Champagne, Fried Food’s Best Friend

Champagne: a celebratory drink for every victory and a companion to most food types. Not to be mistaken for sparkling wine, which is basically its own category, Champagne is granted its name by the place it is made in — Champagne, France.

This ichor from France has been paired with so many types of food, but none so irresistible and so appealing as when paired with fried food. It is, in essence, a contrast between the highs (the classiness of Champagne) and the lows (the simplicity of fried food).

Fried food has always been a guilty pleasure. It comes in so many varieties across many types of meat, but there are a few things that ring true regardless of what type of meat you choose to fry. The richness of the flavors, the greasy, salty juices, the satisfying crunch you get with every bite that devolves into a tender, succulent release as the juices leave the meat.

Champagne comes with a hint of sweetness that balances out the saltiness of the fried food and the acidity found in bubbly makes your mouth water and leaves you craving for another bite. Champagne even grants you several health benefits.

The great thing about pairing Champagne and fried food is that it’s almost the same as pairing basic clothing (plain tops and bottoms, muted colors) — while some combinations may be better than others, there’s really no wrong way to pair them.

There’s no urgent need for technical knowledge because the pairs go together naturally. This means that even beginners are able to enjoy this pairing without having to fear making disastrous decisions. The only thing to watch for are the best possible pairings you can make, and these are some of the best possible combinations:

Fish and Chips

Chips (though they’re called French fries everywhere else) were brought to Britain from France and they were called pommes frites. The fish is deep-fried in a crispy batter and served with chips. You can use a wide variety of fish in this dish, and if you’re feeling extra experimentative, you can even try this tilapia recipe.

Fried Chicken

What more is there to fried chicken than seasoning, optional batter, and a skillet in which to deep-fry the chicken? Fried chicken is different because the cuts are made at the joints and it is characterized by crispy skin and juicy meat.

Calamari

This Mediterranean-style fried squid is battered, deep-fried, and cut into bite-sized servings. This delicacy is accentuated by a sweet taste that’s perfectly contrasted by the flaky exterior, and it makes for popular entrees and appetizers.

Bacon

Most people love bacon. It’s salt-cured meat that’s best taken from pork belly, deep-fried, and served either on its own or as a side dish. Crispy, succulent, and juicy, bacon is one of the tastiest fried food that you could ever pair with champagne.

French Fries

For those who adopt a no-meat diet, french fries are the perfect fried accompaniment to Champagne. These are allumette-cut, seasoned, and deep-fried potatoes, and are either eaten on their own as a snack or as a side with an entree. The main differentiating trait between fries and chips is that fries are cut thicker and longer.
Regardless of which of these dishes you decide to pair with Champagne, the key takeaway here is that fried food and Champagne go well together because of the contrast they present. The flavors are simple and they balance each other out. There isn’t a single vini et fritti (wine and fried) pair that you could go wrong with.