Champagne vs wine

I love these wide open questions, they stimulate debate over things that we thought were taken for granted...

Protocol?

If you have a run of the mill decent champagne, you generally serve it in flute. An open old-style champagne cup lets the aromas out too quickly, and often the liquid escapes too... messy.

If you have a more serious champagne, then you serve it in a glass somewhere in between the narrow flute and the normal white wine glass. Spiegelau makes a great champagne glass. The very serious chapmagne wines should be in a normal white wine glass.

As for pairings, there are no rules of course, but I generally stay away from champagne at dessert time, and during a meal they can be fabulous. Recent experiments with some of the more "vinous" champagnes like the ones made by our very own AFW newsgroupmate Francis Boulard reveal a mindblowing match with "Noir de Bigorre" ham made from black Gascony pigs, looks like an iberico but has the delicate overtones of a culatello.

Only attempt matching to food if you have a good champagne.

With spaghetti and meatballs, if your spaghetti sauce is well stewed and has no acidity left to it, then a good red is best.

Mike

I believe champagne goes well with any and all foods. I realize this is not a traditional recommendation, but I adhere to Madame Lily Bollinger's philosophy:

"I only drink champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Dimitri

at the less expensive end of the scale, non-vintage Champagne will tend be lighter and more suited to an aperitif & vintage Champagne will be richer, more complex and have more chance of matching a wider variety of food.

As for the red wine, have you tried the 'VacuVin Wine Preserver' vacuum pump. Apart from old wines and Pinot Noir, this has never failed me to keep a bottle drinkable until the next day, put somewhere cool but not the fridge, which can have unpredictable results.

For example I dont think its

If you like Champagne with your spagetti, just do it en enjoy it!

jenny

----------------------------------------------- Bonum Vinum Laetificat Cor!!!

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I don't remember ever seeing my favorite Chianti, Felsina, in a smaller bottle, though they do make at least the Fontarollo (sp?) in 375. But I've seen a lot of 375s of the very fine Isole e Olena, plus the pretty good Viticcio.

On other questions, I agree with Mike ( and Dimitri!).

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Oh Lily!

M.

Fontalloro.

M.

thanks! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

"gedh" ha scritto:

Not for a sparkling wine.

Ciao Cesare

no, but in Rosario's 1st question he was asking how to keep a Chianti until the next day

Right. Your Chianti will be better for such a meal. :)