Odd wine pairing - Champagne with BBQ ribs?

Some friends and I went out to dinner Saturday night and the restaurant menu listed a wine pairing for each entree. Common sense advice like Cabernet Sauvignon with the beef filet, Pinot Noir with the salmon, Viognier with the chicken, etc. But then I saw BBQ ribs and the recommended wine pairing was Champagne. Now I realize Champagne is highly versatile, but if someone asked me to recommend a wine pairing for BBQ ribs I would probably say something like Zinfandel. Champagne never would have even occurred to me. Am I missing something? Has anyone ever tried this combination?

Dave,

I've not had the combo before and am not sure I would try. I am a champagne fan but at current prices, I would steer to beer with bbq ribs. Certainly the style of bbq preparation for the ribs would also influence me to a friendlier pairing, perhaps zin, syrah or Hanks Root Beer.

[Jenise]

Some friends and I went out to dinner Saturday night and the restaurant menu listed a wine pairing for each entre. Common sense advice like Cabernet Sauvignon with the beef filet, Pinot Noir with the salmon, Viognier with the chicken, etc. But then I saw BBQ ribs and the recommended wine pairing was Champagne. Now I realize Champagne is highly versatile, but if someone asked me to recommend a wine pairing for BBQ ribs I would probably say something like Zinfandel. Champagne never would have even occurred to me. Am I missing something? Has anyone ever tried this combination?

Are you sure they weren't reccomending Andre Cold Duck?

True champagne seems a bit of a stretch, but I could see Prosecco being a nice match depending on the nature of the sauce.

There's a resto near us that recommends champagne paired with ribs. Haven't tried it and probably won't as it doesn't appeal to that little taste palette we have in our brains that sends signals to the other palate. Think I'll stick to a fruity shiraz, merlot or burgundy.

Champagne and BBQ'ed ribs. Now those are two of my most favorite things in the world. I have never had them together, but would absolutely give it a try. They say Champagne is the most versitile of all wines...
Interestingly, I had a sparkling Shiraz a few years back. Now that might be the ultimate pairing for BBQ'ed ribs!

The problem I have with this is that sweet food tends to make a dry wine taste drier. So if the ribs have any kind of a sweet profile whatsoever, a brut wine is going to be excruciating to drink with them. Now if the ribs are just grilled with a dry rub, I could see it working.
But with a sweetish bbq sauce?
Maybe a demi sec? Or Mike's recommendation of a Prosecco.

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Interestingly, I had a sparkling Shiraz a few years back. Now that might be the ultimate pairing for BBQ'ed ribs!

I might have one even better - Oltrepo Pavese from Italy. Light alcohol, just slightly bubbly, completely refreshing and a joy to drink. Red, btw.

the recommended wine pairing was Champagne.

1 - they may be trying to sell more bubbly to boost their bottom line,

2 - they might be sticking that in to stimulate discussion, or

3 - they haven't got a fricking clue about wine and food matching

Stupid suggestion not to be taken seriously.

BTW, Champagne comes in for more abuse than anything else I can think of that is a quality product. Part of this is probably the extensive abuse of the name (mostly by US producers, but others as well, even way after the court cases were lost, the common language continues this ab-usage) being applied to lower quality domestic product. But to take a decent Champagne and submit it to addition of various fruit cordials, not to mention dropping bits of various fruits into it is an outrage against good taste. It would not be tolerated, or would at least be laughed at for the travesty it clearly is, if we were talking about the same sort of adulteration applied to decent Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Calcab.

I would not write this off so quickly. My wife loves Champagne so we have paired it with more things than any normal person would dare try. It works with many of them better than you would guess. I was finally sold the day we were too lazy to cook and quickly threw together a quick queso for some corn chips. Not even a good queso just some melted velveta, salsa out of a jar and a bit of apricot preserves for a touch of sweatness. The NV champagne she pulled worked amazingly well and better than anything else I can imagine. Depending upon how they do the ribs, the spice/heat could be similar, the fat content is there and there is generally a touch of sweatness to the meat. Would be worried about the smoke but it sounds to me like it would work. Of course Cava would probably work almost as well and for a lot less money so would go there instead.

