Unique Champagne Food Pairings

As they say – sometimes you need to take chances…

 

Oysters & Champagne, Caviar & Champagne  are some of the classics but booooring since we are now drinking more Champagne and not always have access to Oysters or Caviar!

Classic Champagne food pairings are great for starters, but what happens after you’ve we finished the same old tired combinations? It’s time to get unique and try some Champagne food pairings that can be enjoyed even when you are not wearing a tuxedo. Besides Champagne, there are a lot of great sparkling wine pairings listed below such as Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta and American bubbly.

Fried Mushrooms

It’s a little known secret that fried food and Champagne are best friends. Go for a Blanc de Noirs (a white sparkling wine made with dark grapes like pinot noir) with fried mushrooms. The earthiness in the mushrooms is complimented by the more rich fruity/earthy notes that you’ll find common in a Blanc de Noir. An affordable American Blanc de Noirs such Gloria Ferrer

Mac & Cheese

One of the greatest favorite Champagne pairing  is homemade macaroni and cheese. There are a few important ingredients here for the perfect pairing; the right cheese, the right Champagne, and the right toppings. Don’t get carried away with a sharp cheese. Consider a softer creamery cheese with flavor such as smoked gouda. The Champagne needs to be acidic enough to cut through the cheese without being so strong as to ‘turn’ the cheese. Toppings can be used to fine tune the dish, from pancetta, to truffles, to toasted breadcrumbs. For example, if you were using the smoked gouda, toasted breadcrumbs would be a nice topping to add some crunch and dilute the cheese. Also, when making your mac & cheese use butter, a little cream and american cheese as a base and the flavoring cheese in moderation.

Butternut Squash Ravioli w/Brown Butter Sage

This is a rich but delicate dish…both sweet and earthy as a result of the use of sage and roasted butternut squash. Because it is a slightly sweet dish, it’s important to find a bubbly with inherent sweetness. This classic Italian ravioli dish does wonderfully with Italy’s premiere sparkling wine called Franciacorta. Franciacorta is from Lombardy and actually uses many of the same grape varieties as proper Champagne such as chardonnay, pinot nero (noir) and pinot bianco (blanc). When made with added pinot nero, Franciacorta takes on fruity strawberry notes and a richness of flavor. Franciacorta still hasn’t exploded in the marketplace as much as Champagne so you’re likely to find excellent value from this region. The flavors tend to have slightly less acidity and more fruitiness than most Champagnes and the same toasty-almond character occurs with aging.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Mmmmm…BBQ and Cava. Use a smoky BBQ sauce and avoid having sauce with too much spice. Pick a sparkling wine that isn’t too subtle so that the BBQ doesn’t overwhelm the delicate flavors. Think of a slightly spicy, tangy, smoky sauce on your chicken (or tofu if you’re a vegetarian!). Consider adding caramelized onions and just a few gorgonzola crumbles. Pair this sandwich with a bottle of Cava or Prosecco. Although most value cavas don’t have the delicate complexity of a Champagne, they work perfectly to balance the intensity of something simple like BBQ. chicken over pork or beef as the flavor of chicken is lighter than pork and beef, lending it to a better pairing with bubbles.

Vegetarian Red Bean Chili

This is one of the first non-traditional Champagne food pairings  but  experiment with based on a recommendation.  The champagne  made my cheapo chili taste like god food(what does that mean? I don’t know but it sounds right). It’s the moment where you have your cheddar-cheesy chili bite in your mouth and then you wash your mouth out with it. Cava and red bean chili is a thing. Tell your friends.

DRINK PINK & SUPPORT BREAST CANCER

Choosing pink & fighting Breast Cancer  is also  in the mind of the notable Spirits Companies.

Here are a few that will donate to fighting #BreastCancer

CLASE AZUL TEQUILA SPECIAL EDITION PINK BOTTLE SUPPORTING BREAST CANCER

Choose Pink and join the fight against breast cancer…1 Liter Special Edition Clase Azul Spirits joins the fight against breast cancer by making three thousand Special Edition PINK bottles, whose main purpose is giving life.

Proceeds from the limited edition run of 3000 bottles will support breast cancer awareness and research.

Clase Azul is an ultra premium, 100% Weber Blue Agave, Reposado Tequila. Clase Azul tequila is the perfect marriage between the finest Tequila and a beautiful handcrafted, hand-painted Talavera carafe.

ONLY 3000 PINK BOTTLES. A SPECIAL EDITION CONTAINING 1L OF CLASE AZUL REPOSADO WHOLE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO GIVE LIFE AND FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER. $10 DONATED FOR EVERY BOTTLE SOLD.

PURCHASE CLASE AZUL REPO PINK TEQUILA

Chopin Vodka’s Pink Ribbon Bottle Supports Breast Cancer Awareness

Think Pink this October and support breast cancer awareness with the gift of a bottle of Chopin Potato Vodka.  Chopin, the leading artisanal craft distiller from Poland, has released a special bottle dedicated to breast cancer awareness. Over the last three years, Chopin has donated over $44,000 to support breast cancer research with the proceeds from the Pink Ribbon bottle, with another $15,000 donation planned for 2014.  The limited-edition bottle is a stylish way to give back to a great cause, while enjoying a beautifully crafted spirit from Poland’s leading family distillery.

Chopin Potato, a Gold Medal winner at the 2014 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, has notes of vanilla with a rich, creamy mouthfeel.

Chopin Vodka is distilled from natural ingredients grown locally in Podlasie, Poland northeast of Warsaw. Every part of the Chopin process is done by hand – from picking, cooking and mashing, to fermentation, distilling and bottling.  Water is also harvested locally from a 300-foot Artesian well on the Chopin property. Each bottle contains only three ingredients – the highest-quality, naturally grown potato, yeast, and purified artesian well water.

PURCHASE CHOPIN PINK

 

 

 

 

 

 

BELVEDERE VODKA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF A NEW RED LIMITED EDITION BOTTLE TO RAISE MONEY TO FIGHT AIDS

We have had a huge frenzy  over Belvedere’s latest news.

Belvedere, the world’s original luxury vodka, revealed their new RED limited edition bottle a few days ago  with 50% of profits going to the Global Fund, the leading financier program to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

In support of Belvedere’s partnership with (RED),

#makethedifference

campaign ambassador, musician John Legend, has collaborated with one of our most celebrated artist Esther Mahlangu to design the colorful and bold bottle, inspired by the campaign’s four values: security, support, change and unity.

This limited edition updates Belvedere’s iconic bottle design with a uniquely (BELVEDERE)^RED touch. Replacing the Belvedere Palace on the bottle, Mahlangu’s artwork is a striking and vibrant addition to the bottle. Security, support, change and unity are written on the back of the limited edition in Mahlangu’s handwriting signifying the collective sentiment for all those joining the fight against HIV/AIDS. As the campaign ambassador, John Legend’s signature is featured on the front of the bottle. The bottle is available on sale at select retailers around the world.

Esther Mahlangu joins (BELVEDERE)^RED as a passionate supporter of the AIDS fight. As a famed South African artist, she was the first Ndebele artist to transfer her craft from the exterior of homes, as is tradition in their culture, to the canvas and eventually consumer products. She has been acknowledged with critically-acclaimed success for nearly thirty years, carrying on the traditional painting style of the Ndebele.

“You can be Sotho, Zulu, English, or French, blood is one color. (RED). We can overcome anything when we take it hand-by-hand. Together we can end this.” – Esther Mahlangu