The Mag

Which champagne to choose for the New Year?

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New Year’s Eve is the last night before we enter the next year full of promises. It is the festive event of excellence, the one that will bring the past year to a close while opening a new optimistic and joyful year ahead. Whether it’s with friends or family, we can help you prepare for it!

New Year's Eve “informal" option

This year, for the end of year celebrations, you have decided to put a little less emphasis on the big dishes and to instead choose a rather informal evening, just between close friends. However, the champagne should not be left out, and even on the contrary.

If it loves splendour and celebration, it also knows how to accompany more intimate evenings and more delicate tastings. For an aperitif dinner, you could play with small bites and other glassware galore: foie gras on gingerbread toast, pan-fried langoustines, vegetable tempura, salmon eggs on blinis. Serve a bottle of Brut or Extra Brut champagne (the lowest sugar content). Rather delicate, they have the merit of being consensual enough to please everyone and to accompany all small tapas without discrimination.

Not too strong and "saturating" flavours

Champagne is a very delicate wine and does not go well with all dishes. Avoid products that are too spicy or saturated with salt, such as peanuts, olives or chorizo. On the other hand, iodine is the greatest accomplice of champagne.

A magnificent seafood platter accompanied by an excellent Millesime can be absolutely remarkable. And what about a beautiful truffle. Just grated on a piece of toasted and buttered bread. Champagne becomes a great companion with its aromatic excess.

Not much choice...but the right one!

The objective is not to disturb your guests with too many different champagnes or white wines in alternation, as they would quickly reach saturation. To make it simple, you can propose a champagne for the savoury food, and a champagne for the dessert, nothing more.

New Year's Eve “formal" option

This year’s New Year’s Eve meal is a sit-down affair with delicacies. A real festive table where the most elaborate recipes are honoured to celebrate the 31st of December with sophistication. You can have 3 types of vintages, but no more. A traditional meal is longer and allows for more options than an aperitif dinner.

Opt for a Brut champagne for the aperitif, less typical, it is a nice starter drink and pleases everyone. You can continue tasting it with the starter. Whether it is with oysters or foie gras, it works just as well. The main course can be accompanied by a more exceptional champagne, a Millesime for example excels with a truffled white pudding. A Blanc de Blancs is best served with noble fish in a creamy sauce, and a Blanc de Noirs with a fine farmhouse poultry.

The dessert as a sparkling conclusion

Desserts call for champagnes with a slightly higher sugar content, so you may want to select another cuvée to conclude the dinner, especially a Demi-sec. Take advantage of this by offering it with cheese, such as a tomme de brebis or a fresh goat’s cheese.

Then serve it with dessert, a nice exotic fruit buche or fresh fruit sabayon. Rosé champagne can also be an alternative, it works particularly well with red fruits.

All that’s left is to wish you a happy holiday season!

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