It’s finally winter in Macau. As the temperature drops and the chilly winds begin to get stronger, there’s nothing better to do than to enjoy a glass of sumptuous red wine. Recently Chilean wine producer Concha Y Toro teamed up with Chef Bruno Ménard, Don Melchor Brand Ambassador and Asia’s most iconic chef, to express both tradition and innovation and render the subtleties of a food pairing with the Chilean icon.
In 1986, Viña Concha Y Toro set out to produce Don Melchor, a “terrior” wine of world stature, faithfully expressing Carbernet Sauvignon from one of the world’s best terroirs for the particular variety. Don Melchor is one wine, one varietal, one terrior, an exquisite Caberent Sauvignon from the Puente Alto terroir in Chile. Over the decades, vintage influences and characteristics have developed the wine and this time around, Chef Ménard is taking up the challenge to create an innovative dinner, pairing five recipes with five vintages. From starter to dessert, the chef matches the nuances of the wine by working with the subtleties of each vintage.
“This challenge is all about wine and food. Food is about sensation, pleasure and trying to match this amazing wine with my type of food was not easy. The wine is brilliant and you can feel that the wine maker also expresses sensations as well as a specific terroir in the wine. You will see the color red throughout the dinner,” Chef Ménard comments.
To start off, Chef Ménard presents a poached egg on a fire roasted Piquillo coulis, with a salad topped with thin slices of air dried beef tenderloin, as well as 48 month old Conté cheese, subtly finished with a Lapsang Souchong black Chinese tea Chantilly. Don Melchor 1990 is selected to go with the dish. The wine starts with a smoky oak and leather aroma, notes of liquorice and game flavors follow. Together with the dish, the seductive aroma and smokiness is a match made in heaven, leaving discerning diners wanting more.
For the Don Melchor 2007, an intense vintage with tremendous complexity and notes of chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel, Chef Ménard made a pan seared slice of duck foir gras, topped with a mix of ginger confit, almond candy, chopped chives, complimented with a bitter orange coulis and Vinecao, Chef Ménard’s original cocoa vinegar.
“There are several elements that keep coming back in every dish, especially the orange aroma and the color red. Would you consider these as the signature elements that help you pair the food with the wine?” I ask.
“In fact, yes. Orange is present. However, there is another little secret. I have created a mix of spices to mimic the aroma of the Don Melchor, and I put a little bit of the mélange into each dish. I won’t tell you exactly which types of spices I put in it, but I can assure you that it is like magic. It makes the dishes synchronize with the wine,” he answers.
It is perhaps the dessert that drives me wild at the end of the meal. It is indeed just as Chef Ménard explains, one can almost get the taste of the wine from a dish. The Don Melchor 2010 is chosen to go with the dessert, a fresh strawberries and strawberry compote, with red wine pruneau and spiced granité, espuma scented with orange and lemon zest, vanilla and cinnamon stick.
“The way you should eat this dessert is to use the spoon to dig all the way down, so that you can get the texture of the granité and the creaminess on top and all the alcohol is gone from the red wine pruneau,” he instructs.
“I love the spiciness and the chocolate notes of the wine. The red cherry, plum, and strawberry flavors are amazing. Finally, the silky tannins make it an elegant and refined wine. Together with the dessert, it is a perfect way to end the meal,” I conclude.
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