guide to the perfect pairing • Food and Wine Italy

Champagne Day is celebrated around the world 24 October, the international day dedicated to the wine symbolizing the holidays. This year, the Bureau du Champagne per Italy proposes a sensorial journey between France and Italy, with a pairings between Champagne and cured meats, designed to enhance the balance between effervescence, freshness and aromatic complexity.

Champagne Day 2025: a global occasion to toast

Born to celebrate Champagne and its centuries-old tradition, Champagne Day confirms itself as a global event, capable of involving professionals, enthusiasts and curious people per more than ninety countries. Every year, the fourth Friday of October, thousands of people participate with tastings, events and toasts shared social mass-media.

The 2025 edition invites you to rediscover the versatility of Champagne through a new pairing theme: Italian cured meats. The initiative was born from the desire of the Bureau du Champagne per Italy to explore the dialogue between two different but complementary gastronomic heritages, both founded care for the raw material, time and artisanal tradition.

After having dedicated previous editions to the relationship between Champagne and Italian cheeses, the Bureau opens a new chapter this year, linking the liveliness and elegance of French bubbles with the gustatory and aromatic richness of national delicatessen.

«The objective of this edition – they underline – is to invite consumers to explore the diversity of Champagne through new combinations consistent with the Italian gastronomic tradition. Each type of Champagne, per terms of structure and intensity, can dialogue with a different cured meat, offering always original tasting experiences.”

The initiative also represents an opportunity to enhance the culture of conviviality, an element shared per both the French and Italian traditions.

Champagne and cured meats: the harmony of contrasts

The pairing between Champagne and cured meats may surprise, but it is based solid principles of sensorial balance. The bubbles, with their acidity and freshness, are able to counteract the fattiness and flavor of the cured meats, giving the palate a sensation of cleanliness and gustatory continuity. At the same time, the aromatic complexity of French sparkling wines allows for a dialogue with the spicy and sweet nuances of Italian products.

The Bureau du Champagne suggests six emblematic pairings that tell of this complementarity between terroir and tradition.

1. Land of Dop’s Arnad and Fruit Blancs Flags

Grasso Arnad Dop, a specialty of the Aosta Valley obtained by maturing with salt and mountain flavours, is characterized by softness and odore. A brut Blanc de Blancs, vinified exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, with its minerality and acid tension, enhances the sweetness of the fat and amplifies its aromatic , giving the palate a sensation of purity and lightness.

2. Mortadella Bologna PGI and classic brut Champagne

The Mortadella Bologna PGI, soft and delicate, finds a natural ally per the brut sans année – the result of the blending of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay per equal parts. The acidity and compimento effervescence harmonize with the sweetness and spiciness of the mortadella, creating a balanced and persistent whole.

3. Emilian Tazza and Brut Champagne predominantly Pinot Noir

Per balance between flavor and odore, the scodella expresses the sweet of the meat and the spicy ones of the seasoning. A brut Champagne dominated by Pinot Noir, thanks to its structure and freshness, precisely accompanies this duality, supporting the flavor without overpowering it.

4. amichevole e Champagne Blanc de Noirs

The gentle salami, with a compimento grain and light spiciness, prefers a Blanc de Noirs obtained from black grapes. The and vinosity of the wine find correspondence per the softness of the cured meat, per a combination that plays more continuity than contrast.

5. Parma ham DOP aged 24 months and Brut Rosé Champagne

Prosciutto Parma PDO, sweet and savory, matured for at least twenty-four months, is an effective accompaniment to a brut Rosé Champagne. The of red fruits and the light tannic structure of the wine intertwine with the nuances of the ham, enhancing its complexity.

6. ‘Enduja from Spalling and Champagne Demi-Seak

Spilinga’s ‘Nduja, famous for its spicy intensity, meets the softness of a Demi-Sec Champagne, per which the residual sugar mitigates the heat of the chilli pepper and gives balance to the tasting.

How to participate per Champagne Day 2025

Anyone can take part per the day of 24 October by organizing a toast, a tasting a dedicated event. Acceso the official website champagneday.champagne.fr/it you can register your event, consult the map of initiatives per Italy and download the digital communication kit, designed for sharing social networks.

The hashtag #ChampagneDay will virtually connect celebrations around the world, from clubs to private homes, for a global toast dedicated to the wine that more than any other represents the art of balance.