Champagne and caviar? Many people consider the pairing to be a relic of the past, an overly expensive overindulgence without a place in the modern world. But sometimes in the quest for the most novel new fads and the wildest pairings, we lose sight of the time-proven traditions that are as tried and true, and near-perfect, as anything gets.
As with fashion, however, all drink trends eventually come back into style. Case in point: On the West coast, there's The Caviar Company, founded by sisters Petra and Saskia Bergstein. They began in 2015 by selling to restaurants before opening a San Francisco retail location in 2017 and adding a new tasting room at the end of 2020. And in the nation's capital, there's a Champagne-focused bar that opened in the city’s Georgetown neighborhood in spring 2021, filling the empty niche for a spot in which to get good caviar service, or even just Champagne.
Alongside this bubbly burst of new sparkling-wine-centric spots are the longstanding institutions, both stateside and abroad, which have never stopped embracing the classic pairing. The crispy freshness of Champagne combined with the high oil, fat, and saltiness of caviar is bound to be a tasty success, and the feeling of luxury never disappoints. No matter how often you have it, you never tire of it—which is what defines a classic.
It's an undoubtedly indulgent combination, but what more people are finding these days is that it doesn't always need to be a production. One can take the pretentiousness out of these luxury items, and make them approachable to everyone, making every day is a celebration.
Perhaps that contemporary lack of pretentiousness is the key to the Champagne and caviar revival. These tips will allow you to create the same sensational experience with the combination at home.
Bottles to Seek Out
While it's easy to go big-name hunting when it comes to Champagne, try seeking smaller growers and houses. The small family growers that remain and bottle their own are worth seeking out. The entry-level cuvees from any of these can be stellar and life-changing, but their prestige cuvees come in at sometimes half the cost of a larger house’s prestige cuvee. The value is unmatchable in quality.
A fun pairing to try is a saignee rosé, a dark rosé that sees a few days of skin contact, giving it an intense nose of fruit and much more texture. These rosé de saignee Champagnes are a fun new trend coming out of the Aube region, and they are full and luscious companions to the classic pearls.
Caviar Can Be as Varied as Champagne
It’s important to note that your choice of bubbly is not the only variable under your control with a Champagne-and-caviar pairing. The flavor spectrum of caviar is just as diverse as grapes are in the world of Champagne.
Ultimately, pairing caviar and Champagne is an exploratory experience, and that it’s hard to go wrong. However, some of her favorite overarching tips are to match brioche-forward, rich, warm Champagnes with more decadent caviars. Conversely, with bright, mineral, and fruit-forward Champagne, look for a caviar with salinity and earthiness.
Keep in mind that the intense oxidative and fruit qualities of certain Champagnes can hold up to such a rich, flavorful caviar. In other words, you need to pair the extremes in order to enhance the complex flavors that caviar and Champagne both contain.
In general, seasoned caviar lovers crave those big, bold flavors. But that intense level of salty, umami flavor isn't for everyone—especially at first. Some of the current caviar craze can be attributed to the new hybrid Kaluga coming out of China. It’s golden in color, and very mild and creamy, and it has opened the door to a new generation of caviar lovers. The best can be brought out in that more subtle caviar with a Champagne that punches above its weight. Try boosting the impact of a mild, delicate caviar with a Champagne that offers a strong toasty, brioche quality.
Siberian Sturgeon, meanwhile, has a unique flavor profile that calls for a special pairing. This caviar comes to play with rich flavors reminiscent of parmesan cheese that perfectly melt in your mouth. It is truly something special, with a complex flavor profile of dried fruits, honey, and plum, offering the perfect balance of silky mousse and bright acid as a pairing.
How to Store Both Properly
Once you’ve made your pairing selection, it’s important to store both your caviar and your bottle of Champagne properly until you’re ready to crack them open. You don't want to freeze your caviar, and you certainly don't want to freeze and explode your Champagne, but you do want to embrace the chill. Make sure both items are extremely cold when storing, but not freezing. Caviar eggs are delicate; if they see any freezing temperatures they will lose their structure and become watery. Firm, tight, dry pearls are what you are looking for; this implies freshness and proper storage.
A general rule of thumb is that a larger tin of caviar can be stored for a longer period of time. However, never keep anything longer than three weeks unopened. And when you pop that top, you should be ready to go for it, a rule you should already know if you're a Champagne drinker. Once you break the seal on your caviar tins, you need to consume it within 48 hours for peak freshness.
The Classic (Or Not-So-Classic) Service
The Champagne-and-caviar service you probably envision, with all of the little accompaniments and add-ons, remains the gold standard. You can serve caviar with crème fraiche, chives, egg white and egg yolk, shallots, and capers, over blini or, better yet, little sourdough waffles. The waffle craters are the perfect nest to pile in all your favorite flavors and create the perfect bite. Of course, you can tailor that with any twists or turns or substitutions that you please, similar to how you might construct a customized charcuterie board with your favorite items.
Every individual has their own unique combination of flavors that they prefer, which makes it an individualized experience. As with the traditional adornments mentioned above, think of a mix of bold flavors, incorporating everything from salty and savory to rich and creamy. Combining those textures and notes in your favorite way is the key.
Or just serve it right off of a mother-of-pearl spoon, with a glass of bubbles. Mother-of-pearl became de rigueur as a stylish-yet-neutral utensil when our caviar-loving forebears realized that the metal of real silverware could upset the delicate flavors of caviar.
Indeed, staying simple and straightforward might just be the best way to appreciate how exceptional the pairing of Champagne and caviar has always been and always will be.
Keep it simple: Let the products speak for themselves, and let the tastes unfold. There is no need to optimize what is already perfection.
