Champagne and cheese: guide to a daring pairing

If we like to associate champagne with fruity desserts or elaborate petits fours, we find it less familiar to pair it with cheese. However, if it is not the first association that comes to mind, cheese would seem to be one of the best products to enchant our flute.

In fact, white wine (and not red wine) is easily combined with cheese. Champagne, belonging to this large family, does not seem to be an exception to the rule and even comes with some additional advantages.

We invite you here to discover what pushes us to combine champagne and cheese before offering you several suggestions for pairings between these two products.

1. Champagne and cheese: multiple affinities
2. Champagne and cheese: a trendy combination
3. How to make a good deal?
4. What cheese to accompany champagne?

Champagne and cheese: multiple affinities

The French now want to find authentic and quality products, simple, natural but balanced products. Despite their obvious difference, drink versus food, champagne and cheese can help create harmonious pairings. Because if champagne and cheese appear to be a new or even innovative association, they ultimately share many points in common...

The artisanal tradition

Both champagne and cheese have ancient artisanal traditions and are often produced by passionate artisans. The process of making champagne involves meticulous attention to detail, just like maturing cheese, which can take months or even years of careful care.

Furthermore, the ingredients needed to make them are simple: milk on one side, grape juice on the other. But these products remain complex to develop. This requires rigorous work and requires know-how and specific technicality. Finally, cheesemakers and winegrowers offer quality products thanks to the patience and high standards that drive them and the limitless passion that inspires them.

Terroir

Just like wines, champagne draws its characteristics from its terroir, that is to say the soil, the climate and the grape variety of the grapes used. Cheeses can also reflect the terroir of their region of origin, as pastures and ripening conditions influence the final taste of the cheese.

The diversity of flavors

Champagne and cheese have a wide range of flavors. Champagne can have notes ranging from fruity and floral to mineral and spicy, while cheese offers a variety of flavor profiles, from sweet and creamy flavors to tangy and full-bodied.

The weather

Time is what allows champagne and cheese to reveal their best, allowing subtle aromas to develop elegantly. Time thus gives both products palettes of delicate scents and tastes.

Each combination of champagne and cheese can therefore be unique, and exploring these pairings appears to be a fun and rewarding culinary experience.

Champagne and cheese: a trendy combination

The combination of cheese and champagne has become a popular trend in the culinary world. Cheese tastings accompanied by matching champagnes are increasingly popular, and many connoisseurs and chefs recognize the delicious combinations between these two products. This trend is fueled by several factors:

• harmonious contrasts: Champagne, with its acidity, effervescence and subtle aromas, can provide a harmonious contrast to the richness and diversity of flavors found in cheeses. The fine bubbles and fruity notes of champagne can complement and balance the characteristics of the cheese, creating a pleasant and interesting taste experience.
• gastronomic experiments: Foodies and culinary professionals are constantly looking for new culinary experiences. The pairing between cheese and champagne allows you to explore a less conventional combination, but very successful when well matched.
• moments of festivities: Champagne is often associated with celebrations and special moments, while cheese is a delicacy at gatherings and aperitifs. The “champagne & cheese” combination creates a festive and refined atmosphere on special occasions. They are both appreciated during moments of celebration, conviviality and sharing.
• a diversity of cheeses and champagnes: There are a wide variety of cheeses, each with their own unique flavors and characteristics. Likewise, there are different varieties of champagne, ranging from brut to demi-sec, from rosé to blanc de vins, offering countless possibilities for tasty pairings.

In conclusion, the combination of cheese and champagne is definitely trendy, and more and more people are falling for this sophisticated and delicious culinary experience.

How to achieve a good champagne & cheese pairing?

As with wine, there are different combinations of cheeses and champagnes that can complement and enhance each other. Indeed, champagne, with its fine bubbles and its freshness, can reveal certain flavors and textures of the cheese. The ideal is to combine a champagne with a unique cheese.

So, if you want to achieve a good champagne and cheese pairing:

• Try to combine the characteristics of champagne and cheese. For example, a light, floral Champagne can pair well with a fresh, mild cheese, while a more complex Champagne can pair well with stronger, mature cheeses.
• Contrast the flavors. A dry and acidic Brut champagne can contrast with a fatty and creamy cheese, bringing a beautiful harmony on the palate.
• Be curious and experiment. There are no strict rules when it comes to pairing cheese and champagne. Don’t hesitate to try different combinations to discover your preferences and favorites.

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Deliciously fruity, energetic, refreshing and easy to drink, it is the essential champagne, the safe bet. Never will a classic champagne tickle your taste buds so much.

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What cheese to accompany champagne?

There is therefore no universal rule for pairing cheese with champagne. However, given the wide variety of cheeses produced in France, several combinations are available to us to pair cheeses and sparkling wines.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of suggestions, which could be a good basis for getting started with “champagne & cheese” pairings...

Brut champagne & extra brut cheese pairing

Brut and extra-brut champagnes (result of a blend of several already fermented wines, from three grape varieties: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier) are sparkling wines containing a very low sugar dosage (between 0 and 3 grams of sugar per liter for brut champagne and between 0 and 6 grams for extra-brut).

