Another sister had volunteered her home for a Christmas brunch, it was the first Christmas without the Matriarch of the family and the sisters were all trying to test the waters to continue traditions.  Last year as in all the previous years, the families all crowded into the house that they all grew up in, and the mother at 95 was still having a brunch on Christmas Day.  It was good and all the local sisters were together.  Of course, I can remember for years my family would do the same thing for every Sunday and holiday at my grandmother’s flat back in Detroit, but my father and his two sisters all lived with in a block of each other.  That era will never be duplicated. 

We were not the first to get to the brunch, as after church, my Bride went to a Senior Facility, and as a Eucharistic Minister served Communion for those at the facility that wished to partake.  She then picked me up and we drove across town for the gathering.  There were scrambled eggs and ham, pancakes and brown-sugar dusted bacon for the crowds.  And what would a brunch be without Mimosas?  The first Mimosa, I tried was made with Member’s Mark Asolo-Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV.  I did not know the brand, but I have since found out that it is sold exclusively through Sam’s Club big box stores.  Member’s Mark is their house label.  The fruit is all harvested from the vineyards surrounding Asolo, in the Veneto region of Italy.  The wine is made with eighty-five percent Prosecco (if it wasn’t from a Prosecco region it would have to be called Glera, and the other fifteen percent was a mix of Blanchetta, Perera and Boschera grapes, which are three indigenous white varieties of the region; definitely three for the Century Club, if I do ever get my arse in gear to attempt to fill out the questionnaire.  This sparkling wine, I am quite sure was done using the Charmat Method.  I tried a taste, before completing the Mimosa, and it was nice straw to golden color wine with medium size bubbles with notes of pears, apples and lemon zest.  On the palate the tree fruits had nice acidity, some yeast was detected and perhaps some honey.  I then added my tincture of orange juice and it was a nice Mimosa, perhaps a bit on the sweeter side, but it worked.

We continued noshing during the day, and then they started playing a dice game, that they all played when they were together up at the family cottage in Ontario, Canada.  I am the only in-law that doesn’t share those cottage days, as I appeared much later on the horizon.  We brought some wines to the table, but one of the wines was a big hit, both on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day, and we actually were taking orders for it, from a couple of people, so we had to make plans to go and get some more if possible and that will be an article on its own.  Another sparkling wine that was used for the Mimosas is a brand that has been around forever to me and that is Andre Champagne Cellars Brut California Champagne NV.  The wine is from E&J Gallo Winery and they have a couple of sparkling wines in their portfolio that carry the “California Champagne” designation.  There is no listing of the varieties that are used to make the wine and the wine does mention Secondary Fermentation on the label, and I am sure that the wine is made in the bulk Charmat Method.  The light-colored wine with medium bubbles offers notes of pears and lemon zest, while on the palate both flavors are apparent with some acidity, and it is just a good easy drinking sparkling wine that blends very easily with orange juice.