Shimmering Gold

With the holidays in full swing, sparkling wine twinkles across tables like ornaments on a Christmas tree. And, with college bowl games starting up, they should also be lighting up tailgate tables as well. Popping a cork and ripping open a bag of potato chips results in the perfect pair. Cheers to sparkling wine and fried food!

The Golden Pairing

There’s a reason that this pairing is so delish and why there is even a day dedicated to champagne and french fries (January 10). Food with a high fat content, not to mention salty factor, does best with something that contains a high acidity level. The golden shimmer of sparking wine, while delicate and fresh, is a fierce warrior when it comes to cutting through the golden crispy goodness of fried food. The sparkling wine is almost like a natural palate cleanser.

Sparkling Options

What’s great about sparkling wine, is that you can dress it up or down. There are simply so many options. You can go with the fried wings and Cava route on Super Bowl Sunday, or splurge and pop open a vintage Champagne and pair with fried lobster on Valentine’s Day.

The reality is that there is a sparkler for every budget. And, I even recently heard that sparkling is a great pairing for a juicy steak!

Sparkling Cheat Sheet

While Champagne is the grande dame of sparkling wine, it comes with a price. There are also others made outside of the Champagne region of France, and they can’t be called Champagne, but it does make them more budget friendly.

Cava: Made in Spain using the same traditional method as Champagne. Can come in either white or rosé varieties and is an affordable option (click here for a good one). Cava is bright and dry. $

Crémant: Made in France, but outside the Champagne region. Think of it as Champagne’s little sister. The lower carbon dioxide pressure was thought to give this wine a creamy rather than fizzy mouth-feel, hence its name. $-$$

Champagne: Made in the Champagne region of France. Can be aged and is yeasty in flavor. $$-$$$

Prosecco: Made in Italy, Prosecco can tend to be slightly sweeter on the palate. $