Opinion

Blankety Blank Zero – and sushi! (NWTW #53)

If the title is a little cryptic, that’s because I have a weakness for puns.

Blankety Blank was a low cost primetime UK game show in the 80s (and apparently Australia and elsewhere before that) which happens to sound like my favourite sparkling style Blanc de Blancs.

Mike at PBMMW came up with a food match for Blanc de Blancs which is smoked salmon and cream cheese crackers.  As I’m not a cheese man at all (don’t get me started!) I thought I’d profer an alternative.

One of the sub-styles of Blanc de Blancs I omitted to mention in my previous post is Brut Zero, i.e. a Champagne with no sugar added after disgorgement.  They are quite trendy at the moment, even receiving the terrible name “Skinny Champagne”, but they don’t always result in a balanced, pleasant wine.

So please look out for a good one – and they don’t get much better than this:

Varnier-Fannière Grand Cru Brut Zero NV
Varnier-Fannière Grand Cru Brut Zero NV

It has amazing purity and is almost saline – but still shows restrained fruit.  And it’s a perfect match for sushi – with no sweetness to clash with delicate flavours.

Also try Pol Roger’s Pure, Louis Roederer’s Brut Nature or Ayala’s Brut Nature