Champagne: the star of end-of-year meals
We're all familiar with champagne's aura, but how did we get here? Historically, who elevated champagne to the status of festive drink? It all began with Clovis. He was crowned king in Reims. To celebrate his coronation, the local drink, champagne wine, was served at the banquet.
As the kings of France were subsequently crowned in Reims, the tradition continued and was reinforced by Louis XIV.
The Sun King loved luxury and prestige, so he naturally associated champagne with celebrations. In fact, it was he who authorized the transport of champagne in bottles, rather than in barrels as had previously been the case. Champagne producers were already promoting their bottles with celebrities such as Marie-Antoinette.
Champagne has stood the test of time as a symbol of French luxury. So it's only natural that for special occasions such as the festive season, champagne should be a major purchase.
Matching champagne with your festive dishes
Like champagne, certain dishes are great classics of the festive season. However, certain types of champagne go better with certain dishes.
Here's a brief summary of our advice on how best to match your New Year's Eve menu with champagne
- foie gras: a demi-sec champagne
- oysters and shellfish: extra brut champagne
- poultry (capon or turkey): a blanc de noirs champagne
- fresh salmon and fish: a blanc de blancs champagne
- lobster: a Blanc de Blancs extra-brut champagne
Have you recognized your favorite dishes from your Christmas or New Year's Eve meals? Then it's time to choose your champagne and chill it. Finally, if you have more than 6 people at your table, you may want to choose a larger container, such as a magnum (equivalent to 2 standard bottles) or a jeroboam (equivalent to 4 bottles). A large container is always impressive on a festive table...
Christmas recipes with champagne
What if, in addition to enjoying champagne, you were to treat yourself to a champagne-based recipe? Champagne can be one of the main ingredients in your recipe. A non-vintage brut champagne will be perfect for these recipes.
If you're more of a fish lover, scallops in champagne sauce are an excellent match. The tender flesh of the scallops is enhanced by the champagne.
If you prefer poultry, capon and turkey are very popular at Christmas. For each of these recipes, you'll need between 30 and 50 cl of champagne. You'll have plenty of time to pour yourself a flute of champagne while you prepare the meal.
A fine foretaste of the festive season...
