Rant: Drink Champagne With Food!

"You don't need to be a sommelier as sparkling wine pairs with everything."
--Marcello Lunelli

This Friday, October 23, is Champagne Day, an international celebration showcasing French Champagne. Numerous events will be held on this day, though obviously the pandemic will limit some of these celebrations. So, this week's Rant is a perfect place for a Champagne-related topic.

When do you drink Champagne? For most people, it's merely an apertif or for a celebratory toast. Yes, it's excellent on these occasions but it can be so much more. Many people don't realize that Champagne also pairs very well with a wide variety of foods, and can be consumed throughout the course of a meal, from appetizer to dessert. When's the last time you enjoyed Champagne during your dinner?

Even restaurant sommeliers rarely recommend drinking Champagne with your dinner. And that is a mistake. Sure, there are plenty of wines that pair well with food, but why omit Champagne from the discussion? When's the last time a sommelier suggested that you drink Champagne throughout the course of your dinner? 

Wine lovers need to get over their misconception that Champagne is mainly an aperitif or celebratory wine. They need to take the chance and drink it with whatever they choose to eat, from seafood to steak, pasta to Chinese food. It may be one of the most versatile wines when it comes to food pairings, and it can be so delicious. 

When I visited the Champagne region, I experience Champagne paired with nearly all of my food courses, for both lunch and dinner. I found Champagne to pair well with so many different dishes and you really can't go wrong selecting it for your meal. No matter what the cuisine, Champagne would be a fine accompaniment and it doesn't have to be paired only with high-end cuisine. Why not enjoy Champagne with pizza? Or tacos? Or just a bag of salty potato chips?

Champagne is produced in a variety of styles, and its diversity assists in making it friendly with a variety of cuisines. Rosé Champagne is one of my favorite styles, and I've found it great with many different foods. I urge you to experiment with food pairings. Grab a bottle of Champagne and drink it with whatever you're eating. You'll be surprised at how good it tastes with your food. And if you have guests, they'll think you're a wine genius for pairing bubbly with all the dishes.