When preparing to receive guests, some people figure out what champagne to buy for the prepared feast, while others, on the contrary, figure out what snacks to serve at the table if there is one or another type of alcoholic drink waiting in the cupboard. And if in the first case we can easily be helped by the recommendations indicated on the bottle label (now almost every manufacturer has made sure that you choose the right drink for fish and meat), then in the second we recommend using the general recommendations we have collected. So, what dishes should you serve with champagne?

In the article:

Champagne appetizer

If you decide to do everything according to the rules, then get ready to face some difficulties. After all, there are many varieties of sparkling wine, and they are all made from different grape varieties. However, you shouldn't give up. There are several keys to a fine dining experience.

What cheeses are best to drink champagne with?

Cheese is a universal appetizer, without which no feast is complete. It's both delicious food and a proven way to stay drunk. The fact is that, when entering the body, cheese fats form something similar to a film, which prevents alcohol from being quickly absorbed. However, you need to be careful here: if you overdo it, the defense can break through at any moment...

Many people believe that cheese is only suitable for red varieties of sparkling wine, but this is not entirely correct. It all depends on the type of cheese itself. Thus, soft cheeses are not recommended to be served with red chardonnay champagne ( blanc de noirs) .

• Brie is a French cheese with a soft consistency. Suitable for light dry champagne.
• Camembert is a young variety of this cheese that goes well with any sparkling wine.
• Goat cheese goes perfectly with dry champagne.
• Edam is a Dutch cheese with a slight nutty flavor, and is best served with sparkling wine with the same flavors.
• Gouda – also has a nutty flavor. Good in combination with German sparkling wines.
• Young Cheddar has a more subtle taste and refined aroma, unlike its later version. Suitable as an appetizer for champagne with a rich taste.
• Gorgonzola is a fantastic company for sweet and light champagnes like Asti.

When choosing a combination, the following rule applies: the more piquant the cheese in your arsenal, the sweeter the champagne should be to go with it.

The cheese plate and the number of different cheeses in it should be selected taking into account the following subtleties: for one type of wine it is necessary to prepare three types of cheese or more. If there are more different bottles of champagne, then each should have at least two types of cheese. You can diversify your snack dish with nuts, fruits (apples, grapes, pears), olives and honey, as well as crackers and white bread.

Seafood and ham

If you offer only a couple of cheese plates at the appetizer table, guests are unlikely to be able to satisfy their gastronomic needs. Therefore, we recommend that you supplement the menu with other dishes, each of which includes its own suitable bottle of sparkling wine:

• Fish caviar is the best company for dry Brut.
• Nuts also go well with dry wine, but not all types of them. For example, it is better to place almonds next to a bottle of sweet Asti.
• Seafood is another companion to good dry sparkling wines, but you should not flavor such an appetizer with lemon and vinegar, otherwise you can simply overwhelm the taste of both food and wine.
• Prosciutto is an Italian ham that goes well with both dry and semi-dry champagnes, as well as rose sparkling wines.
• Sushi perfectly complements dry ones.
• Fruit salads – for sweet and light drinks.
• Chicken salad - for Germans.

Dessert

According to the rules for drinking champagne, and according to the traditions that have developed in our country, sparkling wine is uncorked at the very beginning of dinner and is accompanied by appetizers even before the main course is served. However, if you wish, you can easily combine it with desserts.

• Chocolate - for semi-dry or dry wine, and it must be white so that cocoa does not interrupt the true taste of the drink.
• Fruits and desserts made from them. Semi-dry champagne goes well with apples and all variations of dishes with this ingredient, strawberries.
• For sweet champagne - sweet desserts: cheesecakes, strawberry ice cream, fruit puddings, creme brulee, sorbets, sweet pies and cakes. Stop ingredients - lemon, coffee and other products with a strong taste that can overwhelm the taste of wine.

The ability to choose a drink for a menu is an entire art that can be learned if you pay close attention to the alcoholic drinks that are put on the table. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and then you can find that very secret ingredient that will become your highlight and highlight at any party.

The main nuances of revealing the taste of champagne

The first important factor in revealing the ideal taste of sparkling wine, which is champagne, is its temperature. The optimal option is plus nine degrees, and it is better to send the bottle to cool three hours before receiving guests. These subtleties are necessary not only to ensure that the taste in the glass is exactly as the manufacturer intended, but also to reduce the pressure concentrated under the cork. This makes it easier to open champagne, and there is no risk of the cork getting into your favorite chandelier or someone’s eye.

As for, it’s not for nothing that they were created in such an elongated shape. This allows the drink to open up more and give you the whole bouquet of aromas and tastes.

An exception to the rule is a glass of cremanka. It is used for very sweet sparkling wines and when building beautiful champagne pyramids at celebrations

Today there are several. And it is customary to serve certain snacks with each of them. Of course, there are no strict rules without which guests will never come to you for dinner again, but many prefer to use some general recommendations:

1. The type of sparkling wine should be selected based on the “heaviest”, that is, high-calorie, menu item. So, if you plan to serve potatoes and meat, then champagne is selected specifically for the meat.
2. Enlightened wine connoisseurs prefer to be guided not only by standard parameters, but also by the regional characteristics of champagne and the grape variety from which it is made. Unfortunately, not all modern manufacturers indicate this information on the label.
3. The last parameter is sweetness, which should also be combined with a champagne snack.

As for the sequence of serving different types of champagne wines, there are their own traditions. For example, Extra Brut is usually served as an aperitif in combination with seafood appetizers.

Brut is also presented to guests at the beginning of the evening, and snacks here can be very varied - from rice dishes to chicken delicacies. Varieties with greater sweetness are best suited for dessert. However, the sweeter the sparkling wine, the cheaper it is, so dry champagne is king among them.

Since today's alcohol market offers its customers an innumerable assortment of various options, the best way to determine the right one is experimental. Fortunately, experienced champagne lovers have done a lot to help us take advantage of their advice.