How Champagne People Eat in Summer

Not the formal stuff. Not the bottle you save for a toast and then forget about. The everyday kind, cold, poured right next to dinner, outside, while the evening is still warm.

Grower champagne does this better than the big houses. The bottles are more vinous, more tied to a single piece of land, more flexible at the table than most large-house non-vintage blends. That makes them built for summer eating.

Here's how the people who make it actually eat in July. M. runs the kitchen. She's the chef in this family. I pour.

Blanc de Blancs and Summer Seafood

This is the Côte des Blancs in a glass. All Chardonnay, bright, taut, a little chalky.

It wants cold seafood and plenty of salt. Oysters. Chilled poached lobster. Crudo. Ceviche. Scallops with citrus. Sushi.

The wine stays out of the way, lets the seafood talk, then cleans the whole thing up with acid.

M. here. On a hot night I don't want to stand over a stove, so this one is barely cooking. It's Gordon Ramsay's butter poached lobster and it takes minutes. Cheers @gordongram.

What you need: 2 oz or more dry white wine 1 stick unsalted butter 1 lb uncooked lobster meat

How to make it: Melt the butter with the wine over low heat until it turns glossy. Add the lobster and poach gently for 8 to 10 minutes, turning as needed, until it's opaque and tender. Pull the cork. Serve the lobster on its own, or pile it onto a salad, some pasta, or a soft bun.

Pour one of these: Michel Genet MG BB Spirit, Michel Genet BB Nature, Chapuy Blanc de Blancs Réserve.

Rosé and the Provençal Table

Rosé champagne in July is one of the easy pleasures.

Most grower rosés run savory and a little earthy, which is exactly what you want against summer's loud, sunny flavors. Watermelon and feta. Prosciutto di Parma with melon. Tomato tart. Charcuterie. Grilled shrimp. Mediterranean vegetables off the grill.

It holds its own outside, in the heat, with food that isn't trying to be subtle.

M. again. My go-to here is Southern Living's watermelon and feta salad. Ten minutes, no heat, all summer.

What you need: 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil 2 tbsp champagne vinegar 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tbsp honey 3/4 tsp kosher salt 2 lb seedless watermelon, cubed 1 cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion 6 oz block feta or goat cheese 1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped 1/4 cup toasted pistachios

How to make it: Whisk the first five ingredients into a dressing. Toss it with the watermelon and shallots. Scatter the feta, mint, and pistachios over the top. Open the rosé and find a chair in the shade.

Pour one of these: Dom Caudron Fascinante, Michel Genet RedBlend 9208.

Brut Nature and the Raw Bar

No dosage, no sugar, nowhere to hide. Brut Nature is the leanest, most mineral champagne we pour.

In the heat, that tension is the whole point. It wants the raw bar. Oysters. Clams. Sashimi. Chilled shrimp. Caviar, if the day calls for it.

Cold, salty, briny food and a bone-dry champagne. Hard to beat in the summer heat.

Back to M. This one became an entertaining staple the second I tried it, from Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen. Crispy caviar potatoes. Thank you, Meredith.

What you need: 1 lb small yellow potatoes 3 tbsp unsalted butter Crème fraîche Caviar Chopped fresh chives

How to make it: Boil the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Halve them and scoop a small divot in the center of each. Brush all sides with melted butter and season with kosher salt. Bake on a sheet pan at 450(F) until crisp, about 15 minutes. Right before serving, fill each one with crème fraîche, top with caviar, and finish with chives. Pop the Brut Nature and watch the table light up.

Pour one of these: Dom Caudron Brut Nature, Michel Genet BB Nature.

Demi-Sec and Orchard Fruit

The sweet one, and the one people keep underestimating.

A little sugar in the glass loves fruit and salt together. Pears, green or golden apple. Peach, apricot, nectarine. Chocolate. A wedge of blue cheese.

Don't file it away for dessert and nothing else. It deserves more than that.

M. again, closing us out. We've been baking this quick apple tart from Bon Appétit for decades. Frozen puff pastry and all. Don't tell our French chef friends.

What you need: 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 3 green or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 3 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup apricot preserves, melted

How to make it: Heat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment, lay the pastry on it, and poke with fork tines around a half-inch border. Arrange the apples in rows over the pastry, overlapping the slices and leaving that border clear. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, brush with the melted preserves, then give it about 8 minutes more. Serve with a small wedge of Roquefort on the side and watch the room go quiet.

Pour this: Dom Caudron Demi-Sec.

The Point

That's the summer, more or less. Four bottles, four ways to eat, one season that doesn't last.

Keep the champagne cold. Keep the food simple. Eat outside while the light holds.

Pops and M.