The Best Wine to Drink When You’re Eating Eggs for Dinner

This series is about wine in real life. We’ll show you what to drink no matter what you’re having, because we believe there’s always a wine that can show up and make your night.

There are nights when all you can muster the energy for is scrambling some eggs and calling it dinner. We all have these nights — they usually call for some wine too. Eggs aren’t the easiest food to pair with wine, but it can be done!

Eggs for dinner, wine to match — here’s what to grab at the store on your way home.

Like asparagus and artichokes, eggs are notorious for being a difficult match. That’s because they are full of savory, umami flavor that can coat your mouth and affect how you perceive what you’re drinking with it. The taste of eggs decreases the perception of body, sweetness, and fruitiness in wine, and increases the perception of bitterness. Wine can taste metallic and pretty funky with eggs sometimes.

Luckily, there are wines that prevent this from happening, creating a more harmonious pairing. Here are your best bets.

There’s a reason why mimosas are a brunch mainstay. Dry sparkling white wines like Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco are the number-one pick for any egg-based dish.

Eggs, particularly the yolks, are rich and coat your palate with their savory flavor, which means their flavor lingers when you take a sip of wine. That makes the wine taste a little funny — maybe it seems bitter or metallic, or maybe it’s difficult to taste at all. Sparkling wines, however, have that effervescence that actually cleans out your palate. They also tend to have high acidity, which does the same thing, as well as cuts through the natural richness of eggs. So that lingering egg yolk washes away and you can taste the wine again.

Read more: 9 Things You Should Know About Champagne & Sparkling Wine

While they don’t have the bubbles that sparkling wines have, crisp white and rosé wines have a similarly high level of acidity, which, again, resets your palate and cuts through any richness after taking a big bite of eggs. Just about any pale pink bottle of rosé will do the trick. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay, like French Chablis, are great picks for white wines.

I also love the French underdog, Picpoul de Pinet, which is incredibly affordable (think $9 to $12 a bottle) and super easy-drinking.

Read more:

Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc: Delicious, Racy & Great Value Wines

The exception to the rule is an egg dish that involves a good deal of tomatoes, like Shakshuka, or is heavy on the meat, like a rich sausage hash or even a bacon-loaded egg sandwich. For these types of dishes, red wines work well — just keep them light-bodied with good acidity, as heavy-bodied wines that are full of tannins can overpower the eggs. Good picks are Pinot Noir (whether it’s a red Burgundy or a bottle from California) and Beaujolais.

Read more: What You Should Know About Red Wine From Burgundy

What do you drink when you’re having eggs for dinner?