TASTING NOTE S
Chef de cave Benoît Gouez is a busy man.
“I just tasted 35 wines in eight minutes before
I met you,” he says. “I need to work sharp and
fast.” Gouez believes Champagne should
mean minimal rules and maximum good
times. “I think people who love to drink
Champagne, most of the time are happy
people ... people who like to enjoy the good
life.” To enjoy it at its fullest, here are his tips:
HOW TO STORE
“Keep [the bottle] standing up if drinking
within the year. Otherwise, keep on its side.
Make sure there are no big variations in
temperature and it is out of the sun. Don’t
store it in the fridge until you want to drink it.”
HOW TO DRINK
“Don’t drink it super cold (ie, 5°C). Drink
Brut Imperial at eight degrees and vintage at
12 degrees, and use a bigger glass. Very old
vintages can be even warmer, say 14 or 15
degrees. It’s not such a problem to drink it
really cold if it’s non-vintage.”
HOW TO MATCH
“I don’t believe in the perfect match. It’s the
people, the place and the mood, and you
can’t replicate that. The first rule is that
a match is not based on ingredients but more
so on textures. The only thing we don’t have
in Champagne is saltiness. Therefore, we
play a lot with saltiness, and with a chef
to bring that fifth element to the flavours
when you marry food and wine.”
And yes, cheese or seafood with
Champagne is fine!
KEEP IT SIMPLE
“I am always looking for simplicity.
It’s easy to be complicated. We need
to demonstrate that Champagne goes
with all different cuisines. I always give
the challenge to the chef to use three
ingredients. Most of the time when things
have been too prepared ... I miss the magic
and the excitement of improvisation.”
HOW TO ENJOY THE NEW 2012 VINTAGE
“It’s a transition from spring to summer, from
white flowers to peaches – 2012 is crunchy
with a bite into the fruit. It’s rich in sugar and
acidity. The acidity cuts into the suppleness
and it’s a good surprise.”