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Oenophiles do not live by drink alone
Pairing food and wine is a complex skill. Done correctly, it will enhance your dining experience, make a mistake, and even quality produce can leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
One person who understands this better than most is Isabelle Legeron, France’s first and only female Master of Wine.
An award winning wine expert, she teamed up with celebrated chef Claude Bosi in 2010 and completely overhauled the wine list at his two Michelin-starred restaurant, Hibiscus. This unique approach to selecting a natural wine list based on pairings with the restaurant’s menu was a bold move but one which proved to be highly successful judging by the positive reviews the restaurant received (and the maintenance of its Michelin-starred status).
United by a common cause of promoting the benefits of natural ingredients, Isabelle and Claude decided to spread the word with a Chef’s Table and wine tasting event at the Divertimenti Cookery School. This tutored fine dining experience consisting of a menu of signature Bosi dishes, carefully paired with natural wines introduced by Isabelle, has proved to be so popular that it is now a regular feature of the Cookery Programme and it’s easy to understand why.
A Chef’s Table event at Divertimenti offers the rare opportunity to watch some of today’s top chefs prepare dinner for you around a luxuriously appointed La Cornue island. Often referred to as the Rolls Royce of cookers, La Cornue cookers are handmade to order in France and are the preferred choice for many a professional chef. The chance to experience a master chef utilising arguably the most prestigious and exquisite of cookers at Divertimenti’s exclusive showroom is a mouth watering prospect for any self respecting foodie. Add a Master of Wine to the proceedings and you have a culinary Shangri-la.
With 2011 seeing a heightened interest in natural wines, Isabelle decided to host a number of different classes each term at Divertimenti to further challenge the conventional understanding of what those in the wine world consider wine to be. With tastings varying from an introduction to natural wines, to that of the indigenous grape varieties revived by growers over Europe that are so obscure they rarely make it to the supermarket shelf, Isabelle’s breadth of knowledge on the subject bears testimony to her passion. So whether you’re a novice looking to be fast tracked on the road to becoming an aficionado, or you have a more experienced and refined palate but are ready to have your perceptions challenged, then a tasting with Isabelle is an occasion that should not be missed.
Isabelle’s three wine pairing fundamentals:
1. The key is to match the intensity of flavours in the wine and food.
2. Acidity in wine is your greatness ally as it can cut through heavy sauces and fatty textures.
3. And remember, chocolate is a tricky monster; don't ever, ever pair it with champagne. It will make your expensive fizz taste bitter and acidic. Much better to opt for a ripe camembert instead.
To find out more about Isabelle’s wine tasting classes, upcoming Chef’s Table events, La Cornue, or how the Divertimenti Cookery School can help you entertain and prepare for the festive season, visit www.divertimenti.co.uk or call 0870 1295 026.
