The Great Gatsby and Brut Champagne
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
Brut Champagne
Non-vintage · Champagne, France
Bubbles for a party that is never quite as happy as it looks.
Why it works
There is no getting around it: Gatsby’s parties run on Champagne, and the novel reads best with a glass that fizzes as brightly as West Egg on a Saturday night. A classic non-vintage Brut has the brioche richness of the good life and the bright acidity that keeps things moving.
What makes the pairing work, though, is the finish. Good Champagne ends cleanly and a little austere, and Fitzgerald’s glittering surfaces always give way to something colder underneath. Sip as Nick does — appreciatively, but with one eye on the door.
Also try
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