Always appreciated during the holidays, champagne accompanies your meals with family or friends mainly at Christmas and for the New Year. During this period of festivities, we would like to give you some advice for making gourmet pairings for your festive dishes. For this, Philippe Jamesse, one of the greatest champagne specialists and historic sommelier of the restaurant Les Crayères (** Michelin) in Reims shares with us its analysis of the Champagne offering. So, to your taste buds!
Champagne: the best companion for your moments of sharing
The end of year celebrations are a good time to choose with gluttony our pleasures of the table. For the greatest pleasure of our guests but also of our taste buds , products nobles and rare ones then appear on our tables.
It is through these family moments , friendly And precious , that each gastronomic product is chosen with care. Obviously, champagne is one of the first selected! On his own, he knows how to make each moment unique and festive and celebrates these moments of harmony with elegance And refinement .
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The right associations between these rare products and the diversity that Champagne wines offer us in terms of identity and style can allow us to enhance this friendly atmosphere and move towards collective sensory osmosis. I offer you a series of moments, from starter to dessert, with these products enhanced with some famous variations.
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Philippe Jamesse’s food and champagne pairings
Whether for the aperitif , for main course or for your desserts , the choice of champagne will not be the same. Brut champagne, semi-dry champagne, rosé champagne, blanc de vins, extra brut champagne…There is something for everyone! But it is essential to choose the champagne that will sublimate your dishes. Among the most popular dishes during these periods, we have made you a little selection which should help you choose the best champagne for your holiday meals:
Champagne and starter:
If you wish to choose natural oysters as a starter, opt for a extra raw blanc de blanc Or nature . If you prefer hot oysters, such as oysters gratinated with champagne sabayon, in this case choose a white of raw white.
If you would like to use caviar, we recommend that you choose an extra raw or natural blanc de blanc.
Some also appreciate the fish eggs ! If you start on eggshells salmon , trout , lumpfish Or Tarama so we advise you to choose a raw white, which will blend perfectly. With mullet roe, also called bottarga, then it is better to turn to a extra raw blanc de blanc.
If, like many of us, you have opted for a delicious seafood platters well stocked, then it is preferable to choose an extra brut blanc de blanc or a brut champagne. If you wish to take caviar, we recommend that you turn to an extra raw or natural blanc de blanc
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Some also appreciate the fish eggs ! If you start on eggshells salmon , trout , lumpfish Or Tarama so we advise you to choose a raw white, which will blend perfectly. With mullet roe, also called bottarga, then it is better to turn to a extra raw blanc de blanc. If, like many of us, you have opted for a delicious seafood platters well stocked, then it is preferable to choose an extra brut blanc de blanc or a brut champagne. |
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With some smoked salmon, in Bellevue or in carpaccio, preferably turn to a raw or extra raw assembly.
Concerning foie gras , it all depends on how it is cooked . If you have fatty liver in terrine , choose one vintage raw blend. If your fatty liver is stove with white fruits, opt for one vintage raw meunier blanc. For a champagne roasted with mushrooms, a vintage extra brut blanc de blanc will be perfect.
For Saint-Jacques, let it be cooked in carpaccio , fried in fondue leeks or roasted in butter, opt instead for a brut or extra brut blanc de blanc.
If you choose to take snails and they are cooked parsley , choose one extra raw white of blacks.
Champagne and main course:
For the main course, if you have chosen to go for finger foods, go for a vintage raw assembly.
If you prefer to opt for a fish like sea bream , bar or even turbot , then it will be necessary to favor a extra raw or natural blanc de blanc. For turbot, opt for a vintage brut blanc de blanc.
Conversely, if you prefer to choose meat, you will have several choices. For of the poultry like a capon , take one vintage raw black blanc. If you have chosen a turkey instead, then you will have to turn to a vintage raw blend instead. For a roasted guinea fowl , then a vintage raw meunier blanc will fit perfectly. With beef like a pan-fried fillet, then you should rather choose a vintage raw blanc de noir . For beef Wellington, go for a vintage raw blend.
For a slightly stronger meat, such as lamb , it is better to get one vintage extra brut saignée rosé . With veal, a vintage raw blend will be ideal.
Champagne and dessert:
For your desserts, if you have chosen to serve cheese , you will have to take into account the type of cheese to know which champagne will suit it. For type cheeses brie , prefer one vintage raw blend . With an old county , a raw white will be perfect! Finally, with a cheese of goat , then you will have to opt for a extra raw blanc de blanc.
Finally, for sweet desserts, again, the choice of champagne will depend on the type of dessert. For a chocolate log, we recommend a rosé de saignée brut. With a fruit-flavored log, we recommend a raw meunier blanc. For a salad of exotic fruits, then a semi-dry blend is a good idea. If you have macarons, it is better to head to a dry rosé champagne.
