Bubbles for New Year's Eve - From Welcome Drinks to Crown Cake
At Copenhagen Cava, we have put together a little guide for you, so you can get the right bubbles for your New Year's Eve. We will guide you through the entire evening, from the welcome, to the dessert, to the cake when the clock strikes 12.
Bubbles for the Welcome
For the welcome drink or the Queen's New Year's speech, we recommend a Brute cava which should be light, fruity and with crisp, fast bubbles which is ideal to combine with all types of light canapés chips and olives. Brut cava also cleans the mouth between the different snacks. If you are going to serve snacks with obesity, we recommend Brut or Vintage , as the acid from the cava softens the fat, and makes both snacks and bubbles taste better! If you choose not to serve snacks for the welcome, you can also choose to serve a rosé cava - a so-called blanc de noir based on the pinot noir grape, as it has a hint of sweetness without being overly sweet. It is therefore a really delicious glass if you want to drink it by yourself. If you prefer slightly sweeter wines, you can choose to serve a semi-sec cava which has more sweetness but is still fresh.
Bubbles for the Appetizer
For the starter, the recommendation depends on what is on the plate. If raw fish is to be served such as ceviche, sushi, smoked salmon or roe, which is generally relatively delicate, we recommend a dry cava or corpinat (white or rosé) of the types “ Brut Nature ”, “Extra Brut” or “Broken” which is best suited to raw and salty foods. Conversely, if you are serving cooked fish (e.g. fish soup or grilled zander) or shellfish (e.g. shrimp, spiny lobster, lobster, spiny lobster bisque, scallops) or Jerusalem artichoke soup, we recommend a dry and aged cava of the Gran Reserva type, as these go well with the umami base taste that characterizes the cooked fish. If the menu consists of fatty or smoked fish (e.g. salmon or halibut), we would recommend a Rosé cava. , as it has enough acid to cut through the rich, oily flavor of the fish, but at the same time is dry enough not to be overpowered by it.
Bubbles for the Main Course
The royal meal on the last evening of the year. Here it can be given a little extra gas, but again the choice depends on what is being served. If the menu consists of fish (e.g. grilled zander, salmon or sole) we recommend a dry and aged cava or corpinat or Reserva or Gran Reserva type, as these go well with the umami-influenced basic taste that characterizes the prepared fish. If there is meat on the table (e.g. veal tenderloin, beef tenderloin, lamb, game), we recommend a dry and aged cava of the Gran Reserva or Paraje Calificado type, which are fantastic for heavier dishes with lots of (umami) taste.
Between the Courts
Try serving an elderflower granité with cava, which cleanses the taste buds and is therefore perfect to serve between, for example, the starter and the main course. A granité is incredibly easy to make, and is therefore also a good opportunity to impress your guests. In addition to being a good way to cleanse the palate between courses, a granité can also be served as a light dessert or drink. A dessert or drink a little out of the ordinary that tastes fresh and delicious with elderflower and cava - a surefire hit!
You can find the recipe for Elderflower granita with cava here
Bubbles for Dessert
Bubbles and dessert - it doesn't get any more festive! However, you have to be careful to choose the right bubbles for your dessert. A rule of thumb is that bubbles should be as sweet, if not sweeter, than the dessert it is served with. We generally suggest a Demi Sec when it comes to dessert. If you are serving a fruity dessert with berries or white chocolate, we would recommend a rosé cava , as they are often dry but fresh in taste. The rosé cava will compliment the bears, as fruity desserts are typically not overly sweet desserts, which makes rosé cava an obvious choice. If the dessert is based on dark chocolate, for example. brownie, Gateau Marcel or dark chocolate ice cream, we recommend a dry cava of the “ Brut Nature ” type, which creates a fine interplay between the bitter, the sour and the sweet.
Bubbles until 12 noon
Many people mistakenly save their expensive bubbles for midnight and this is a classic mistake as the expensive bubbles are often dry (Brut), which does not go well with cake and sweet desserts. Dry bubbles taste 'sour' and metallic when combined with sweet desserts and cakes and are often the reason why people have a bad relationship with bubbles. Bubbles should be just as sweet, if not even sweeter, than the food you are eating with it. That is why we suggest a semi sec for the wreath cake when the town hall bell strikes 12 and we are about to jump into the new year!
If you don't want to have a cake, but just want to drink the champagne for yourself, we would suggest a Corpinnate or Blanc de Noir . Blanc de Blancs is a champagne made exclusively from the green grape Chardonnay, and is more fruity and creamy in its body. All in all, a good choice if you just want to drink the champagne on its own as you jump into the new year.
Choosing Glass
Once you have chosen your favorite bubbles, the glass must of course also fit. We recommend and use a glass from German Rastal which you can find here .
Cava expert Anna Wallner says about the glass:
“The glass you use when drinking wine is extremely important. A good glass enhances the aromas of the wine so that it can be experienced to the fullest. When it comes to sparkling wine, the traditional straight-sided flutes that so many of us have bought at the big box store are not entirely optimal. The straight sides quickly release the aromas that become difficult for the sense of smell to perceive. Rather, you want a slightly rounded cup so that the aroma is collected, but still a narrow bottom so that the release of the bubbles can be concentrated on a smaller surface. These glasses are very nice to drink from and are sturdy enough to withstand the dishwasher, which I really appreciate. Try it for yourself!”
