Winning combinations of Foie gras and Champagne wines

The CIVC commissioned oenologists and chefs in Champagne to create inspired combinations of exceptional products with Champagne wines that bring out all the flavour and aroma of celebrated gastronomic delicacies.

Choose a ready-prepared good-quality foie gras, either part- cooked or raw. Prepare it whole, in a terrine, or slice it into escalopes for pan frying.

Goose or duck … it's a question of taste

Goose and duck foie gras both share the same creamy colours - beige or ivory verging on the pink or yellow ochre - and the same smooth textures. Only the taste is different.

Goose foie gras

This rare, refined product, renowned for its legendary softness and smoothness can be prepared au naturel or with truffles.
Serve with Champagne wines that preserve the subtle, delicate bouquet of the foie gras. Choose a light and lively, luminous Blanc de blancs, either Brut or extra-Brut, or a Champagne of the spirit based on Chardonnay grapes.

Duck foie gras

The more rustic, more pronounced flavour of duck foie gras may be combined with a wider range of foods and Champagne wines.

Part-cooked duck foie gras

• Serve au naturel, or with slices of crusty country loaf and a sprinkling of tangy sea salt.
Choose a robust, refined Champagne such as a young, mature or even vintage Champagne of the body based on Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes.

• Create sweet-and-sour combinations with pain brioché or sweet compotes of onions, figs or pears.
Serve with a mellow, rounded Champagne such as a rich, mature, sometimes rosé Champagne of the body based on Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier grapes.

Raw foie gras, pan fried

• Serve on slices of toast, potato or grilled polenta, beautifully matched with Champagnes of the body.

• Serve with stewed apples, pears or figs, or peeled white grapes or strips of mango lightly fried in duck fat. Bring out all the fragrance with Champagnes of the Heart.

To create the right combinations of foie gras and Champagne wines, keep to three simple rules :

• With mild, sweet flavours serve 'fresh and light' Champagnes

• With rustic, pronounced flavours, serve 'powerful, robust' Champagnes

• With sweet-and-savoury flavours, serve 'rounded, mellow' Champagnes

Useful tips when tasting Champagne …
Choice of glass

The right quality of glass is essential to reveal all the sparkle of Champagne. If the Champagne looks 'flat' to you, change the glass.

The ideal glass is a flute or tulip glass that is wide enough and tall enough to allow the sparkle to develop. Never use a wide-brimmed Champagne glass.

Before serving, always wash the glasses in hot water free of any detergent or rinsing agent and leave them to drain until completely dry. Washed in this way, the glasses will be perfectly clear, revealing the bubbles at their best as they rise to the surface and gather in a discreet or intense but persistent 'necklace of beads'.

Chilling Champagne

• In an ice bucket : take the bottle out of the cellar and plunge it into a mixture of water and ice cubes for around 15-20 minutes.

• In the refrigerator : lay the bottle at the bottom of the refrigerator for three to four hours before serving.

Getting the temperature right

Champagne should be served chilled but never frozen. The ideal drinking temperature depends on the age of the Champagne: from about 8 ºC for young, lively Champagnes to 10 ºC for mature, vintage Champagnes. Excessive cold spoils the taste and bouquet.