The Perfect Match: new Moët & Chandon series inspires the art of pairing champagne and food

Exceptional meals feature memorable pairings of food and wine.  The flavors and aromas complement one another, subtly melding to achieve exquisite tasting perfection. An intimate relationship emerges between a champagne and a dish, creating a harmonious association that elevates both the wine and the food.

In the new Instagram series The Perfect Match, Moët & Chandon invites its followers to a feast for their eyes and taste buds. The menu consists of four episodes, proposing a pairing between one of the Maison’s champagnes and a dish created specially to match the subtleties of the elixir. Each episode of The Perfect Match  features Benoît Gouez, Chef de Cave of Moët & Chandon, and celebrated French chef and Moët & Chandon ambassador Yannick Alléno, who has been awarded no fewer than 10 Michelin stars around the world. The Chef de Cave selected four of the Champagne house’s signature cuvées and invited the chef to imagine a dish that would create a fantastic tasting experience.

The experience is a great way to discover – or rediscover – the subtleties and philosophy of champagne pairing, Moët & Chandon style, with simplicity and meticulous excellence. The dishes prepared by Chef Alléno are voluntarily simple and easy to make at home to let everyone enjoy these culinary delights without compromising quality in the least.

In the first episode of The Perfect Match Benoît Gouez challenges Yannick Alléno to find an ideal pairing to bring out the aromas of a glass of Moët Impérial, the Maison’s flagship champagne with its perfect balance of bright fruitiness with notes of apple and citrus fruit. The chef readily accepted the challenge, working in his kitchen at the Pavillon Ledoyen to create canapés with shrimp, olive tapenade and brioche. The iodized flavor of the shrimp brings saltiness to the champagne, the one element it does not have, resulting in a perfect balance. The barely cooked shrimp goes superbly well with the lightness of Moët Impérial, with neither dominating the other.

Don’t miss the other three episodes of The Perfect Match on the Moët & Chandon Instagram account, in which  Yannick Alléno prepares custom recipes for Rosé Impérial, Grand Vintage 2012 and the Impérial 1869 cocktail.