When it comes to breakfast food, toast has undergone a serious transformation. From buttered and boring to interestingly insightful, we’re seeing all sorts of sweet and savory concoctions coming up using our staple breakfast carbohydrate. In fact, the recipes are so versatile, we’re eating them around the clock. We’ve paired eight creatively crunchy concoctions with wines for an all-day-long toast fest. Post-breakfast time, turn these tasty toasts into sweet crostini and savory bruschetta for an afternoon or evening delight.
Avocado Toast – Verdejo
Avocado toast has become a staple on brunch menus nationwide, and why wouldn’t it? It’s delicious! However, this sweet, fatty fruit can be a tricky one to pair wine with. Our answer? A crisp Verdejo from Spain. The acidity in the wine will cut through the creaminess of the avocado, while the stone-fruit flavors will enhance the avo’s sweetness.
Peanut Butter and Banana Toast – Tawny Port
Peanut butter is another one of those tricky items to pair wine with. The caramel, nutty notes of an aged tawny port will pair beautifully with the nutty notes of the spread, while also playing off the sweetness of the banana. To add another layer of flavor, sprinkle some chia seeds on top for an extra-healthy twist.
Jelly & Cream Cheese – Moscato d’Asti
There are two kinds of people in the world; those who love cream cheese with jelly and those who hate it. We happen to belong to the first group. A well-balanced Moscato d’Asti — one that is sweet yet still maintains a strong acidity — will cut through the creamy fat of the cheese while harmonizing with the sugars in the jam. Our favorite jelly is raspberry, all the way.
Goat Cheese, Plum, and Honey Toast – Fuller-Bodied Rosé
While the quintessential wine pairing for goat cheese is generally Sauvignon Blanc, we’re taking a different direction with this one, given the sweet additions of fruit and honey. A fruit-forward rosé will have enough backbone to stand up against the bite of the cheese, yet also mesh beautifully with the honey-drizzled fruit.
Ricotta and Fig Toast – Off-Dry Gewurztraminer
We’re obsessed with the combination of creamy, salty ricotta and sweet, syrupy figs. An off-dry Gewurztraminer’s flavors of lychee and honey will pair exquisitely with the figs, as long as the wine maintains a bright enough acidity to cut through the ricotta’s salty characteristics.
Hummus and Tomato Toast – Pinot Grigio
Tomatoes, hummus, and chickpeas in general are also tricky components when talking food and wine pairing. However, a good quality Pinot Grigio will often present a medium-bodied palate of floral, slightly honeyed notes, which will mesh deliciously with the creamy hummus, with a strong enough acidity to stand against that of the tomatoes.
Pear, Gorgonzola, and Honey Toast – Sauternes or Coteaux du Layon
Sweet and savory toast at its finest, creamy Gorgonzola cheese topped with thinly sliced pears and drizzled with honey is a sensory overload as is. Pair with a sweet French dessert wine, either a Semillon-based Sauternes from Bordeaux or a Chenin Blanc-based Coteaux du Layon from the Loire for an unforgettable food and wine pairing. Seriously, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Kale, Roasted Mushroom, and Olive Oil Toast – Oregon Pinot Noir
Savory toast recipes make for great happy-hour appetizers. Pinot Noir from Oregon meshes New World fruit with Burgundian winemaking style, making this fruit-forward yet rustic wine a perfect pairing with mushrooms. While the bitterness in kale can be tricky to pair with, a Pinot with enough acidity (plus the addition of mushrooms) should be able to withstand the green’s striking flavors.
