“Have you tried aged Bordeaux with thousand-year eggs?” my friend who consults for restaurants here asked on Saturday night as we devoured pigeon and a bottle of 2012 Domaine Dujac Morey-St.-Denis at Fung Lum. “No,” I replied, “but I will have to try your pairing. I like them with Champagne.”

Come join me on Saturday afternoon, 22nd June, for a wine and food pairing class. I’ll share with you my experience working as a sommelier for several years in restaurants in NYC – Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel and Veritas. In addition, we will taste ten contrasting wines and ten different foods including foods that are challenging for wine like Mapo Tofu and sardines with an emphasis on Cantonese dishes and pairing them with wines.

As an American living in Hong Kong, it’s presented a great area of learning that continues, so join me in a topic that I love - that of flavour combinations. I remember how impressed I was at La Gavroche several years ago by a female sommelier who paired a Framboise Lambic Beer with tuna tartare. It was perfect, such synergy in that pairing with the beer elevating the flavours in the tuna and the tuna tartare bringing out the nuances of the beer. My former manager from Gordon Ramsay in NYC who had returned to the Hospital Road location had invited me over to work with their team for a few days and then took me to dinner at La Gavroche because he wanted me to experience wine and food pairing at a very classic fine dining restaurant in London. 

So, the way to discover your best pairings is through trying wines with a variety of foods. At this class, we will do just that. However, in those moments when we are hosting, we don’t always want surprises, and we want to feel comfortable with our wine and food matches. There are basic guidelines we will go through to help you as you create your next perfect pairing whether it’s at a restaurant or in your home. Specifically, we will talk about and experience through tasting how factors like sweetness of a dish, salt, and cooking method as well as sauces impact a wine and thus are factors to consider when pairing. I look forward to seeing you on the 22nd June!

Here’s the lineup for our afternoon discussion:
2005 Charles Ellner - Champagne Séduction
2016 Maximin Grünhaus - Abtsberg Spätlese
2015 Domaine Arnaud Lambert - Saumur Blanc Brézé 'Clos David'
2016 Domaine Georges Vernay - Condrieu 'Terrasses de l'Empire'
2016 Domaine Jean Fournier - Marsannay Blanc Clos du Roy
2011 Domaine Chevillon - Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru 'Les Cailles'
2012 Biondi Santi - Brunello di Montalcino Annata
2014 Jean-René Germanier - Cayas Reserve Syrah
2008 Château Haut Bailly
Domaine Sérol - Turbullent Sparkling Rosé Non-vintage