Which Champagne to Get for Christmas?

The most festive way to welcome your guests is to uncork a bottle of Champagne for the aperitif! Choose a traditional Champagne, a little lively and not very sweet (Brut Nature or Extra Brut) to awaken your taste buds. Brut Champagnes are best served with foie gras or salmon as an aperitif, preferably Blancs de Blancs or predominantly Chardonnay.

To be on the safe side, choose an Extra Brut Champagne. This is generally the preferred choice for pre-dinner drinks. Its finesse and subtlety make it an all-rounder, and it goes well with most of the dishes on an aperitif platter: seafood and earthy flavours; hot and cold appetisers.

Perrier Jouët invites itself to your festive table for a harmonious, floral, chiselled tasting experience.

Once you've finished your palate cleanser, kick off your meal with a starter.

A Blanc de Blancs Champagne marked by its minerality and low dosage is just the thing. With raw oysters, langoustines, scallops, lobster or langoustine, you need to balance the flavours.

A true Brut Rosé, fine and delicate.

Now it's time for the main course! It's a dish we spend a lot of time cooking: cuisine worthy of great gastronomy!

Non-vintage Brut Champagne is the most common, classic and consensual Champagne, so you can serve it from the beginning to the end of the meal, and it will delight your guests. But with more body, a Vintage Brut Champagne will stand out more with tender white meat. You could pair it with a fine veal chop, sweetbreads, farm pigeon or pork filet mignon. Rosé Champagnes, which are richer and windier, also have a particular appeal when paired with fine poultry. For more savoury meats, such as beef and especially lamb, a Rosé Champagne is a must: the match is more daring but will surprise you!

When it comes to delicacy, Chardonnay takes charge! Blanc de Blancs Champagne goes perfectly with the tender flesh of fish. Freshwater fish (pike-perch, pike or trout) go well with fresh, delicate Champagnes, whose effervescence contrasts with the butter or cream in the dishes. Sea fish (sea bass, sole, red mullet, Saint-Pierre, turbot) call for more balanced or consensual Champagnes. Above all, it's the sauce that determines the choice: a light sauce, a lively wine; a rich sauce, a more mature wine.

Cheese and Champagne pairings are not yet established norms, but there are some wonderful combinations that benefit both cheeses and Champagnes. Vintage Brut Champagne is particularly good with cheese, as its slightly oxidised character goes very well with cheeses that are tasty but not too strong.

As a result, soft cheeses with a bloomy rind (Brie de Meaux or Melun, Coulommiers, Neufchâtel, etc.) as well as regional cheeses with a careful maturing process (Langres, Chaource) or finely cooked cheeses (Comté, Tomme de brebis basque or Parmesan) are the perfect accompaniments. All blue-veined cheeses should be avoided, as they would not go well together.

Try out this deep and complex Taittinger vintage.

The traditional Yule log comes in a multitude of flavours: a fruity version (red fruit, citrus fruit, exotic fruit), a chocolate version, a caramelised version...

Be aware, however, that the Champagne/chocolate pairing is very daring, so it's not the best choice. A Demi-Sec Champagne is generally recommended to finish your meal on a gourmet note. For desserts based on red fruit, citrus or exotic fruit, opt for a Rosé Champagne. Its floral and fruity character makes it a delightful accompaniment!

Check out this fresh, elegant, fine and subtle Champagne.