Champagne Pairs Perfectly with Picnic Favorites

Spring is here and that means many people will be looking to head outside for a picnic. While social distancing certainly limits us to our backyards, front porches, balconies or perhaps even our rooftops, we wanted to share some suggestions for creating the perfect picnic.

First, what to drink? There is no better wine to enliven any moment than Champagne. The sparkling wine that comes only from Champagne, France, offers a diversity of styles that can satisfy any palate and can be paired with a number picnic foods. Many wine stores are still open. Depending on where you live, some online retailers can even ship Champagne right to their door.

Second, what to serve? Here are some Champagne and food pairing suggestions that will make your picnic exceptional.

• For the appetizer, Brie or other creamy cheese pairs well with a non-vintage Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs,
• For the main course, fried chicken pairs well with a light Champagne Rosé from a recent vintage or beef burgers pair well with a well-rounded Champagne Brut made from all three grape varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier),
• For dessert, apple pie pairs well with Champagne Extra Brut or Brut Nature, which have little to no dosage added.

Also, if you want to gain more knowledge about Champagne ahead of the picnic to impress your virtual guests, we encourage you to take the only official Champagne online course launched by the Comité Champagne, which represents the 16,100 growers and 360 houses in Champagne.