Some say Champagne goes with all food. And up until a workshop a few weeks ago, I was pretty convinced anything sparkling went perfectly with oysters (as my math friends would put it; “All A’s are B’s, all B’s are C’s, so all A’s are C’s” – All oysters are food, all food goes with sparkling wine, all oysters go with sparkling wine). But after a wine, champagne and oyster workshop a few weeks ago I’m less convinced that the B statement, and thus the C statement, is true.
My bubble-filled (should i have gone with “sparkling”?) eyes are now open. Montreal wine importers, Oenopole, recently invited some sommeliers, food and beverage writers, and other food friends to a little 5 à 7 chez eux at their office in the Mile End. Theo, Aurelia, Alexis, and Elisabeth were wonderful hosts, giving a tour of their beautifully designed, open-concept office and wine cellar decorated with gorgeous wood furnishings and beams (the cellar is the stand-out) before sitting down to business.
And business meant a couple of wines (including two Champagnes) with platters of oysters. The subject of the workshop was minerality. It’s a term often thrown around with both wine (specifically Chablis) and oysters and has to do with the flavour, but how do you actually describe what it is? How do you know if a wine is more or less mineral than another, or mineral-y(?) at all? “If you want to know what minerality is, taste the wine,” said Theo. And we did. But you weren’t there, so you’ll need to either take my word for it or go pick up a few bottles of your own (the latter being much more highly recommended).
It’s not just the drink that determines a good pairing, it’s also the food, and not all oysters are created equal. We only tested one kind, and the salty varietal (were they Colville Bays?) needed a strong, not-so-acidic wine to contend with and/or balance it. And I think it had something to do with which parts of the tongue were being stimulated by the salt, the “minerality”, and the sweetness of both the wine and oysters.
What We Tasted
Non-Sparkling:
Domaine de la Cadette, Bourgogne, Soeur Cadette 2010, available at the SAQ ($18.25) and through Oenopole: This one is from old vines, and in the wine world that’s a good thing. With age comes…in this case, a floral smell, an oaky, acidic taste and a tannic sensation on the tongue (Aurelia said, “It’s like if you licked a rock.” I’d finish that sentence with, “But better.”) So I liked this wine a lot on its own, but once I threw an oyster into the mix (a slurp of oyster and a sip of wine. Then more wine as I swallowed the wine and chewed the oyster to find a good balance. Others have different methods), I didn’t like it anymore. It was bitter on the back of the tongue. So it’s a great wine, but according to my tongue (which is different than your tongue) it wasn’t the best with the salty oysters.
Better was the Domaine Argyros, vin de Pays des Cyclades, Atlantis 2011, available at the SAQ ($16.65) and through Oenopole, which was sweeter and smoother than the Soeur Cadette. It was more like a Chablis (another classic oyster pairing that doesn’t fit into an argument), and had a sharp start but a soft finish, like petting the oyster to calm down its saltiness.
Then the Champagnes. First, a Pascal Doquet Brut Blanc de Blancs NM, available at the SAQ for $43.25, making it a relatively affordable Champagne. The maker is a gardener-philosopher who speaks about his vines as though they’re his children. He knows every plant. He probably has his favourite but won’t tell the others so he doesn’t hurt their feelings. All in all, he’s a good parent, and his offspring have a lot to show for it. It’s an intentionally acidic Champagne because there’s almost no sugar (dosage) and the high acidity helps the transformation from malic acid to lactic acid, I think. That’s the same healthy acid as lacto-fermented foods, again, I think. They’re all the rage with raw foodists. Not so many raw foodists are into wine, but some think it’s raw food’s version of kosher – check out the cookbook from Pure food and wine in New York if you’re interested. Everyone needs a vice.
Mine would be the Champagne Pascal Doquet Grand Cru – Le Mesnil 2002, available at the SAQ for $74.00. while I respect the acidity of the Brut above, I found it too much with the oysters, and when it warmed to room temp it was too apple-y and weak. Really it was still very good, and you should just drink it before it heats up. But this Mesnil spoils you. It’s much less acidic and can really handle the oysters.
So I won’t just assume anymore that because it’s sparkling it’s great with oysters. And I won’t assume that because it has a lot of that elusive “minerality” that it’s great either. Instead, I’ll only drink Champagne with large groups of people so we can order three or four different bottles after tasting how salty, sweet or mineral the oysters are. Yes, that’s awfully prententious. Yes, I’m kidding. Probably you should just buy one of these wines and enjoy it because they’re all great quality. Then buy 3 or 4 types of oysters and one is bound to be good with your chosen bottle. You’ll save a lot of money that way, and eat more oysters. Win-win. Personally, I’d go with the Argyros or the Mesnil if I had the cash.
But one opinion I had about bubble hasn’t changed since the workshop: Champagnes or sparkling wines don’t need to be saved for the most special occasion. They make any night a special occasion. And we all need a few more special nights. And we definitely need a few more good bottles of wine.
À votre santé! Cheers.
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