Black Diamonds and Liquid Gold: Champagne and Truffles

Is there a better pairing than truffles and champagne? When the two come together thoughtfully, it’s a divine gastronomic experience. Champagne educator and consultant, Amanda Reboul, explains.

Truffles and champagne may be to fine diners what fish and chips are to everyone else. But not every truffle dish goes with champagne. Rules of thumb needs to apply, as with any culinary combination, around flavourful contrasts and compliments. 

Truffles, by themselves, are quite an enigma in the sensory world. The heady earthy aroma we are hit with upon exposure, contrasts with the delicate nutty flavour we experience in a dish. It plays games with our senses, our brains are conditioned to expect a certain taste to match our nose. Truffles are a winter crop and, for all intents and purposes, a very fancy garnish.

Cook them using too much heat and the aroma will die off completely. Proceed with caution and stir them in gently at the end of cooking or shaved onto a piping hot dish. It’s just enough heat to release flavours. Truffles shine most when used on simple dishes – anything too complicated can overwhelm its delicate flavour. Eggs, creamy pasta dishes, scallops and beef are truffle’s traditional base dishes.
 

Champagne shares the conundrum of truffle’s finer points – many are layered with complexity, yet fundamentally delicate both in taste and texture. Choose a style wisely by sticking to some golden rules. Pinot noir, with its structure and body, works well as a compliment to truffles, so choose one with a high percentage of this grape variety. A blanc de noirs style is even better. Fettucine with creamy truffle sauce and blanc de noirs is a particular favourite of mine. Consider Canard-Duchêne’s Charles VII.

Chardonnay dominant champagnes tend not to work so well. They may be light and elegant but fall short with the heartier winter foods best suited to truffles. Chardonnay’s minerality, often taken from the Côte des Blancs, is better paired with seared scallops in butter sauce. The magic disappears once you add the nuttiness of the truffle. If you feel a penchant for seared scallops and truffles, consider something fuller bodied like Bollinger's Special Cuvée. Champagne’s other black varietal, meunier, is a little too fruity for most truffle dishes.
 

Another consideration is champagne that has gone through malolactic conversion. In most cases, it’s a better match than a non-malolactic option. For similar reasons as with chardonnay, the crispness of non-malolactic champagnes is not as pleasant with truffles as the creaminess of champagnes that have gone through the process. There are exceptions. Vintage champagne spends longer time on lees developing flavours and texture over time. The complexity of a 15 to 20 year old champagne, whatever the blend, usually pairs beautifully with truffles and they can also hold-up to more robust dishes such as beef. 

Try a 2002 vintage with pan-seared wagyu steak and shaved truffle. And for fun, place a finely shaved truffle slice in y our glass of champagne for your first drink. Observe how the cuvée draws out its flavour. As with any food pairing, personal preference should always be keenly considered alongside rules for pairing.