An expert guide to pairing holiday sparkling wine.
The holiday season and sparkling wine always find each other. Nothing announces an occasion quite so festively as the pop of a cork. And while sparkling wine gets typecast as a toast, something sipped standing up, three of Atlanta’s sharpest wine minds make the case this season for pulling it through the entire meal, from caviar to cheese course. We asked Perrine Prieur of Perrine’s Wine Shop, Olivia Sprott of Sidetracked Wine Co. and Princeton Saunders, lead sommelier at Aria, how they’d build a holiday table around bubbles alone.
Oysters call for bright acidity and mineral snap. Prieur reaches for the NV Van Hunks Cap Classique Brut from South African winery Stellenbosch. “Its bright citrus, crisp acidity and mineral freshness complement the oyster’s briny character while cleansing the palate,” she says. “It is a wonderful example of serious sparkling wine at an approachable price of $34.” Saunders goes French with the Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier 1er Cru Brut, describing “lemon curd and white peach, high acidity with a silky, long finish and very fine mousse (tiny bubbles).” Sprott keeps her philosophy simple. “A Blanc de Blancs Champagne is always a classic choice to drink alongside oysters and caviar, and I tend to reach for fresh, fruit-forward bottles to balance out salty seafood,” she says.
Caviar asks for more textural weight. Prieur’s pick, the Doyard Cuvée Vendémiaire 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, matches well. “Doyard bottles its Champagne at a lower pressure, creating a softer, creamier mousse that beautifully complements the texture of the caviar,” she says. “Its chalky minerality, freshness and subtle richness are a natural match for the caviar’s delicate salinity.” For Saunders, Champagne Collet 1er Cru Blanc de Noirs offers a different profile. He tastes “green apple with subtle red fruits like blackcurrant and wild cherry underneath and a touch of sweet bread and almond.”
Steak tartare needs a wine built to cut through richness. Prieur recommends the Henri Billiot Grand Cru Brut Rosé from Ambonnay. “Its Pinot Noir–driven structure and generous red-fruit character complement the beef, while its vibrant acidity balances the richness of the egg yolk and seasoning,” she says. Saunders takes the opposite approach, going bigger and yeastier. “For our steak tartare, I prefer a bottle that is more bready,” he says, pointing to the 2010 Saint Chamant Cuvée de Chardonnay that he describes as having “complex, brioche, chalky minerality with Meyer lemon that is full and rich.” Sprott’s move is more playful. A sparkling rose, like Domaine Sérol’s Turbullent, she says, is a great companion to steak tartare.
For something of their own choosing, each expert went off-script. Sprott’s answer doubles as a philosophy. “When all else fails, Lambrusco and pizza never disappoint,” she says. “We host Pizza Kusina for pizza popups at Sidetracked, and I always love these sparkling red wines with their pies that have a bit of spice to them.” Saunders finds a pleasing pairing in Aria’s citrus-cured Hamachi with the Henri Dosnon Brut Rosé. “Dried strawberry and raspberry notes with a citrus tang and white pepper” is how he describes the moment.
Prieur closes on something personal, pairing warm gougeres with Parigot & Richard’s Quartier Libre. “This pairing is especially personal to me because I grew up in Burgundy where warm gougeres are a classic accompaniment to wine,” she says. “The wine’s citrusy freshness and fine bubbles balance the savory richness of the cheese, creating a pairing that is festive, delicious and unmistakably Burgundian.”
ARIA
404.233.7673
aria-atl.com
@ariaatlanta
PERRINE’S WINE SHOP
404.254.5077
perrineswine.com
@perrineswine
SIDETRACKED WINE CO.
770.274.6749
sidetrackedwine.co
@sidetrackedwineco
