What to eat with champagne (Brut, rosé...)
Many people tend to serve champagne only for the aperitif or dessert. However, it is entirely possible to have a complete meal with champagne. Just as we talk about wine pairings, champagne pairings are equally delicate. The choice of champagne is crucial. Brut, rosé Blanc de Blancs, but also brut, extra brut, or dry.
So, what to eat with champagne? What are the best accompaniments?
- What to serve with champagne for the aperitif?
- Champagne: the best accompaniments during the meal
- Food pairings with champagne for cheese
- Dessert: what to eat with champagne?
- What are the best accompaniments for rosé champagne?
- What to prepare with champagne?
Many people swear by food and wine pairings and are even specialists. But know that food and champagne pairings are also precious. They are very refined, in fact. To achieve perfect pairings and know what to eat with champagne, you need to consider the question from two angles. The first is to know what to eat with brut, extra brut, dry champagne, etc. The second is to know the best accompaniments based on the grape variety.
What to serve with champagne for the aperitif?
The aperitif seems to be an excellent time to serve champagne. It's the favorite drink for festive moments and celebrations. The key is to know what type of champagne to serve and what the champagne pairing will be.
The best champagne for the aperitif will be a brut nature like our Brut Tradition champagne or our Blanc de Blancs. You can also opt for extra-brut champagne, such as our Blanc de Noirs champagne. Indeed, these champagnes with very little added sugar will open the meal with fresh notes.
For the aperitif, it's essential to serve a champagne that doesn't weigh down the palate, but choosing the right champagne pairing is also important. Therefore, appetizers like peanuts and chips are definitely to be avoided to preserve the champagne's characteristics.
Discover our Brut Tradition
Delightfully fruity, energetic, refreshing, and easy to enjoy, it's the essential champagne, the safe bet. A classic champagne that will tickle your taste buds like no other.
What to eat with champagne for the aperitif? If you want to be sure not to make a mistake, you can follow our advice for a successful moment.
In addition to our article that will enlighten you, our experts at De Lozey House give you the following recommendations:
- First, to preserve the freshness of the champagne, it's better to go for bite-sized appetizers rather than crackers. So, in general, here's the type of bites to pair with champagne.
- Bites made from lightly smoked fish. These can be slices on toast or in the form of rillettes. All toasts on blinis and based on lumpfish or tarama are also excellent champagne pairings.
- Shellfish is a perfect accompaniment for brut or extra brut champagne. Indeed, they pair perfectly with iodized products. Shrimps, cockles, or winkles can also surprise your guests.
- Raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, radishes...) will reign over your aperitif. Those wondering what to eat with champagne can serve vegetables in sticks (carrots, celery, endives...). To match the notes of De Lozey champagnes, opt for vegetables served with a sauce made from yogurt or sour cream. This can be enhanced with a hint of chives, tarragon, parsley, or mint.
- When pairing with De Lozey Blanc de Blancs champagne, think of foie gras on gingerbread toast, ham skewers with pineapple, bacon-wrapped prunes. Sweet and savory combinations that will make an impression.
- Light gougeres are often paired with brut champagne.
Champagne: the best accompaniments during the meal.
If champagne is typically consumed as an aperitif or dessert, know that you can have an entire meal with champagne. In fact, in Champagne, many restaurants will offer you the option to pair your meal with champagne. Since we at De Lozey love what's good, we'll also share some good restaurant recommendations for a weekend in Champagne.
But let's get back to what concerns us, which is what to eat with champagne? When considering food and champagne pairings, finding the right champagne pairing involves considering two things: first, the aromas released by the grape variety, and second, the sugar level of the champagne.
Zero-dosage champagnes like our Cuvée du Dimanche are perfect for delicate flavors. For example, you can pair Brut Nature champagne with a five-pepper fish tartare or lemon zest. You can also pair it with lobster, langoustines, or seafood.
Discover our Cuvée du Dimanche
A very personal champagne, reminiscent of Sunday meals. A blend of all the plots and grape varieties, with the elegance and fine bubbles that characterize the De Lozey house.
For white meats and poultry, opt for Extra Brut champagne. Our Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Noir, will rise to the challenge perfectly if you're wondering what to eat with champagne in terms of white meat. High-quality farmyard poultry like capons or poulardes will be perfectly showcased.
For other meats such as veal, duck breasts, or Asian dishes, prefer our Brut Tradition. This blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay brings floral and fruity notes. It will complement sauces with slightly exotic flavors.
Finally, what to eat with Blanc de Blancs champagne vinified under wood from De Lozey? Slightly more pronounced dishes like snails, parsley frogs' legs, or even sauerkraut.
Food and champagne pairing for cheese
Your meal is coming to an end. After enjoying the dishes, it's essential not to make a mistake at the end. So what to eat with champagne when the cheese platter arrives on the table?
As we mentioned in our article "Advice: which champagne for which cheese?", cheese doesn't necessarily have to be paired with red wine. Indeed, just as some people enjoy cheese with white wine, it's possible to pair cheese and champagne. Therefore, it's essential to respect the characteristics of each. So forget about large cheese platters where all styles coexist. If you want to serve cheese as a champagne pairing, refine your choices!
