You can try, but you know it’s hard to resist a good bottle of champagne. Whether you’re celebrating something or not, there’s always an excuse to pop open a bottle and treat yourself to a glass of champagne whenever you want to.
But that experience can get even better when you have the right food to pair the bubbly with. Here are some ideas:
- Steak. It’s easy to think that good steak is only best when paired with red wine. But if you try to switch your red wine with champagne, you’ll surely change your mind in a heartbeat. This is because champagne has that distinct bright acidity that helps balance the fattiness and richness of any cut of steak. Drinking champagne while eating steak also helps to cleanse the palate, which allows you to enjoy other dishes without the steak overpowering your taste buds.
- Grilled salmon. Champagne and seafood is a classic pairing, especially when you choose a special variety of fish like salmon. Sweet champagne varieties like rose are the best pairing for any salmon dish because the fruitiness of the beverage complements the flavours of the fish really well.
- Seafood. If you’re a fan of oysters, scallops, and fresh seafood preparations like sushi and sashimi, you can pair them with a lighter variety of champagne that’s made using white grapes. This type of bubbly gives you that sweetness and bitterness while keeping things delicate so that the flavours of your seafood are still front and centre.
- Lamb. Lamb and champagne is another classic pairing, especially if you’re cooking lamb chop or rack of lamb. For this dish, you have to look for a champagne variety that’s made with pure red grapes to give you that strong flavour profile that can stand up to the richness of lamb without overpowering it.
- Duck. If you want a lighter protein to pair with your champagne, duck would be your best choice. Duck served with a rich berry sauce and paired with champagne is definitely the perfect marriage in your mouth, with fruity flavours celebrating the whole meal.
- Cheese. If there’s one safe bet when it comes to food and champagne pairings, it has to be cheese. In fact, if you’re entertaining at home and you want something to welcome your guests, you can lay out a charcuterie board with some bottles of bubbly to tickle their palates for the great meal ahead. Creamier cheese varieties are the best options for champagnes, and you can add another layer of flavour with saltier cold cuts. Some even use pate or chutney on their board for that extra richness.
Finally, a more unique food option to pair with champagne is fried chicken. Yes, the humble fried chicken can be elevated when paired with your favourite bottle of bubbly. The fast food-luxury concept is a hit among food critics, and you’ll surely have the same opinion if you try this pairing.
So are you ready to crack open a bottle?
