Choosing the Best Champagne to Match Your Meal

Champagne – it’s not just for toasting. In fact, with the right pairing of flavors, champagne makes an excellent accompaniment to most meals.

While people have long regarded champagne as the drink of choice for celebrations, it’s equally at home on the dinner table. Champagne brunches are also popular, and sweet Italian Asti goes great with many desserts.

The bubbles in champagne are a benefit when drinking it with dinner. They help to cleanse your palate, allowing you to fully savor each course of your meal.

Here’s a flavor pairing guide to get you started.

Appetizers

Champagne and caviar is the quintessential luxury food pairing. If you start your meal with caviar, consider sipping a Brut or Extra Brut champagne to enhance the flavor.

In fact, Brut champagne, which is less sweet than Extra Dry, goes well with almost any savory appetizer. Champagne goes amazingly well with sushi, stuffed mushrooms, aged cheese, vegetables, salads, and seafood. It can also be used as an ingredient in delicious fondue appetizers.

If you’re having a lighter appetizer, such as a fruit and cheese tray, consider drinking a Blanc de Blanc champagne. Blanc de Blanc is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, and the flavor goes well with light cheeses, fruits, and white meats. It also makes a refreshing pre-dinner drink.

Main Course

Whether you’re eating fish, lobster, pork, or veal, Rose’ champagne will be a wonderful beverage of choice. Rose’ has Pinot Noir grapes added to it during production, which give the drink its trademark pink hue.

Rose’ also goes well with Mexican food, Italian food, and Japanese, Indian, and Thai cuisines. Most main courses are compatible with either Rose’, Brut, or Bland de Blanc. If you’re eating heartier fare, go with Brut or Rose’. If you’re eating a lighter meal, Blanc de Blanc is a good choice.

Steak is the only meal that experts don’t recommend pairing with champagne. Heavy red meats go better with red wines. If you’re feeling adventurous, try matching a steak course to a full-bodied vintage Rose’.

Dessert

Asti Spumanti and Moscato d’Asti make fine accompaniments to dessert. These are sweet, fizzy champagnes that bring out the flavor of subtly sweet fruits, pastries, and soufflés.

Any Demi-Sec or Sec champagne will make a good after-meal aperitif. These champagnes have more added sugar than Brut, giving them a pleasant flavor that pairs well with the finishing course.

Experts caution drinkers not to pair champagne with overly sweet treats. The acidic champagne will end up tasting sour in comparison. Instead, drink your champagne with fruit-based desserts, dark chocolate, tiramisu, or other not-so-sweet desserts.

Brunch

The champagne brunch is a holiday tradition that can be a memorable event any time of year. All you need to do is set your table with croissants, Danishes, and appetizers, and brew a pot of coffee or tea for afterward. Serve the spread with a variety of chilled champagnes.

When buying the champagne, don’t hesitate to use a classic cuvee unless your budget has room for a vintage. Every bottle of champagne will fill about 6 4-ouce flutes. You should anticipate your guests drinking 2 -3 flutes apiece.

Offer different champagnes to match the different appetizers and desserts. A nice Brut or Blanc de Blanc champagne will go well with your savory dishes, while a Moscato d’Asti would work nicely with pastries and fruit.

Casual Snacks

Believe it or not, champagne can also accompany the most casual of snacks. Master sommelier Andrea Immer once surprised her guests by serving popcorn and potato chips with champagne. It was a hit!

The combination of acidity, low sugar levels, and effervescence make Brut champagne an excellent match for most snacks. Experiment with different combinations, and you just might find a surprisingly good pairing of your own.

General Tips

Experts agree that champagne tastes best when chilled, so place your bottle in a bucket of ice and water before serving. Use half ice and half water, and add a generous handful of salt to the mixture to chill your champagne faster.

Use crystal champagne flutes for maximum fizz. The surface of the crystal promotes high bubble activity, which in turn produces to a stronger aroma and flavor.

Classic cuvees, or non-vintage (NV) champagnes are fine for most meals. You can save money by saving your vintage champagne for truly special occasions.

To preserve the flavor of your champagne, you must store and serve it properly. Keep it protected from sunlight and vibrations during storage. Maintain an ambient temperature of 45 – 50 degrees in your storage space. When it’s time to serve, don’t pop the cork. Use a gentle twisting motion to ease it out of the bottle.

The next time you sit down to eat, consider adding a nice, sparkling champagne to your menu instead of regular wine. You’ll be amazed at how something as simple as sparkling wine can transform your meal into a special, memorable event.