Food & Occasion

What food pairs well with Californian sparkling wine? Seafood from the North Coast tops the list. Dungeness crab has sweet, delicate meat that absorbs the fruit and acidity of a Brut without being overwhelmed. Oysters from Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco, benefit from the wine's freshness and fine bubbles.

Sourdough bread with butter is a Bay Area classic, and its toasty notes meet the brioche character of more mature sparkling wines. Fresh goat cheese from Sonoma County, paired with a pear salad, suits a Blanc de Blancs. Smoked salmon on bread also pairs well with the freshness of a Brut.

Fried chicken and potato chips might seem like the opposite of a Champagne glass, yet the fat is cut beautifully by the acidity and bubbles. This is one of the most popular food pairing tricks with sparkling wine: salty, fried foods are balanced out by acidity.

The richer the dish, the more freshness the sparkling wine needs. A creamy cheese or a buttery dish calls for a Brut with lively acidity, while a fruitier style can handle a bit of spice. There are plenty of occasions for it. In the US, sparkling wine is part of weddings, weekend brunch, and New Year's celebrations, along with vineyard picnics featuring cheese, bread, and fruit. Napa Valley also thrives on winery visits, and Domaine Chandon is considered one of the first wineries there to welcome guests in a deliberate, hospitality-focused way.

And then there's the toast of 1972. Anyone who raises a glass of Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs might recall that a sparkling wine from California once brought two statesmen together at the same table. It doesn't need to be more than a nice moment to remember.