The potential of Champagne and Cheese looks like low hanging fruit to grab.
When it comes to Champagne, many a wise word has been uttered by great men throughout history;
"Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life." - Charles Dickens
"Champagne is the wine of civilization and the oil of government." - Winston Churchill
"Too much of anything is bad but too much Champagne is just right." - Mark Twain
The global champagne market was valued at $5.8 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to reach $7.4 billion by 2026 according to Allied Market Research.
You'll often hear about people pairing white wines with seafood and oysters, and there are also people who enjoy the casualty of Champagne with cheese.
Cheese and Champagne however start to make the whole thing a little more complex. The rule of thumb when pairing wine and cheese is the stronger the cheese, the heavier the wine.
Bubbles go well with oily and salty dishes. They bring out fruitiness and freshness, especially when it comes to Brut. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is good with Comte, both complementing each other; or a salty Tomme de Montagne can really bring out that creamy texture in the Yellow Label.
While good cheeses are hard to come around in Asia Pacifc, especially in hotels, research from marketdataforcast.com says that the cheese market in Asia Pacific has grown considerably. It was worth USD 26.53 billion in 2018 and is estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 4.7%, looking to reach USD 33.38 billion.
The potential of Champagne and Cheese looks like low hanging fruit to grab - just remember though, just like a good vintage bottle or aged cheese, educating the market to really be able to capitalize on this may take a little time and TLC.
While in Asia, wine pairing or wine classes might be too formal for a good number of people, Champagne and Cheese can be marketed as a bit more casual ... but on the slightly more glam and luxurious end of casualty.
When it comes to Champagne and Cheese, the best advice you could take on board is - 'there is only one quality - the finest'.
Photo Credit : Veuve Clicquot