With brut champagne, soft cheese made from cow's milk is ideal. So you can choose Mont d'Or, Reblochon, or Camembert as champagne pairings. Similarly, hard cheeses will also be suitable. Comté, Cantal, and why not Tomme de Savoie.
With Blanc de Blancs champagne, especially Blanc de Blancs aged in wood, you can also indulge in Cantal or Comté, or even goat cheeses.
With demi-sec or extra-sec champagne, sheep's milk cheese or blue cheese are the best companions for this type of cheese.
Discover our Blanc de Blancs aged in wood
This 100% Chardonnay benefits from aging in barrels, giving it a beautiful patina and exquisite richness, with great complexity on the palate.
Dessert: what to eat with champagne?
For dessert, it would be a bit premature to decree that sweet desserts must be paired with rosé or dry champagne. Far from it. In fact, it all depends on the dessert.
When dessert arrives, it's a solemn moment, especially during a wedding, as it marks the entrance of the pièce montée (a traditional French wedding cake). Choosing the right champagne is crucial. Besides the pièce montée, which could well deserve a vintage champagne, what to eat with champagne for dessert?
Brut or extra brut champagne will perfectly accompany chocolate-based desserts. Our 2008 Vintage with its citrus and white flower notes will pair perfectly with a chocolate-orange mousse or a fondant.
For desserts that are very sweet, such as crème brûlée or sabayon, or for pastries, demi-sec champagne will be perfect. For desserts that have a bit more spice, such as cinnamon, vanilla, or orange blossom, you can consider serving them with Blanc de Noirs champagne. With its 100% Pinot Noir, its fruity notes will create a beautiful harmony with the spices.
For desserts made with fruits, such as fruit tarts, especially red fruits, rosé champagne will be a perfect match.
If you want to serve only fruits as a champagne pairing, we invite you to check out our article on summer fruits paired with champagne to find the best pairings.
Discover our Rosé de Saignée
Sensual, our rosé surprises with its color and dazzles with its intense taste. Its bold character will delight connoisseurs and astonish newcomers.
What are the best accompaniments for rosé champagne?
Slightly fruity, rosé champagne, like De Lozey's Rosé de Saignée champagne, deserves very specific accompaniments. Thus, it can perfectly fit into your aperitifs.
Rosé champagne pairings can be slightly sweet and delicate or, on the contrary, full of character. For example, for the aperitif, you can serve:
- Melon skewers with Serrano ham
- Preparations with an assortment of bread, such as cereal bread, olive bread, bacon bread, or walnut bread.
- Cheese cubes: skewers of gruyère cheese and cherry tomatoes, cantal cheese and grapes, parmesan or aged mimolette shavings.
On the other hand, for main courses, what to eat with rosé champagne? Why not try sweet and savory pairings? Exotic or oriental cuisine will be perfect for pairing with Rosé champagne. Caramelized chicken, Peking duck, pineapple pork, as well as chicken tagine will be perfect.
In terms of cheese, rosé champagne is the champagne for strong cheeses. This is the case with Pont l'Évêque or Maroilles. Its fruity character and acidity provide a real contrast to these powerful cheeses.
For dessert, you can allow yourself to choose sweeter accompaniments for your champagne. So, if you're wondering what to eat with Rosé champagne to make an original dessert, we have a delicate recipe for you. In fact, with our recipe for mini red fruit trifles and brioche, you'll delight your guests' taste buds. Our Rosé de Saignée champagne from De Lozey will enchant your guests with its gentle flavors and fruity notes. Bold, it surprises everyone with its arrogance.
What to prepare with champagne?
Many of you may primarily wonder what to eat with champagne, what to pair with champagne? However, more gourmet enthusiasts may have another question. What to prepare with champagne?
Indeed, we already knew that champagne can be used to make cocktails; here are a few recipes. However, it can also be an integral part of your culinary preparations. Indeed, champagne can be used to create sauces, such as champagne scallops or hot oysters with champagne. For sweet sauces, you can make champagne sabayons, and why not citrus champagne creams for your chocolate cakes.
To create a festive dish or to impress your guests, put on your chef's hat and prepare champagne capon. This refined recipe with its champagne-truffle sauce will be a real marvel. Of course, with such a recipe, champagne pairing is essential. For an exceptional dish, a prestigious extra brut champagne is a must: De Lozey's Cuvée des Gentlemen. The powerful flavors of your dish, especially those of the truffle, will be enhanced.
Discover our Cuvée des Gentlemen
This cuvée impresses with its balance between refined maturity and dynamic youth. Imagined by our master winemakers for discerning palates. It is the most prestigious champagne from De Lozey.
So now you know more about what to eat with champagne from our De Lozey house. We hope we've suggested or inspired you with some ideas? However, if you want to have a recap at hand, we recommend our article on Food and Champagne Pairing: The Ultimate Guide to the Right Balance. Nevertheless, it's all a matter of taste, so it would be even better to create your pairings. We offer a wide range of champagnes, so there's a good chance you'll find the best vintage to pair with your dishes with champagne.