Ellerman House’s executive chef on Champagne and food pairing

If there’s a spirit of the festive season, then it is most certainly sparkling wine. This libation of celebration, be it Champagne or our local Cap Classique, has long been the go-to for holiday quaffing and is naturally used to ring in the New Year. So we thought we’d get you the lowdown on pairing bubbly – giving you the upper hand when it comes to impressing this holiday season.

Who better than Chef Kieran Whyte, the executive chef at Cape Town’s most prestigious address, Ellerman House Hotel, to run through the process. The chef has paired dishes with wine from the world’s leading Champagne Houses over the course of the last year.

The first point the chef notes is the versatility of Champagne, most people think of it as being suitable for welcome drinks or for starters and nothing more, but it can really take you through a full dinner service – as the chef as demonstrated for the likes of Champagne Drappier, Moët et Chandon, and Champagne Philipponnat amongst others.

“I think its more versatile than most people realise. You can do some really cool and unexpected pairings. For instance, Billecart Salmon Rose can work with lamb chops. You can also play around with temperatures of the bubbly to change their pairing options. A really good bubbly, one must remember, should be a good still wine at the end of the day too.” he explains.

Though this hardly means Champagne is only suited for fancy dinners, according to Whyte it also works really with our favourite junk foods. French fries, hotdogs and hamburgers all work wonderfully with sparkling wine, the acidity and effervescence contrasting against the salty, oily and often crunchy components of these dishes. Boeries and bubbly, anyone?

The same holds true for small plates and tapas, the complexity allowing a single bottle to pair well across a number of different flavours. With all the styles Champagne offers, you can cover plenty of paring options. Whether acidic and fresh or big and rounded, there’s generally a Champagne to suit any dish.

When it comes to pairing, the chef suggests starting with the wine. It’s the way they conceptualise these menus at the hotel. The wine is the starting point and the dish is then built around it,  there’s no need to compromise on the pairing. Look at the style of Champagne, the acidity, the nostes on the nose and palate as well as the texture and mouthfeel, and then start building your dish from there.

“Generally one creates a dish and then you have to find a wine on your list that works, so it’s never going to be a perfect match. Whereas at Ellerman, we taste and explore the wine and discuss it before, so we have a clearer understanding of what will work from the start and can then create the perfect dish. For these types of dinners we look at the food as supporting and showcasing the wine.” Whyte explains.

When it comes to his stand out pairing of the year, he mentions what was in my opinion a superlative dinner with Champagne Drappier. Here he paired a roast butter chicken with sultana and potato chaat as well as textures of pistachio and tomato with Drappier Rosé de Saignée Brut. It was a pairing which even impressed the French guests, the unusual and interesting Indian flavours worked so well with the Champagne – a rare production of rosé champagne using the saignée method, resulting in a remarkably expressive and extremely fresh wine.

It’s clever pairing through and through, Chef Kieran having these combinations down to a near science.

Looking towards the festive season the chef sees many opportunities to incorporate sparkling wine into his celebratory cooking. Looking to our local Cap Classiques he recommends the following pairings for home enjoyment:

• Oysters, Tabasco, lemon and black pepper with a non vintage Graham Beck
• A cheese board with an Aged Blanc de Blanc from Pieter Ferreira
• Tuna sashimi with ponzu, Japanese mayo and spring onion with Colmant Brut
• Braaied prawns in a peri-peri sauce with Silverthorn The Green Man

So as you plan your holiday menus and family lunches, take a leaf out of this chef’s book, and, why not reach for a bottle or two of bubbles to accompany your meal.