Many people believe that champagne can only be paired with appetizers or dessert, but Laurent-Perrier believes that champagne can be paired with any food, including steak.
To prove this point, they recently organized a multi-course dinner at the 3-star Michelin restaurant Alinea in Chicago. Working with Jon Leopold, Wine Director at Alinea, the Laurent-Perrier team crafted an eye-opening and mouthwatering feast, featuring nine different champagnes paired with thirteen different courses, including Wagyu beef.
During several breaks in the 4-hour dinner, Oliver Vigneron, Chef de Cave for Laurent Perrier, explained to the guests in attendance why champagne – and their champagnes in particular – can pair beautifully with many cuisines.
“We were the first Champagne house to create a non-dosage wine (wine without added sugar), and a primary reason we did this was so that it would pair better with food,” explained Oliver Vigneron.
He spoke in French, and his words were translated by Constance Delaire, the enologist for Laurent-Perrier. She works with Oliver in his role as cellar master, where he oversees all aspects of the winemaking.
Indeed, Oliver went on to explain that Laurent-Perrier, under the leadership of Bernard de Nonancourt (now passed), had requested that the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne) create a “non-dosage” category, and they did.
Another aspect about Laurent Perrier champagnes that allows them to pair well with food is the use of reserve wines in many of their cuvées, including the entry-level wine, Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee. Reserve wines are from previous vintages and are used to enhance the character of wines made from a current vintage.
“We believe in using reserve wines in the majority of our champagnes, because they add depth and complexity,” stated Oliver. “We have a dedicated cellar for aged wines, which we keep for a maximum of 5 to 6 years.”
Two of Laurent Perrier’s champagnes are made from 100% reserve wines. These include their flagship Grand Siècle Prestige Cuvée, with an average price of $240 on Winesearcher, and the newly released Champagne Laurent Perrier Héritage. The latter is being introduced in a special partnership with Alinea restaurant, where Alinea will have it exclusively through September of 2025. After that, it will be available in fine wine shops and other specialty restaurants. Both of these champagnes are described in the next section, with highlights of the all-champagne dinner at Alinea.
Five Highlights from the All-Champagne Dinner at Alinea
Though all 13 courses paired with different champagnes were quite delicious, there were five courses that particularly stood out. Each of these exemplified the philosophy that wine director Jon Leopold employs when pairing wines to cuisines prepared by Alinea’s head Chef, Grant Achatz.
“I like to focus on both contrasting and complementary flavors when pairing wines with our cuisine,” Jon Leopold said when he stopped by our table. When asked, he explained that his process was to taste through the line-up of nine different Laurent-Perrier champagnes and then determine which of the courses on the tasting menu would best match this philosophy.
The results were impressive, with some of the pairings creating a symbiotic symphony on the palate, whereas others included a pop of flavors that were surprising. In addition, every course arrived with artistic flourishes, with contrasting colors and textures, and served in creative and unusual dishes, with new champagne glasses for each wine.
All of this contributed to the special atmosphere only found in 3-star Michelin restaurants, where the meal is not only a masterpiece of taste, but also like visiting an art gallery in viewing the artistically arranged dishes, attending a ballet to watch the deft and dancing service, and enjoying a theatrical performance with the explanations of the head waiter.
Artic Char With Maple Syrup Blis Paired with Champagne Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Nature – the light delicate char (fish) with the touch of maple syrup was a perfect match with the bone dry ultra brut champagne. This is because the high acid and lemon notes in the wine contrasted with the slightly sweet notes in the syrup and cleansed the mouth between each bite in a very satisfying way.
White Asparagus and Morel Pie Paired with Champagne Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee – though asparagus is typically one of the most difficult vegetables to pair with any wine, the combination of a creamy morel sauce and pastry puff turned this dish into a savory delight on the palate. When paired with the classic brut style of this champagne with its bright apple, pear, and lemon notes, there was a wonderful marriage of flavors in the mouth.
Roasted Bone Marrow and Red Prawn Chimichurris with Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Prestige Cuvée Iteration No. 26 – This very creative dish that combined the spicy chimichurri and savory notes of the prawns and marrow required a more structured wine. Therefore, the Grand Siècle with its massive though elegant body and complex toasty and nutty notes, with bursts of lemon and bruised apple, was able to stand up to these flavors and create a magnificent pairing, with some surprising bursts of flavor upon the palate.
Wagyu Beef and Japanese Eggplant with Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Prestige Cuvée Rose Alexandra 2012 – this was probably one of the most superlative pairings, with the succulent and tender wagyu melting on the tongue, to be caressed by the bright cherry and toasty notes of the sparkling rose. Truly a mind-bending and tradition-breaking combination that worked extremely well.
Blueberry Snow and Dark Chocolate Paint Dessert with Champagne Laurent-Perrier Harmony Demi-Sec – Alinea should win awards for serving the most creative and fun dessert in the industry. Multiple servers deliver melted chocolate, fruit, oats, and other sweets to the table one by one to create a colorful design on a special plastic tablecloth. Diners are then asked to use a spoon to create new designs in a type of ‘food painting’ event, before eating it. Paired with the semi-sweet champagne, which was sweeter than the dessert, the pairing worked very well, and the whole course felt like a celebration. To conclude the meal, dinners were given an edible helium balloon made out of green apple taffy to pop and enjoy.
A Few Photos from the Champagne Dinner