Champagne - Not Just an Aperitif
Pairing the World's Most Famous Sparkling Wine with Food
Oct 13, 2008
Champagne is a drink admired and relished by many, but is all too often enjoyed only at times of celebration or perhaps as the drink of choice at the fancy cocktail reception. However, we are missing out on one of the great pleasures of champagne – enjoying a bottle (or two) over a meal. Some people might argue that this exclusive elixir is too acidic to consider staying with it for the duration of an evening out, but if you choose wisely, a bottle of champagne can add sparkle to any chef’s creations.
Where to Begin?
As we know, champagne has always been a wonderful way to start any evening as it signals the end of a long day and beginning of a classy night. The ideal way to whet the palate at this stage is with a straightforward NV or Non Vintage. The style of each champagne house is characterized by their non-vintage offering which is a blend of wine from several recent vintages and blended in just a way to maintain continuity through the years. By law in Champagne, a non-vintage must be aged for at least 15 months before sale and many favourite houses including Mumm and Laurent Perrier age theirs for a minimum of three years. These wines should be crisp, fresh and clean, the perfect primer for your palate before dinner.
The Next Step
Once seated and while perusing the menu this is the perfect time to open a bottle of vintage champagne. These champagnes are made from grapes harvested in one single, and usually quite exceptional, year and while they are a quality step up from a non-vintage, they should be enjoyed earlier in the meal than later in order to fully appreciate the subtleties of the blend. Many starter courses tend to be seafood or salad which will allow the champagne to take center stage, but don’t discount a paté or even foie gras as the richness of the dish is elegantly matched by the mouthfilling lavishness of the wine. Besides, what is a more luxurious combination? For an ideal start to any meal, try the Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002 with its slight minerality and full, complex fruity and floral flavours.
The Main Stream
Champagne and red meat? Yes, it can easily be done because many of the exceptionally made prestige cuvees are intended to stand up to intense flavours and in return offer a remarkable crispness to break through the protein and heavy sauces. Many usual suspects at this stage include Dom Perignon, Krug and Cristal, however, for something somewhat different and certainly more pleasing to the pocket, try the Comtes de Champagne by Taittinger. The current vintage is 1998 and the flavours have been enhanced and improved during the 10 years of ageing each bottle has received in the historic chalk cellars of its home in Reims. The palate is a journey of fresh citrus notes supported by restrained almond and vanilla notes.
The Sweet Life
For dessert the best choice is a rosé. The concentrated fruitiness that winemakers strive to achieve is a sublime pairing to any dessert. Unlike sweet wines, a rosé champagne leaves the palate refreshed and eager for the next morsel without overpowering the dish with a weighty texture. Any non-vintage rosé would suffice, but as a splurge, why not indulge in the sumptuousness of Bollinger’s Le Grand Année Rosé with its abundant red fruit, delicate spicy notes and never-ending finish.
Champagne is made to be savoured, but so are the innovations of countless chefs, so why not take pleasure in both successes at the same time and see for yourself how Champagne is not just for aperitifs anymore.
