How to Pair With Champagne
Champagne is virtually de rigueur for a luxurious celebration, whenever people come together to enjoy life. Perhaps it's the sparkling bubbles that tickle the nose or the complex flavors that flow from an exceptional bottle of champagne. Only wines produced and bottled in the Champagne region of France can legally bear the champagne label. If you've spent money on a good champagne, maximize your purchase by pairing the wine with equally good food. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Chill non-vintage champagne -- those with no year printed on the label -- to 46 F to bring out the flavor of the wine. Vintage champagne should be served slightly warmer, at 54 to 57 F. Colder temperatures stun the tastebuds, so you won't get your money's worth if you serve ice-cold vintage bubbly.
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Remove the foil on the bottle neck with a knife and unwind the wire cage over the cork. Twist the cork back and forth slowly while pulling to ensure a gentle pop that doesn't cause a gushing geyser of champagne to flow from the bottle. In the popular imagination, blasting off the cork with both thumbs results in a frothy, festive spectacle, but really just wastes good champagne that is better suited to drinking.
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Pour the champagne slowly into fluted glasses tilted at an angle to avoid wasteful spill-over.
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Select foods such as cheese and bread or quality crackers with dry champagnes such as Brut and Gran Cuvee.
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Pair demi-sec (sec means sweet) or cremant (extremely sweet) champagnes with luscious desserts, including chocolate, crème brûlée, cheesecake and tiramisu. Sweet champagnes also pair well with fresh fruit such as pears, apples, melon and berries. Avoid citrus fruits such as pineapple and oranges, which may clash with the wine on your tastebuds.
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Pour medium-bodied champagnes, including blush wines, with pasta, seafood and anti-pasta appetizers. Shellfish and delicately flavored fish, such as tilapia and sea bass, are well-suited to medium-bodied champagnes.
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Tips & Warnings
A vintage champagne is a wine in which all the grapes used in its preparation came from a single harvest. Vintage champagnes are typically more expensive but offer more complex flavors.
Much snobbery still exists in the world of wine. While there are some tried and true guidelines for enjoying champagne with specific foods, these are still guidelines. Ultimately, let your own personal taste decide your course.
References
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