Champagne for Four Courses? I Was Surprised, but Now Enlightened! Yes, You Can.

I confess, it never occurred to me to pair Champagne with an entire meal. But today I was enlightened and enjoyed a new indulgence that I’ll certainly will replay.

At an unlikely address, 130 West 3rd, above the gritty street scene of this block, there is a precious space where where the oldest established Champagne house, Ruinart, with Cellar Master Frédéric Panaïotis and one of Miami’s, heck one of the world’s, most exciting chefs, Michelle Bernstein, came together to prove a point.

Champagne is all you ever need.

The Wine: Four Ruinart Champagnes $$$-$$$

The Food: Exciting Miami by Chef Michelle Bernstein

The Place: A Private Event Loft at 130 West 3rd St NYC

I’ve always loved Champagne, who doesn’t, but it was just destined for toasts, or sipping at a bar, brings back memories of many nights, in the 80’s, at the Odean bar sipping Champagne.

But for a full meal? The idea never entered my mind. Today I was to expand my horizons with an exquisite four course meal and four of the what could be world's best Champagnes. Two Vintage and two NV. I mention this as most Champagnes are non-vintage, made from harvests of more than one year, vintage Champagnes are something quite extraordinary, the best of the best, they are only produced when the year’s harvest is just right.

We started with a pouring of NV Ruinart Blanc de Blancs in Magnum, the big bottles. Why magnums, well their size allows the wine to develop so well, and you want enough to go around, right? A magnum is just right for two people, and maybe a couple of friends for a full meal.

Blanc de Blancs means made with only white grapes which can be Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (aka Fromenteau Gris), Pinot Blanc or Arbane. With Ruinart is all Chardonnay, from the very best vineyards.

With this we enjoyed a passing of mini fried chicken and biscuits, shrimp ceviche, and oysters wrapped in toro with mustard seed ponzu while Michelle was creating in the kitchen a feast to come.

We soon gathered for the main meal and were poured the next wine, 2002 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, a vintage Champagne, yes you read that right, aged over 10 years.

This wine is pure heaven, it paired so perfectly with the Michelle’s delicate smoked sous vide salmon with poached egg and croutons.

I got more excited about this Champagne meal idea, but so far we had logical pairings, the dishes were typical for white wine. But what about the next dish, a robust duck breast cassoulet with duck confit, duck sausage and foie gras. Surely one would pour a red wine for this.

But when this NV Ruinart Rosé in Magnum touched my tongue I was sold. It complemented the rich dish perfectly, the sparkling texture and bright fruit flavors enhanced and excited the flavors of this beautiful dish.

During the meal Frederic Panaïotis, Chef de Caves at Ruinart, and US Brand Ambassador, Lacey Burke, shared Ruinart’s fascinating story. Founded in 1729 the mason survived the French revolution, two world wars and a multitude of challenges. Every vintage is approached with a unrivaled passion that reflects almost 200 years of intent commitment to producing the world’s finest sparkling wine.

The house also has a rich connection with the arts. “As a patron of contemporary art and design, Maison Ruinart can be found all over the world, wherever the artists of today enjoy the freedom to express themselves and exhibit their work.” Ruinart and the Arts.

Ruinart “plays a role in numerous international events such as ARCO, the Foire de Bale, the Carre Rive Gauche, London Design, and Miami Art Basel. The house utilizes talent today: India Mahdavi, created the “Champagne Spoon” bottle stopper in 2006, Christian Biecher, created the “Flower” bottle stopper in 2007.

Patricia Urqiola, designed the “Fil d’Or” bottle stopper in 2010 and Maarten Baas, named “Designer of the Year” at Art Basel Miami 2009, created the “Bouquet de Champagne” in 2008 and the “Melting” ice bucket in 2010.” Wikipedia