There is a rule in some houses that the good bottle needs good food. I’d like to suggest that a bag of salted crisps counts.
Champagne is high in acidity and full of bubbles, and both of those things love salt. The acidity cuts through the fat, the bubbles scrub the palate clean, and the next crisp tastes as good as the first. It’s the same reason fish and chips and fizz works so well.
Why plain is best
Strong flavours fight with the wine. Cheese and onion flattens it, and anything with chilli makes it taste thin. A plain salted crisp gives the wine something to push against without changing what it tastes like.
Salt makes the wine taste rounder. The wine makes the salt taste cleaner. Everyone wins.
Three that work
Kettle Lightly Salted. The best all-rounder. Thick enough to stand up to a vintage Champagne.
Hula Hoops Original. Lighter and more potato-forward. With a cheap Crémant on a Friday, they are hard to beat.
McCoy’s Ridge Cut Salted. More crunch, more salt. Better with a richer, older bottle.
If you’re not buying Champagne
The same rule works with cheaper bottles:
- Crémant de Loire
- Cava
- English sparkling wine
Look for “brut” on the label, keep it very cold, and open the crisps at the same time as the bottle.