How to drink bubbly this silly season

There's nothing quite like the pop of a champagne cork to signal that the party has well and truly started. We sat down with Herve Deschamps, chef de cave at Perrier-Jouet, to find out exactly how best to drink our bubbly this Christmas.

"My role is to maintain the quality of the champagne," he tells me. "It's a big responsibility. When people buy our Champagne they expect the best, and it's my job to ensure that that is what they get. I have to ensure all of our champagne is up to scratch for every consumer." Does this involve a lot of taste-testing, I ask? "Yes!" he says, laughing. "Many, many tastings!"

As the company's global chief winemaker, Herve is in Australia to teach hacks like me about what makes a great champers. First of all, he says, you need to note the colour. "You want a pale yellow colour," he says, "almost like straw." Then take a look at the number of bubbles – there should be lots, and they should be small beads, not large, "aggressive" orbs. "A soft fizz is best," he says. Finally, take a whiff – the wine should smell of fruits like lemon, grapefruit and pineapple, with a hint of toastiness, like a just-warmed slice of brioche. I take not and instantly feel like a glass of the good stuff.

As a country, we're more inclined than ever to be sipping bubbly – especially at Christmas. Chris Sheehy, Perrier-Jouet's Australian ambassador, notes that in 2005, 2.29 million bottles of Champagne were sold in Australia. Ten years later in 2015, that number is at 8 million – and climbing fast. At least 40 per cent of those bottles, says Chris, are consumed across December and January.

So what's behind our increased demand for Champagne? Sheehy says that a few factors have contributed, from falling costs due to better exchange rates and the supermarket retail wars, to better awareness and education around the drink itself.

As for what draws us to that bottle of Champagne in the first place, Herve waxes lyrical on the drink's numerous gifts. Not only, he says, is Champagne relatively low in alcohol (meaning you can drink a few glasses without feeling the effects), but it also goes hand-in- hand with good times. "Champagne means celebration," he says. "It's the pop of the cork, the fizz of the bubbles, the smell, the taste – you cannot have a celebration without it!"

As Chris Sheehy points out, Champagne is the only drink you can imbibe at any hour of the day. (Something, we feel we should add, that Chris wholly encourages you to do.) With this in mind, we quizzed him for the best bubbly pairings for our favourite Christmas foods.

For ham… Blason Rose is perfect – it has enough weight to hold up to the smokiness and salt of ham, says Chris. Go for a ham that's lightly smoked, rather than something too heavy.

For seafood… Blanc de blanc is dry and acidic, so it pairs well with the natural sweetness of seafood.

For stone fruit… White, young stone fruit would be great with Grand Brut, says Chris. For riper and heavier fruits, splurge on a vintage Belle Époque.

For turkey… Blason Rose works well, or an older Belle Epoque.

For chocolate… Champagne pairs best with dark chocolate that has some bitterness (or perhaps some salted caramel). With this, Chris suggests Blason or Belle Époque Rose.

For fruit cake or Christmas pudding… Blason or Belle Époque Rose would be delicious.