Pairings
What loves what.
A working list, not a commandment. Match weight, match acid, or match the sauce — then ask the sommelier if the table is still arguing.
Seafood
Oysters
Salt, brine, a little sweetness. The wine should taste like a squeeze of lemon and a cold sea.
- Muscadet
Lees, salt, and a price that lets you open two.
- Chablis
Kimmeridgian and oyster-shell folklore that actually works.
- Champagne (Blanc de Blancs)
When the occasion is the point.
- Muscadet
Seafood
Sushi and sashimi
Clean fish, soy, wasabi, vinegar rice. Aromatic whites and bubbles beat oaky Chardonnay.
- Champagne or dry sparkling
Acid and bubbles reset soy and ginger.
- Dry Riesling or Grüner Veltliner
Citrus and herb for fish and pickle.
- Chablis or light Chenin
Mineral whites that don't coat the palate.
- Champagne or dry sparkling
Cheese
Brie, Camembert, triple-crème
Rind and butterfat. Champagne is the move; a gentle Pinot is the other.
- Champagne or sparkling
Bubbles cut cream; brioche echoes rind.
- Pinot Noir
Red fruit without crushing the cheese.
- Chardonnay
Especially with baked Brie.
- Champagne or sparkling
Bird
Fried chicken, fries, anything golden
Salt, crunch, fat. Bubbles are not a joke pairing; they are the correct one.
- Champagne or Crémant
Acid and CO2 scour the crust.
- Cava Reserva
Same idea, kinder price.
- Riesling kabinett
If there is hot sauce involved.
- Champagne or Crémant