reported.

If a glass of wine makes you sleepy in the morning, obviously don't drink it. If it gives you pleasure though......why in the world not?

[Rebel Rose]

That kind of social deviancy keeps the mind young and the soul flexible.

Well put!

I think I need to clarify something on my post.  What I mean by "there is something to be said for doing so" was merely a lead into the the rest of what I had written -- about being in the business where tasting is part of the job -- and not that there is something to be said for drinking in the morning as a rule.  But I can only comment for me.

Sorry, Brad, we didn't mean to take it in another direction I guess, but I do find this thread refreshing!

My ladies tasting group has been meeting in the evenings and it's very difficult for me to taste properly and balance that with my metabolic excesses. Although I am primed to relax with friends and taste/evaluate wines, I am generally somewhat jaded from a day of sales pitches and phone calls, and I have usually skipped most daytime meals. I am always hungry at these events but I am not a good appetizer-eater. Too self conscious about dropping it in my lap, crumbs on my chest, herbs in my teeth, or talking with my mouth full. (And how did we acquire these phobias, Rebel Rose?) So my tasting skills are compromised by the need to take the edge off my edge, if you get my meaning. I generally do pretty well as I taste through everything quickly and take notes, but then I go back for just a little more of that lovely riesling that stills the rumbling in my tummy . . .

I would much prefer to taste a series of wines over a brunch or early lunch, with a full-on salad, cheese, seafood and bacon contingent. I think my state of mind would be more stable and my palate fresher. I would probably have to restrict myself to creative writing or housecleaning for the rest of the afternoon. But then I look for any excuse to restrict myself to those activities . . .

As for the non-professional mornings? Let me tell you, when you are the only woman in a male-dominated household, a little sparkling wine, orange juice and ginger can mellow you out at the beginning of a weekend. (Not to mention they may be the only ingredients still left in the fridge.)

[artisan02]

Drinking wine in the morning hours is as much a question of culture as it is of personal life-style.

If a glass of wine makes you sleepy in the morning, obviously don't drink it.  If it gives you pleasure though......why in the world not?

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I also want to add that some people's personal lifestyles require that they work all night, and go to sleep during the day. I am speaking of myself, in this instance.

My "evening" is often another person's morning. And very often, before I go to bed in the morning, I will have a glass of wine while winding down from the night's work.

It is all in how you look at it.

[mrbigjas]

Drinking wine in the morning hours is as much a question of culture as it is of personal life-style. Think, for example, of the many French men and women who start their day "at the brass" (standing at the bar in a cafe) with a small glass of marc to accompany their first espresso and croissant; of Inspector Maigret who found that there was "no way better to start the day than a glass of crisp white wine with my earliest coffee"; of Ernest Hemingway who both found that a glass of fine Beaujolais Cru was a "wonderful way to open the day"; of Anais Nin who enjoyed starting her day with "just a dram or two of the red wine with which I had finished my meal the evening before". 

don't forget nick charles' desire for 'a drop of something to cut the phlegm' every morning instead of breakfast... of course in his case he was talking about rye, and it probably wasn't a good thing.

(edited to get the quote right)

Edited January 6, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[Kent Wang]

Drinking a mimosa (with fresh orange and pineapple juice) to celebrate my 21st birthday.

[jsolomon]

Drinking a mimosa (with fresh orange and pineapple juice) to celebrate my 21st birthday.

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Happy Birthday!

I think I started my 21st with Jaeger and a greaseball breakfast. Then, I went to Organic Chemistry.

[alamut]

I don't often have occasion to pop a morning cork, but when I do nothing livens up the senses like a very pale vin gris. Just a small glass, as that a little Tavel goes a long way at 7 a.m. In any event the wine must be enjoied with coffee and a proper breakfast.