For hundreds of years, Champagne has been a natural pairing with seafood morsels.
More recently, the expansion of the sparkling wine genre has taken it into new flavors, textures, and terroirs that have brought a larger appreciation of how the wine is enjoyed throughout a meal. Typically, glasses of “bubbly” have been delegated to cocktail parties, pre-dinner drinks, or celebrations. But the revival of older cultures and “outside the box” thinking sommeliers are showing it can indeed last throughout an entire meal.
Thanks to the depth and breadth of sparkling wine, sommeliers have plenty to work with on a variety of dishes and can even take a global excursion of sparkling wine during courses.
In France, there is the iconic Champagne – made only in its namesake region, according to strict regulations. The country also has a whole range of non-vintage varieties such as those from the south of France, and the beautifully elegant French rosés.
In Spain, you’ll find the very appealing and reasonably priced Cava, and Italy boasts a fine Franciacorta which is the country's equivalent to Champagne. Prosecco has started to gain a foothold and is made around the world, and practically every New World winemaking region has its own version of sparkling wine, experimenting with grape blends and wine-making styles.
The Union des Maisons de Champagne, which was founded in 1882 to promote the exclusiveness of Champagne wines, have established a set of guidelines for pairing Champagne with seafood that can be used as a basis for most sparkling wines.
In addition to the Union des Maisons de Champagne, chefs and wineries from around the world have also given their input on how to pair sparkling wines with food.
Here’s what five chefs from around the world have come up with.
