--Marcello Lunelli
During the holiday season, many people will purchase Champagne or other types of Sparkling Wine, from Prosecco to Cava, Franciacorta to Crémant. However, when do you drink that bubbly? 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 Sparkling Wine 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 Sparkling Wine during your dinner? I suspect many people do not commonly enjoy it with their food. At best, it's most common to have Mimosas, bubbly and orange juice, for breakfast or brunch, but the bubbly isn't enjoyed on its own.
Even restaurant sommeliers rarely recommend drinking Sparkling Wine with your dinner. And that is a mistake. Sure, there are plenty of wines that pair well with food, but why omit Sparkling Wine from the discussion? When's the last time a sommelier suggested that you drink Sparkling Wine throughout the course of your dinner? I can't recall the last dinner I attended where a sommelier recommended a Sparkling Wine with my appetizers or entree.
Wine lovers need to get over their misconception that Sparkling Wine 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 and other Sparkling Wines are produced in a variety of styles, in different sweetness levels, and its diversity assists in making it friendly with a variety of cuisines. Rosé bubbly 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 Sparkling Wine 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.
