Ok, so unless you have been living under a rock, I am sure you have seen Pretty Woman, even if it was before your time (I was 8 when it was released). If you haven't, get your favorite bottle of Bubbly and watch it ASAP, and then you can continue reading this educational blog post.
Now that we have established that everyone reading this has, in fact, seen Pretty Woman, let me start again. We all know the scene in the movie when Richard Gere offers Julia Roberts a strawberry to eat with her glass of Champagne. When she asks him why he says it brings out the flavor in the Champagne. He isn't wrong, which is why Champagne and Strawberries are a classic wine pairing. Other foods traditionally paired with Sparkling Wines include oysters, caviar, almost all fish, and light soft cheeses.
What you may not have known is that Sparkling Wine is much more versatile than you would think. Let's start with some food pairings that are not overly obvious but seem somewhat reasonable when you think about them. If you're trying out a Bubbly that's on the sweeter side, you can pair it with sushi, spicy foods, and fruit-forward desserts. The acid in a drier Sparkling Wine pairs nicely with the acid found in fish tacos, and potato chips with Champagne are a tasty nighttime snack.
What about fried chicken? Or other deep-fried foods? YES PLEASE. Even though you don't think Southern cooking and France's finest Champagne would go together, in this case, opposites attract. Speaking of the South, if you make homemade Mac n' Cheese with lighter cheeses, you should serve it up with some Bubbly for a match made in heaven.
Now, go grab your favorite bottle of bubbly, the best food to pair with it, and sit down, relax and watch Pretty Woman because you know you love it. And when I say relax, I mean RELAX because we can help with the clean-up. CHEERS!
