New Year's Eve is the last evening before the next year full of promise. It is the festive meeting par excellence, the one that will close the past year while opening a new optimistic and joyful parenthesis. Whether it takes place with friends or family, we help you prepare for it as best as possible!
New Year's Eve "informal" option
This year, for the end-of-year celebrations, you have decided to go a little less over the top and to favor an informal evening, just with close friends. However, champagne should not be left out, and even on the contrary.
If he loves pomp and celebration, he also knows how to accompany more intimate evenings and more delicate tastings. For an aperitif dinner, you could play on small bites and other verrines in abundance: foie gras on gingerbread toast, lightly fried langoustines, vegetable tempura, salmon eggs on blinis. Serve a bottle of Brut or Extra brut champagne (the lowest in sugar). Rather delicate, they have the merit of being consensual enough to please everyone and to accompany all the small tapas without discrimination.
No overly strong and "saturating" flavors
Champagne is a very delicate wine and does not pair well with all foods. Avoid products that are too spicy or saturated with salt, such as peanuts, olives or chorizo. On the other hand, iodine is champagne's greatest accomplice.
A magnificent seafood platter accompanied by an excellent vintage can be absolutely remarkable. And what about a beautiful truffle? Just grated on toasted and buttered bread, it finds with champagne a companion to its aromatic excess.
Few choices... but the right ones!
The goal is not to disturb your guests with too many different champagnes or alternating white wines, they would risk reaching saturation very quickly. To put it simply, you can offer a champagne for the savory part, and a champagne for dessert, nothing more.
New Year's "formal" option
This year, the New Year's meal is seated in front of delicate dishes. A real festive table where the most elaborate recipes are in the spotlight to celebrate December 31st with refinement. You can plan 3 types of vintages, but no more. A traditional meal stretches out longer and allows more options than a dinner aperitif.
Opt for a Brut champagne for the aperitif, less typical, it makes a great introduction and pleases everyone. You can continue tasting it with the starter. Whether with oysters or foie gras, it works just as well. The main course can be accompanied by a more exceptional champagne, a Millésime for example excels with a truffled white pudding. A Blanc de blancs is fully expressed with noble fish in a creamy sauce, and a Blanc de noirs with a beautiful farmhouse poultry.
Dessert as a sparkling conclusion
Desserts require champagnes with a slightly higher sugar content, so you can select another vintage as a dinner conclusion, particularly a Demi-sec. Take the opportunity to offer it with the cheese, such as a sheep's milk cheese or a fresh goat's cheese.
Then serve it with dessert, a beautiful log with exotic fruits or a fresh fruit sabayon. Rosé champagne can also be an alternative, it works particularly well with red fruits.
All that remains is to wish you happy holidays!
