I’ve yet to try fried chicken. My favorite pairing thus far has been crab legs.
Does Popeye’s spicy chicken work or will it kill my Champagne?
Oysters, yes! 
I love champagne and caviar. I voted yes, because I love the combo, but my favorite pairing thus far has been with medium extra crispy chicken wings. My lady and I have decided that our favorite date night is 2 dozen of these bad boys and bottle of bubbly in front of a movie on my big screen tv.
I see a lot of votes for fried chicken up there, but I’m assuming people are referring to battered and fried chicken. I’ve yet to try with this or popcorn, but I can assure you that I will, in the very near future.
No, caviar is not the ultimate champagne pairing. But it’s still delicious. Caviar and good, chilled vodka is pretty much perfect, but I like champagne a lot better, so I drink champagne with caviar, which I also love. A caviar delivery interrupted my wedding ceremony - twice! - and neither of us complained.
Fried chicken - fried almost anything - is great with champagne, as is popcorn (I loathe truffled popcorn, but I understand how it appeals). And steak tartare with a good rose champagne is just about perfect in my book.
Really though, who cares about perfect? A rockin’ good combo is a rockin’ good combo, even if something else might be a teeny bit better.
Agree w/Jim…I pair Champagne with just about everything…
We had few wine tastings with our group in the place which makes the best Gougères in Melbourne.
I will almost always pair Champagne with caviar, but not older Champagne. I have found the caviar together with flavors and mouth feel of say 40+ y/o Champagne are detrimental to each other.
Caviar and champagne sounds pretty good to me right now. But I’d also take popcorn. Truffled or just buttered. (Confess to being fine with truffle oil too.)
Gougéres though, well, that for me puts the glass of champagne on a table at a Thomas Keller joint and so, there’s your winner.
If you ever fly down to Puerto Rico you have to tryu the following with your favorite bubbly.
- Bacalaitos - Wafer thin cod fritters
- Cuerito - Crispy and thin pork skin
- Tostones - Plantain fritters
- Alcapurrias- Yam fritters filled with stewed meat
If the champagne is good I’ll even take you to them.
I think Daniel Johnnes who runs the wine programs for Daniel Boulud’s restaurants made a good point when he was quoted in the 2006 book What to Drink with What you Eat:
“I think Champagne and caviar can be a great match. I just think you have to be careful what Champagne you serve. The Champagne should be really vibrant and crisp, Blanc de Blancs is a great Champagne with it. Whereas if you’re going to serve a barrel-fermented or wood-aged Champagne with body, I think caviar can really destroy the flavors. Also, regarding the age of the Champagne: I think it should be young and crisp and fresh.”
I’d add on that I also think it should be as dry as possible (anything above Extra Brut is too sweet in this context) and should emphasize minerality over fruit.
Remy Krug says that popcorn is his favorite accompaniment to Champagne. Ultimate match? Who can say? But I can confirm that Champagne/popcorn is an outstanding match.
My favorite popcorn: Pop in bacon fat, add plenty of fresh ground black pepper, some crumbled bacon, and a dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Caviar and BdB champagne is probably my favorite food & wine pairing in the world, as long as the champagne isn’t oxidative. It’s ruined once its oxidative, just as oysters pair terribly with Chablis that’s showing a more honeyed character.
Thanks for all the recs, guys. Young BdB with caviar sounds like a knockout combo.
Hell no. I love caviar, but even the good stuff has a taste that lingers a lot and messes with any wine, including Champagne. At best, they taste good together but you’re not getting nearly the full experience of the Champagne (if we’re talking about high quality wine). At worst, they can clash and the Champagne doesn’t even taste that good. That all depends on the specific Champagne. Several FAR better pairings have been mentioned. My favorite pairing for Champagne is a nice Blanc de Blancs with sushi or sashimi.
I think the caviar/Champagne pairing often comes down to social conditioning and expectations. We’re taught to think that this pairing is an incredible luxury for a special occasion, and thus our expectations influence our experience. I’ve had the pairing many times, and sometimes it’s great and other times it’s just so-so (for many of the reasons mentioned upthread). But even when the pairing has been just so-so, I’ve had people act as if it’s the most amazing thing they’ve ever had…
Bruce
I love it esp. If the caviar is accompanied with blinis & creme Fraiche. But it has to be a non farmed one. But even better is potatoe salad and a boiled veal sausage 
Raw oyster appetizer with steamed lobster main dish. Potato chip side.
I agree with this. I had an interesting experience working with a very creative local Chef (Beard award winner, worked at Tru, etc.) a few years ago when we partnered up to recreate and modernize an old ocean liner menu for a special dinner. He said it was a very strange experience because the old menus we went through seemed much more about being lavish than they were harmonious.