Everyone knows size matters. But when it comes to champagne, tiny makes me happy. What can I say? It’s the little things in life that can make an ordinary day exceptional. Champagne and caviar are one of my favorite ways to add a little celebration into the week. The pop of the cork (though it is really more of a light hiss if you are opening your bottle properly) and tiny bubbles floating to the top of the champagne flute have a way of putting a smile on my face in about 5 seconds. Champagne has a way of making everything a little more special. Pair it with caviar and you have yourself one heck of a soiree! What makes this even better is the fact that, like sex, the celebration can be impromptu and accomplished in under five minutes.
For Wine Pairing Weekend this month, I purchased a bottle of Pertois-Moriset Grand Cru Brut at the local Total Wine & More. This is one of its direct wine offerings and retails for $39.99, which puts it in the moderate price range for Champagne. The Champagne is dry, crisp and has nice hints of citrus. You get the traditional yeasty nose with just a hint of floral or honey. Wine Spectator gives this Champagne a 92 rating and, at the price, this is a very respectable bottle of Champagne that I would purchase again.
I paired the Pertois-Moriset Grand Cru Brut with one of my favorite appetizers: Caviar Dreams. Caviar Dreams are similar to Latkes but made with sliced English Cucumbers. You combine the cool of the cucumber with smoky salmon, a little tang from crème fraiche, and a salty punch from the caviar. A bit of heaven in each bite. These are easy to assemble and can be made ahead of time or last minute, which makes them great for entertaining. This appetizer is a veritable crowd pleaser.
A special thanks to Cindy of Grape Experiences this month for hosting Wine Pairing Weekend.
Great Sparkling Pairings from our Wine Pairing Weekend Group
Culinary Adventures with Camilla rel=nofollow will be “Celebrating with Lemon-Poached Scallops with Caviar Limes and Champagne”
A Day in the Life on the Farm rel=nofollow is excited to share “An Assortment of Appetizers with a California Champagne”
Curious Cuisiniere rel=nofollow has paired “Italian Panettone and Sparkling Wine”
Pull That Cork rel=nofollow is “Celebrating In Style with Giulio Ferrari for #winePW”
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog rel=nofollow is planning “A 3-Course Sparkling Wine Dinner with Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut”
Grape Experiences rel=nofollow is excited for the holidays with “Le Medaillon Brut NV and Normandy Fondue”
Dracaena Wines rel=nofollow is ready to talk about “Why We Love Sparkling (And You Should, Too!)”
WinePassItaly rel=nofollow will be enjoying “Asti Spumante with Hazelnut and Torrone Semifreddo for #WinePW”
FoodWineClick rel=nofollow is preparing “Easy Holiday Appetizers & a Sparkler from South Africa”
Cooking Chat Food rel=nofollow is planning “Kale Pesto Crostini Wine Pairing That Sparkles”
Rockin’ Red Blog is sharing “A Sparkling Good Wine and Food Pairing” rel=nofollow
Austrian Wine USA rel=nofollow is sharing “Austria’s Sekt with Smoked Char Cucumber Canapes”
Roero Consorzio rel=nofollow gives us “Sparkling Wines: Roero Arneis Spumante DOCG”
- 1 English Cucumber
- Crème Fraiche - about ¼ cup
- Scottish Smoked Salmon
- Caviar
- Dill
- Slice English Cucumber and place on plate. Tear or cut a small piece of salmon to top on cucumber. Dollop a little crème fraiche on salmon. Add a smidge of caviar to top of crème fraiche. Garnish with sprig of dill.
Beautiful photos, Christy! I’m not a big fan of caviar all alone, but your bites look great.
The perfect pairing. Great job Christy and I know the feeling. I didn’t get any photos once the party started either.
Great pairing and you have to love something that looks so amazing and takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. Perfect! You had me laugh out loud with your sex an 5 minutes statement. :o)
The photograph is beautiful! I can’t wait to serve this appetizer during the holidays – with bubbles of course. Thanks, Christy!!
I love your pairing! I’m going to make these at some point. Yum!
What an elegant presentation and I love all of these ingredients. Nice pairing, Christy!
Love your app Christy! Perfect for Champagne!
These are absolutely beautiful!