So you read my previous article on Sparkling Wine and raced out and brought a bottle to try. But now you are wondering what food goes well with Sparkling wine? I’m glad you asked because in this article I am going to explore the food that matches well with different Sparkling wines.
One of the common features of Sparkling Wine is the high level of acid they have. As I noted in a previous article acid is great for cutting through fat in foods.
Thus many of the great Sparkling wine and food pairings involve fatty food. I’ll explore this further shortly.
Champagne.
Champagne is probably the best known Sparkling Wine and is often associated with luxury food.
One of the most famous Sparkling Wine and food pairings to Champagne and Caviar. The little salty fish eggs in caviar are surprisingly fatty and the acid in the Champagne cuts through the fat to enhance the flavours of both. The Citrus i.e. lemon and lime, flavours in Champagne compliment the fishiness of the Caviar reducing the salty flavours. One of my favourite cruises lines, Seabourn, offers Champagne and Caviar on demand and included in the cruise fare. Many an afternoon I would sit on the balcony sipping Champagne and eating Caviar, with fresh cooked blinis, whilst watching the world glide by…pure bliss.
One of the other great combinations with Champagne is smoked salmon. Once again the acid in the Champagne cuts through the fat in the salmon and the citrus flavours compliment the fish flavours. It works well as a entree as the Champagne acts as a digestive and the salmon is a nice first course.
It is worth noting that what pairs well with Champagne also pairs well with most Cremant, French Sparkling Wine made outside the Champagne Region, which is often just as good at a fraction of the price. So if you want to experiment with food and Sparkling Wine pairing Cremant can be an inexpensive was of doing this in case it doesn’t work out as well as expected. A good example is Simonnet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne from Burgundy which can be found for around $25 a bottle.
Prosecco.
Whilst Champagne is often dry with a limited amount of residual sugar Prosecco, from Northern Italy, can be sweeter but still with the high acid. Thus is matches well with heavier dishes including salami and other cut meats. It also goes well with hard Italian cheeses such as Asiago and Provolone.
Imagine a charcuterie plate with some Italian hard cheese, crusty bread and a glass of Prosecco on a warm sunny afternoon. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
If you need a good example of a quality Prosecco check out the Rebuli Prosecco Superiore DOCG Valdobbiadene NV.
Cava.
Not be confused with the drink Kava from the Pacific Islands, Cava from Spain has the same high acid and lower sweetness like Champagne.
It has some unique herbal and floral aromas sometimes described as rubber. These flavours mean that Cava pairs well with artichokes and asparagus. It also pairs well with rice dishes such as Paella especially if it has seafood in it as well as different styles of Tapas. A very versatile and inexpensive Sparkling Wine. Check out the incredible value of the Freixenet Vintage Reserva Brut Cava
New world Sparkling Wine.
This is Sparkling Wine made outside Europe, the old world, but usually using the same grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sometimes Pinot Meunier. It is in no way inferior to the old world sparkling wines with the Yarra Valley’s Domain Chandon, owned by the French Company LVMH, producing some high quality Sparkling Wine.
These wines are usually very dry but still with the high acid making them great with seafood but especially shell fish. Mrs Wine Matchmaker does a lovely dish of Thai style prawns which goes every well with the readily available Domain Chandon Brut or Yarra Burn Vintage. Great food and wine without breaking the bank and staying local.
So whatever Sparkling wine you prefer there are some great food matches that will enhance the experience…because Life’s Too Short not to enjoy good food and wine.
I would love to hear your experiences of pairing Sparkling Wine and Food and I’m happy to provide some free advice if you get stuck. I’ll be running wine education events once we are able to, so join our mailing list or like our Facebook page to be notified as soon as tickets are released.
Cheers,
Antony.
