Date of publication 05/07/2017
El lujo es esto: How to pair champagne with the sea
Reasons, inspiration, and tips for enjoying champagne by the shore
Champagne, and nothing else. Let me tell you a secret: even the most devoted wine purist, if forced to choose just one drink for the rest of their life, would drink only champagne. This passion has moved beyond connoisseurs to beach bars and seaside chiringuitos, from exclusive cellars into everyday life. Let’s raise a glass to that.
The new drink of summer
More champagne is being enjoyed than ever before, and better champagne at that. We like it at any hour. With breakfast on more than one occasion, a glass with an aperitif, ideally in the sun, naturally paired with almost any lunch, and why not, a small bottle in the afternoon leading into that golden hour at sunset, especially now, in a summer filled with flowers and a sense of hope. But beyond its versatility at any moment of the day, champagne has also claimed its place year-round. At last, people have broken away from seasonal habits, and bubbles have taken over summer. Then there is the atmosphere, that savoir vivre that has made its way onto the beaches, elevating the setting, the imagery, the ritual of sunbathing, and turning the coastline into the perfect natural stage for toasting with the sparkling wine par excellence.
I could list a thousand reasons for this obsession with the drink of kings. To begin with, champagne follows only one rule: pleasure, unlike so many other wines concerned with pomp, artifice, and solemnity. Not champagne. Here, what matters is life, the moment, friends, pleasure, and the now, the only thing that truly counts. I speak with Fernando Angulo, a winemaker from Ronda and owner of Alba Viticultores in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, whose wine was named Best Revelation Wine of 2017 by the Peñín Guide. “Why Champagne? Because it is temptation and surrender, melodies of seduction, an endless dream you never want to leave. It should be enjoyed with respect for those who worked the vineyard, always in good company, both people and food. It should be drunk moderately and immoderately, without dwelling on anything unpleasant, letting yourself be carried by a wave of pleasure, by that northern air that so often ends in the south.” Is there any doubt that this collection of moments finds its perfect ally in summer?
This gradual refinement of summer is confirmed by Jean Pierre Semal, sommelier at the Ocean Club at our hotel in Marbella, who has spent ten years watching champagne become the ultimate elixir across its daybeds and loungers: “It’s a mix of the weather, the beach, and the atmosphere… It’s the champagne vibe. Champagne was missing from the beach twenty years ago. The people who come here have it in their blood. They want to drink champagne.”
Added to all this is a clear shift in direction, a turning point in which the drink of kings has shed its old stereotypes. On this note, Jorge Dávila, head waiter at A’Barra and recently awarded Best Head Waiter in Madrid, highlights the importance of this broader change in mindset, which has freed both the wine and its rituals from outdated clichés. Ultimately, preconceived, somewhat snobbish ideas are giving way to a more relaxed, less rigid way of enjoying it: “Fortunately, all the stereotypes around drinking these wines have been broken, especially when it comes to key aspects such as temperature, since the colder it is, the more its qualities are diminished. I prefer it between 50 and 54°F. And pairings, because it can no longer be seen as just an aperitif or dessert wine. People now understand that it works beautifully with almost any dish.” Fewer myths, more enjoyment, and above all, the triumph of bubbles on the sand, an unbeatable paradigm.
Let’s talk about service and glassware
An interesting topic. For years, the collective imagination has firmly linked this wine to one specific glass: the flute. This association is not arbitrary. Its slender shape helps preserve carbonation, the true secret behind champagne’s fermentation. However, as palates have become more refined and the range of styles has expanded, a new preference has emerged for the wider, rounded Burgundy wine glass, which allows more aromatic wines to breathe. Semal prefers, and I agree, the classic wine glass: “People ask for champagne flutes, but I prefer a Burgundy glass for its elegance and because it lets you appreciate more nuances.” He is not alone. The great champagne houses, along with sommeliers in top restaurants everywhere, have made it clear: the era of the flute is coming to an end. And honestly, that is something to celebrate. A wider glass is where the full aromatic range of pinot noir or chardonnay can, and should, be enjoyed.
David Robledo, National Gastronomy Award winner and Best Sommelier in Spain at the 2016 Gourmets Awards, shares the same view:“Champagne is a wine, a sparkling one, but a wine nonetheless, and it should be served in a wine glass. I really don’t like flutes because they don’t allow you to enjoy champagne as it deserves.” Still, while the debate continues between aesthetics and gastronomy, Semal offers a simple solution: “Like everything, it depends on the attitude you drink it with.”
As for serving temperature, the Ocean Club sommelier is clear: “A good champagne should be served at around 45°F in hot weather. If it’s colder, it will lose its flavors and nuances. The problem is that in summer, people want it at about 37°F because of the heat. At that temperature, it’s easier to drink, and many bars prefer it that way to sell more.” David Robledo also criticizes this practice: “The best way to enjoy it is chilled, but never ice cold.” Once again, the same tension between palate and appearance, between what best reveals the wine’s complexity and what occasional, summer drinkers have come to expect.
Types of champagne, in other words, grape varieties
To talk about champagne is really to talk about terroir and viticulture. Because every time you order a champagne, you are choosing one of its three classic varieties. First, Chardonnay, the queen of white grapes, is in part because few varieties express terroir, identity, and origin as clearly.
Second, pinot noir, the dream of every wine lover, the Everest of viticulture. The most difficult grape, the least adaptable, the most capricious, and the most sensual. It is likely the best suited for pairing with a full gastronomic menu. And finally, pinot meunier, perhaps the most undervalued, and precisely for that reason, often the most surprising.
As for sweetness levels, let me be clear: brut nature is the only respectable option. “Brut nature,” “Brut,” and “Sec” refer to the amount of dosage, added sugar, in the fermented grape juice. The first contains less than three grams per liter, Brut less than fifteen, and Sec can reach up to 35 grams. And that is not wine, it is dessert. As for color, which depends on the must used in fermentation, rosé has gained popularity, especially among women, as Semal confirms: “Women tend to prefer rosé.” Still, it is a sparkling wine with less complexity and purity than a brut.
Let’s talk about food and pairings
Robledo, like Pitu Roca, believes wine is not paired; it is harmonized. “From a gastronomic perspective, it is a great ally for sommeliers, especially because of its versatility. It works perfectly throughout an entire meal, from aperitif to dessert, and it’s ideal for guests who prefer not to switch wines. It also helps solve tricky pairings with dishes like asparagus, salads, or creamy textures.” By the sea, right on the beach, Semal offers his winning combination: “I always recommend it with cold dishes: sushi, salmon, salads.” Ultimately, small, refined bites accompany this elevated coastal dining experience. Jorge Dávila is even more direct about when and where to enjoy bubbles: “The best pairing is drinking it in the bathtub, nicely chilled, alone or with company, that’s up to each person.”
Cheerful, vain, noisy, outrageous, flirtatious, and boastful. The words are Julio Camba’s, and I can think of no better ending for this unapologetic love letter to the only drink that truly matters. Cheers.
JESÚS TERRÉS
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