I have! Lots of times. One of my dearest friends lives in Nashville. It's tradition, everytime I have a layover she picks up Corky's BBQ and I bring the Champagne. Is it the perfect match? Probably not, but it's far from bad and it's fun.

Let's take a step back for a minute.

These sorts of questions should really be prefaced by a qualification about whether we are primarily food centric or more wine oriented.

The question of will a particular wine work with a food can just mean will the food taste good with the wine, or it can come at the question from the other end - will the food complement the wine.

We see this exact question posed frequently in regard to some Asian cuisines that include hot spices and/or some pretty strong, if interesting flavours. In that case, the real undercurrent of asking what wine you should drink with this sort of food is "What wine won't be absolutely destroyed by drinking it with this sort of food". The answer is often something like Gewurztraminer, or general German or Alsatian wines.

While that answer isn't a bad one, as that sort of wine is most likely to come through that ordeal in at least recognizable form, I think that the question a wine aficionado would ask is quite different. They would aks what wine would be improved and complemented by that sort of food and the probable answer is none at all - drink beer.

It's the same thing with bubbly. A good Champagne is a wonderful thing, expensive, created with care and deserving of some respect and of being paired not with something that merely fails to do any untoward negative things to the wine, but with something that has a synergistic effect, the pairing of wine and food singing in a new key.

And with respect, for any decent Champagne, whether vintage or NV, I cannot believe that the appropriate food to accomplish that involves jam, bottled salsa nor Velveeta cheese goo.

If one wants to indulge in that sort of match, that is what domestic bubbly or inexpensive Cava is created for.

And before anyone asks, although I am a big car racing fan, I do think that the winners that spray good Champagne over each other and the assembled crowd deserve to be horsewhipped.

And with respect, for any decent Champagne, whether vintage or NV, I cannot believe that the appropriate food to accomplish that involves jam, bottled salsa nor Velveeta cheese goo.

If one wants to indulge in that sort of match, that is what domestic bubbly or inexpensive Cava is created for.

We are in agreement here. We use Cava today. My point still remains, the Champagne worked better than I would ever have imagined and while I refuse to use the Champers for this match in the future, the Cava is now the standard here - not beer.

I think that the question a wine aficionado would ask is quite different. They would aks what wine would be improved and complemented by that sort of food and the probable answer is none at all - drink beer.

Being one who appreciates both wine and beer I find that the drink beer response is not always correct either. I have not found many decent beers that match well with those foods that give wine problems. In fact many of the beers fare worse than the wines. The only beers that I find that work with those foods are the ones that I won't drink at all. the mass market stuff, in which case I would prefer to drink water.

[Jenise]

Champagne and BBQ'ed ribs. Now those are two of my most favorite things in the world. I have never had them together, but would absolutely give it a try. They say Champagne is the most versitile of all wines...
Interestingly, I had a sparkling Shiraz a few years back. Now that might be the ultimate pairing for BBQ'ed ribs!

Carrie, you're onto something with the sparkling shiraz comment. I have a feeling that the champagne recco in this case is not about flavors but the scrubbing action of bubbles. That is, wouldn't hesitate to drink a cheap Cava in this situation, it would be refreshing and cleansing. But I wouldn't waste one of my precious French bottles on big sweet and spicy flavors that will probably nullify the nuances I crave in good bubbly.

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Interestingly, I had a sparkling Shiraz a few years back. Now that might be the ultimate pairing for BBQ'ed ribs!

I might have one even better - Oltrepo Pavese from Italy. Light alcohol, just slightly bubbly, completely refreshing and a joy to drink. Red, btw.

Sounds good. Is it hard to find?
(The sparkling Shiraz is red too.)

We see this exact question posed frequently in regard to some Asian cuisines that include hot spices and/or some pretty strong, if interesting flavours. In that case, the real undercurrent of asking what wine you should drink with this sort of food is "What wine won't be absolutely destroyed by drinking it with this sort of food". The answer is often something like Gewurztraminer, or general German or Alsatian wines.

