FOOD PAIRING
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Several factors & variations need to be taken into account before pairing champagne with food:
The Grape Varietals:
There are 3 primary grapes used to make Champagne: Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay.
How they are blended (or not) together will determine the style of the champagne.
Champagne Style:
. Blanc de Noirs: made with 100% black grapes (Meunier and/or Pinot Noir)
. Blanc de Blancs: made with 100% white grapes (Chardonnay)
. Rosé:
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The Level of Sweetness:
- Brut Nature (0-2g/L): Brut Nature is also known as zero dosage, ultra-brut, brut sauvage and non-dosage.
It means that the Champagne will be bone dry with no added sugar.
- Extra Brut (up to 6g/L): has no detectable sweetness with 0-6g/L of residual sugar.
- Brut (up to 12g/L): Brut has no or barely detectable sweetness, ranging from 0 to 12g/L of residual sugar.
It is by far the most popular labelling term, with approximately 95% of Champagne production made in this style.
- Extra Sec (12-17g/L): is also known as Extra Dry. With 12- 17g/L of residual sugar, there will be some detectable sweetness in the Champagne.
- Sec (17-32g/L): can be translated to dry, however there will definitely be a noticeable sweetness to these Champagnes.
- Demi-Sec (32-50g/L): will have between 32 to 50g/L of residual sugar.
- Doux (more than 50g/L): is a very sweet style of Champagne with more than 50g/L of residual sugar.
The Age Profile of the Champagne
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Vintage: All grapes used to make a vintage champagne are harvested from one year and the year appears on the bottle. They must age a minimum of 36 months on the lees. Most are aged for at least 4 years and often more.
Non-Vintage: is a blend of wines made from grapes harvested in different years. It accounts for about 90% of all champagne produced. Non-vintage champagne must age for a minimum of 15 months on the lees in the cellar.
Tête-de-Cuvée: is the term the Champenois use to describe their very best (and most expensive) bottlings. They’re also called Prestige Cuvées. Tête de cuvées are almost always vintage Champagnes.
Once you have a handle on these variations, you can confidently decide on what champagne to pick to accompany your meal.
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As for the proper time to drink Champagne, the rule is there are no rules.
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It’s never too early for a glass of bubbly!
