Bubblies should not always be used a the end of dinner for celebration. There is a wide range of foods that sweet, semi-sweet, and fully dry sparklers can be paired with. Their high levels of acidity and carbonation lend themselves well to a vast range of food stuffs. Lets start with the sweet sparklers like Asti Spumante.
The grape used to make Asti is called Moscato. This grape has naturally high levels of sugar, a low complexity and high aromatics. These sparklers are great to either start a dinner or to finish. Their sweetness and low level of alcohol make them a good aperitif. They generally dont go too well with savory meaty foods but you can find a nice compliment with some salads. A salad of mixed greens, sliced fruit, crumbled blue cheese and some sort of berry vinaigrette would go perfect. For dessert, you would have to go on the light side. An apple or pear tart, fresh fruit salads, and some cakes would work well. The sweet apple and pare flavors of the wine would accompany the fruits very nicely and the bubbles would do a good job at cleansing your palate.
Next we have dry sparklers like Prosecco. This sparkling wine is made from the Prosecco grape in the Veneto region of Italy. They can be fully dry, but some may have a tiny bit of residual swetness. We’ll stick to the dry ones for now. These wines are very fresh, crisp, low in alcohol, fruity and sometimes even display a slight mineral character which makse them excellent as aperitifs. Because of the low alcohol and low level of complexity you want to keep the the foods simple and stay away from red meets. Prosecco can also go well with fried foods(veggies,squid and other fish) because of the carbonation and high acidity. Food recommendations:
Toasted bread topped with tomatoes
Fish tartar
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, onions and cucumber on toasted bread
Delicately prepared filets of fish(sole, trout, bass) basically white flaky fish
Pastas with light sauces
sauteed veggies
A variety of light chicken dishes
Now we are going to get into the good stuff: Champagne, Franciacorta, Cava, and Cremant. These are all sparkling wines made from the Champenois Methods. These sparklers are fuller in body and more complex due to the aging criteria. Click here and here to read about these wines and how they are made. One of my favorite Champagne pairings is with sushi. Aim to buy a Blanc de Blancs because these are made with 100% Chardonnay which means that they are lighter in body and more elegant. The delicate crispness and bready character pair excellent with the rice and raw fish. The smoked eel sushi is one of my favorite combinations. Be careful with the use of soy sauce and wasabi because these flavoring tend to over power the wine AND THE SUSHI.
Some people forget what an actual shrimp looks like...
Creamy risottos prepared with Parmesan cheese are superb. Any type of crustacean(shrimp, lobster, crab, etc) are perfect with Champagne. Mollusk(clams, oysters, scallops, muscles) and crustacean pasta dishes present a wide range of great pairings. Battered and fried oysters with a touch of lemon aiole is great way to start a meal. Why not pair Champagne with cheese too? Fresh brie and goat cheeses work well because they are not too strong in flavor. The carbonation cleans your mouth from the creamy brie and the tangyness of goat cheese matches the sharp acidity in the wine. most types of chicken dishes work well with these types of sparkling wines as well. Don’t be afraid to try veal and pork either. Once again, try to avoid red meats.
As you can see, there is an infinite amount of possibilities when pairing food 
with sparkling wines. This is where you want to let your imagination run loose.The point I want to get a across is that bubbly should not only be popped for celebration purposes. There are so many food pairing opportunities out there that are waiting to be discovered. The key to enjoying food and wine is to try new wines with new foods. When you find that perfect combination, I can assure you that you will never forget that moment.