These champagnes with their clear aromas therefore have a fairly powerful taste and can go well with many cheeses:

• Brie or Camembert: Bruts and Extra Brut champagnes, with their balance of acidity and sweetness, pair well with creamy cheeses like Brie or Camembert. The fruity notes of champagne can offset the richness of the cheese.
• aged Gouda: Brut Champagnes can complement the rich, caramelized flavors of an aged Gouda well. The toasted aromas of champagne can also enhance the nutty notes of the cheese.
• Parmesan: The intense taste of parmesan can be balanced by the acidity and freshness of a Brut or Extra Brut champagne.
• le Roquefort : Brut and Extra Brut champagnes can pair harmoniously with powerful blue cheeses like Roquefort. They soften the bitterness of the frank notes of Roquefort. The contrasting flavors create an interesting balance.
• the Chaource: Chaource is a soft cheese with a bloomy rind, with a good creamy taste. Its sweetness and creamy texture combine perfectly with the dynamism of the bubbles of brut or extra brut champagne which will attenuate its taste.

Bruts or Extra brut champagnes are generally the best choices to accompany cheese, because their sugar level is low. This allows the champagne not to overwhelm the subtle flavors of the cheese and provides a harmonious balance.

White champagne & cheese pairing

The pairing between Blanc de Blancs champagne and cheese can be particularly delicious, because Blanc de Blancs champagne is made exclusively from white grapes (generally from the Chardonnay grape variety), which gives it a freshness and elegance that can go well with certain types of cheese:

• The count : Comté is a hard cheese originating from France, which has aromas of hazelnut and fruit. Blanc de Blancs champagnes, with its citrus notes and mineral side, can complement the rich, slightly fruity flavors of Comté.
• Parmesan: Parmesan is a hard Italian cheese with an intense, salty taste. The lively acidity of a Blanc de Blancs Champagne can balance the intense, salty flavors of Parmesan and refine its grainy texture.
• Le Crottin de Chavignol: This fresh or matured goat's cheese has delicate flavors that can go well with the subtlety of blanc de Blancs champagne.
• The Sainte-Maure de Touraine: Another French goat cheese, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, with its creamy texture and subtle taste, can be a good option to accompany Blanc de Blancs champagne.
• The Burrata: This Italian mozzarella is a soft and creamy cheese with a creamy center, which can be enhanced by the delicacy of champagne. The creamy sweetness of Burrata can be balanced by the liveliness of a Blanc de Clancs champagne.

Rosé champagne pairing with saignée & cheese

Pairing Rosé de saignée champagne with cheese can be an exquisite marriage of flavors and textures. Rosé de saignée champagnes are made from black-skinned grapes, which gives them their characteristic pink color and often a certain aromatic complexity. Because of its fruity and floral notes, Rosé Champagne is an interesting choice to accompany the rich and complex flavors of cheese.

• Gouda with cumin : Gouda is a hard cheese originating from the Netherlands. It has a mild and slightly salty taste. The fruity and floral notes of rosé champagne can create an interesting contrast with the smooth taste and firm texture of gouda. The fruity aromas of Rosé de Saignée champagne can be combined with the unique flavors of spices such as cumin.
• The goat : Goat cheese is a fresh, mild cheese with slightly acidic notes. Rosé champagne can help soften the tart flavors of cheese and balance its creamy texture. The freshness and acidity of goat's cheese can be balanced by the aromatic complexity of Rosé de saignée champagne.
• The Salers: Originally from Auvergne, Salers is a cheese with a bloomy rind and a firm paste. The full-bodied taste of this cheese will reveal all the flavors of citrus and spices of rosé champagne. The light side of this champagne will develop all the aroma of Salers.
• The Maroilles: Coming from the North of France, Maroilles is a soft, orange-colored cheese, which makes the nostrils vibrate. With its fairly fatty and acidic appearance, it matches perfectly with the fruity aroma of Rosé champagne.

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Demi-Sec champagne & cheese pairing

Demi-Sec champagne, slightly sweet, can balance the rich and salty flavors of the cheese. This contrast seems interesting to elegantly bring out the subtle tastes of the following cheeses:

• Fourme d’Ambert or Bleu d’Auvergne : Demi-Sec champagnes can go well with strong blue cheeses. Their sweetness can soften the intensity of the cheese and create a harmonious balance.
• Aged Cheddar: Demi-Sec Champagnes can create an interesting dissonance with aged cheddar, highlighting the fruity notes and toning down the tangy sensation of the cheese.
• Munster : The rich, creamy flavors of Munster can be balanced by the sweetness of Demi-Sec champagne.
• L'Epoisses : The pairing of a Demi-Sec champagne and a cheese with a fairly powerful aroma like Epoisses can also work. Epoisses, with its creamy and melting texture, will be enhanced by the slightly sweet side of Demi-Sec champagne.

There you go, you know everything about champagne and cheese pairings!

Finally, there are many combinations that can surprise your guests. Although this combination of “champagne & cheese” may seem surprising or even paradoxical at first glance, you only need to combine them in the mouth to understand the subtlety of their agreement: freshness and effervescence are added to the salty and creamy notes.

Don't hesitate to discover the range of De Lozey champagnes to explore these champagne and cheese pairings. Many De Lozey champagnes will pair wonderfully with your cheese platter. And it is certain that this daring exploration will result in a delicious and enriching experience!