On a whim last night, we enjoyed a small tin of Astrea Schrenkii (wow that’s good - the toro / A5 of caviar?) with some potato chips and the random sparkling wine my wife was using for aperol spritzes (Mumm Napa). Not exactly what I would’ve have pulled if this was planned ahead, but it worked surprisingly well and served the purpose of palate cleaner. Yet, the berserker in me insists a higher quality cuvée would have elevated the experience.
What are some board favorites? Or does it not really matter?
once upon a time i did a dinner for myself and three other mutts in the trade…
La Forêt des Flutes – Ein Spaziergang im Gläserwald
four courses, each with a champagne – had a great time making a colossal mess in the kitchen
highlight of the repast was course number three: the soup
which i called ‘Cream of Alligator Soup’, as follows:
starting with the Chez Panisse recipe for Cream of Avocado (alligator pear) Soup
hold the salsa; lurking beneath the surface, freshly shucked steamed lobster meat
floating on top: Beluga caviar
the wine: 1973 Krug – at that juncture 25 years old and nothing short of magnif
Philippe Lancelot Le Fond du Bateau (we sell this)
Vilmart Grand Cellier
Krug (we sell this)
Jacques Picard Les Bénis (we sell this)
Éléonore Mystère 9 (we sell this)
Antoine Chevaler Carkonnia 2017
And like 20 others and maybe more. Champagne and caviar are like beef and red wine: so many options, so many variations.
With caviar, I like Champagne with a little richness in addition to acid cut for palate cleanse and refreshment. If I want a more astringent palate refresher with caviar, I’ll drink vodka (which I dislike except neat and frozen with caviar). Tonight, we’ll drink Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru, 2016 base, which is drinking nicely at the moment with good body and acidity.
This is interesting to me. I love champagne and I love caviar, but I have never found the combination to elevate either. The caviar just dulls my ability to find any nuance in the champagne, even with a really high-quality caviar. For me, anything bubbly is fine as it’s just a palate cleanser. I would probably rather drink high-quality cava and leave the champagne for another time. That’s not to say I ever turn down Krug or several others listed here.
during the some dozen years i spent selling expensive wine
to very expensive restaurants in Manattan,
one of my clients was Alain Ducasse…
the sommelier in charge of the bev programme
was avidly interested in saké,
saying that Junmai Daigingo was the ideal partner for caviar
in that it took much of the fishyfishyness out of the roe
and accentuated the fruit that lay slightly masked beneath
tried it myself; damn!
also good for the same reason w/ Matjes herring
…i think that depends on the way the caviar is framed –
onceuponatime brown-bagged a bottle of Jacquesson NV Blanc des Blancs
for late luncheon at what was then the new Restaurant Row Russian, Firebird…
the chardonnay made it an absolutely heavenly companion for the Sevruga blinis,
acidity cutting through while texture matching perfectly –
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with champagne and caviar but I agree with James that it will depend on how the caviar is framed. For simple caviar on potato chips, I prefer something leaner with more minerality to bring out the umami. If on a blini with creme fraiche, then something with more intensity and autolytic notes to accentuate caviar’s briny, oceany flavors. Just don’t do something too wood-heavy.
That’s definitely not my opinion. It’s so great with so many things. I feel like sushi is missing something if I don’t have some kind of sparkling wine with it, with a strong preference for Champagne.
I’ve also failed to find caviar + champagne a good pairing, or nearly any other wine for that matter. Vodka is too stiff for my tastes. Sake is perhaps a good substitute. But to be honest it’s not like a caviar tin lasts so long that you absolutely need a beverage between the beginning and the end of it.
Try caviar with a youngish hermitage blanc instead - they intermarry with their oily texture, slight bitterness and salty minerality. Champagne - unless it is really old - just cleanses the caviar from the tongue.