What to eat with Champagne

Champagne is a luxury drink that does not go well with all dishes. We are going to see in this article the foods to eat with Champagne. To make the most of the quality and the refinement of this famous sparkling wine, you need to master the art of Champagne food pairing. Let’s see what to eat with Champagne!

What to Eat with Blanc de Blancs Champagne?

After you buy Blanc de Blancs Champagne, you should know what to eat with it. Blanc de Blancs Champagne food pairing can be tricky because this type of champagne is generally the lightest of all. It is also crispier and drier. To maintain a certain harmony, it should be enjoyed with equally light dishes such as fish or seafood. The taste of lemon, lime and mineral goes perfectly with the freshness of that kind of food. As an aperitif, you can drink a bottle of Blanc de Blancs Champagne with deep-fried food.

Green salad and fried chicken also go perfectly well with Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Salty food in general makes excellent food pairing with this type of luxury sparkling wine because the bubbles break up the salt in the mouth. Sushi, sashimi, clams, pasta, egg dishes, you can eat almost anything with Blanc de Blancs. If you like cheese, Brie, Washed-Rind, Camembert, Chaource, Creamy Blue, Feta and Chèvre make the best choices. In a nutshell, Blanc de Blancs is one of the easiest Champagnes to pair with food.

What to Eat with Blanc de Noirs Champagne?

Blanc de Noirs looks like Blanc de Blancs to the extent that it is white in appearance. It is so called because it is produced exclusively from red grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Meunier. The juice does not turn red because the Champagne makers do not use the peel of the grapes which is the only part to contain reddish pigments. Blanc de Noirs comes from a specific manufacturing method that gives it a distinctive taste. You can also smell biscuit notes towards the end. It is a Champagne that is both powerful and round.

Blanc de Noirs Champagne stands out for its aromas of yellow fruits such as peaches and Mirabelle plums. That is why we recommend to pair it with meat and poultry. It also goes very well with cheese if you want something lighter. This category of Champagne is also very easy to pair with a variety of food: grilled fish, charcuterie, olives, and strawberries, to name a few.

What to Eat with Non-Vintage Champagne?

Non-Vintage Champagne is made of grapes from diverse harvests. Sometimes it can be a span of up to 20 years. But most of the time, it is a mix of 3 to 5 vintages. This kind of Champagne is known and appreciated for its familiarity. It often showcases a brand’s personality and style. For instance, some Champagne houses are more Pinot Noir-focused or more Chardonnay-focused and it shows through their Non-Vintage bottles.

A Non-Vintage Champagne has a lean and fresh style that goes well with light dishes like salty cheeses, fish and seafood. It is important to verify the sweetness level of your Non-Vintage Champagne before deciding on the food pairing. In general, this type of Champagne goes perfectly with oysters, mussels and light cheeses such as Feta, Camembert, Brie, Ricotta and Mozzarella. You can also pair it with any deep-fried food. If you buy a sweet Non-Vintage Champagne like Extra Sec or Sec, you can drink it with sushi.

What to Eat with Vintage Champagne?

Vintage Champagne is often praised for its uniqueness and refinement. As a matter of fact, many people think that it is of much higher quality than Non-Vintage Champagne. Nonetheless, both can be top-quality drinks. It is above all a matter of taste. Some people like both but in two different ways. They may opt for Non-Vintage for every day and drink Vintage for special occasions.

In any case, Vintage Champagne is richer and more complex than a Non-Vintage bottle. That is why it goes better with refined and exceptional dishes, though it also goes well with rich but simple dishes. Because of its bold flavors of nuts, it can be exquisitely paired with lobster with butter, crab, seared scallops and all rich seafood dishes. Fried fish with cream sauce can be paired with it. To go to the height of refinement, eat it with foie gras.

What to Eat with Rosé Champagne

Rosé Champagne has the advantage of going well with almost everything, be it aperitifs, starters, main dishes, cheeses and desserts. There are hundreds of thousands of food pairing possibilities. Pink Champagne pairs well with duck, charcuterie, snacks and refined finger foods for example. Thanks to its taste of red berries, it goes deliciously with fruits, especially berries. As a matter of fact, those foods also go well with pink wine. Click here to know more about wine and its difference from Champagne.