I think Gewurz is a great match with most spicy Asian foods. But as someone who can't imagine NOT drinking wine with every evening meal I can appreciate even less than perfect matches.

It's the same thing with bubbly. A good Champagne is a wonderful thing, expensive, created with care and deserving of some respect and of being paired not with something that merely fails to do any untoward negative things to the wine, but with something that has a synergistic effect, the pairing of wine and food singing in a new key.

And with respect, for any decent Champagne, whether vintage or NV, I cannot believe that the appropriate food to accomplish that involves jam, bottled salsa nor Velveeta cheese goo.

See, to me Champagne says "fun" and "celebrate" and definitely "no pairing rules."

A ridiculous pairing suggestion in my view.

People will fall for anything.

As one who has likely smoked more ribs (and a few other things in my youth) and judged more barbecue contests than anyone else on this forum, I have tried and recommended many different wines with same.

Always end up around the same area. I've had jug zinfandels from out in the hot areas of California and Australian Shirazes. Both worked just dandy. I'm not a big Merlot fan myself,but have recommended that for folks who like them. There are even pinot noirs that will work with barbecue.

First zin I remember having with ribs - many years ago - was Sutter Home, Deaver Vineyard. It was a great pairing.

I even use some of the heartier reds in some of my barbecue sauces.

Ribs, particularly dry smoked ribs, have a VERY strong flavor profile. And then you layer a sweet/sour sauce over that. You need a gritty wine to accompany them. Hell, Gallo Hearty Burgundy would work better than champagne.

Here's one for instance:

http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail ... uctID=8653

Hell, we used to be able to drive out to Viano and they would fill whatever container(s) you brought - gallon jugs, bottles buckets,small barrels. And charge you by the gallon.

[Jenise]

See, to me Champagne says "fun" and "celebrate" and definitely "no pairing rules."

While I appreciate where Bill is coming from, it's also true that no one's ever wrong about what they like. And in the sentence above you describe perfectly why champagne DOES go with everything. Because sometimes it's not about the food, it's about the moment.

it's also true that no one's ever wrong about what they like.

That's so not true, Jenise.

People who like George Bush and tofu are wrong.

Always end up around the same area. I've had jug zinfandels from out in the hot areas of California and Australian Shirazes. Both worked just dandy. I'm not a big Merlot fan myself,but have recommended that for folks who like them. There are even pinot noirs that will work with barbecue.

First zin I remember having with ribs - many years ago - was Sutter Home, Deaver Vineyard. It was a great pairing.

I even use some of the heartier reds in some of my barbecue sauces.

Ribs, particularly dry smoked ribs, have a VERY strong flavor profile. And then you layer a sweet/sour sauce over that. You need a gritty wine to accompany them. Hell, Gallo Hearty Burgundy would work better than champagne.

Chef,
I agree about the strong flavor profile of dry-smoked ribs (my favorite style, BTW) to the extent that I would hesitate pairing any wine that you cared about with them. Especially if they include chili pepper in the rub, I'd serve a low-alcohol, high acid, off-dry, cooled wine. Maybe a powerhouse rosé of the not-too-expensive variety or a Pinot Gris from Alsace. Of course, for those benighted souls who drench their Q in goopy, sweet sauces with artificial "smoke" flavoring, I'd advise pairing with Night Train or Wild Irish Rose Given my choice, though, I'm reaching for the beer thankyouverymuch.

Mark Lipton
Q Curmudgeon

People who like George Bush and tofu are wrong.

Rarely would that be the same person.

I'm glad you sneaked the Grand Dame in there. I was slammed by the snobs earlier for my taste in champagne.

I'm glad you sneaked the Grand Dame in there. I was slammed by the snobs earlier for my taste in champagne.

Veuve Clicquot and perhaps Dom Perignon suffer from being perceived as the quintessential snob champers, so real snobs then purport to prefer something more obscure and supposedly better.

I judge all my wines by what is in the glass, not what is on the label, and I have had some excellent Grand Dame - the 1990 and 1996 are killer wines.

But some of the bubblies I enjoy are also small grower houses, so like I say, what's in the glass is determinative.

I didn't see what you refer to - who was giving you a hard time, and for what.