ENGLISH VERSION
RECIPE
A WINNING TASTE!
BY MATHILDE HULOT
On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November, the 21 st edition of the Grand Tasting at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris will be a feast for the taste buds. It is a chance to discover some truly great wines. Caroline, 23, student:“ Good wine is magical, the expression of the terroir combined with the pleasure of taste. To understand that magic, the Grand Tasting is an unmissable event.” Charles, 27, IT specialist:“ It’ s like the Salon des Vignerons Indépendants, but a notch above.” Jean- Baptiste, 32, engineer:“ For me, it’ s an institution.” Like these young people we met in the aisles, 15,000 visitors attend this event every year. It is organised by the critics Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, beneath the Louvre. The Grand Tasting means two days of access to the cream of the crop of producers. It means rubbing shoulders with wine lovers, journalists, wine merchants, restaurateurs and buyers of every stripe. Between sips, people talk wine, vines and gastronomy, and sometimes horse racing or show jumping. When we run into Antoine Gerbelle, journalist and founder of Tellement Soif, we ask him for news of Volnay, his Selle Français. But the heart of the action is talking to the winemakers and owners of the finest estates in France and beyond. That is what they are there for, and to present their latest releases. These are the producers who make good wine, whose wines you can taste with your eyes closed. Some examples? The Burgundies of Château de Chamirey, Bouchard Père et Fils, Joseph Drouhin and Vincent Girardin. The Bordeaux of Pichon- Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Giscours, Léoville Las Cases and Léoville Poyferré … The Champagnes of Bollinger, Taittinger, Ayala, Deutz, Ruinart, Perrier-Jouët and Roederer … But also a whole host of producers from every region, not necessarily as well known, but just as talented. That is the whole point of the event: all 300 exhibitors belong to the Bettane + Desseauve selection. Hand-picked.
HIGH-FLYING MASTERCLASSES Away from the aisles, three rooms host presentations by estates. In three quarters of an hour, you learn as much as in years of study or aperitifs. These fascinating sessions bring together an estate director( or a winemaker) and a Bettane + Desseauve journalist, who explain the vintages, reveal the secrets of how the wines are made and answer questions. The programme is enticing, but places are snapped up fast. For example:“ The goldsmith’ s craft of the House of Krug”,“ Château La Nerthe: the diversity of Châteauneufdu-Pape terroirs” and“ The genius of wine”, presented by the one and only Michel Bettane, an erudite critic.
THE GRAND TASTING’ S EXTRA TOUCH These two days are also a chance to discover wines from further afield: Italy, China and Slovenia, chosen for their quality and originality. For the first time this year, Georgia is presenting two estates: Tsinandali, east of Tbilisi in Kakheti, and Château Mukhrani, to the north-west in the Kartli region. Georgia is known for its wines matured in qvevri( the oldest type of vessel still in use today). Now it wants to show that it also makes sublime red and white wines, vinified in stainless-steel tanks, concrete eggs, large oak casks or barrels. These wines show the potential of Georgian grape varieties such as Goruli Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli for whites, and Saperavi and Shavkapito for reds. Simply stunning! Don’ t miss it!
EXPERT TIPS
• Arrive as early as possible to taste in peace. If some stands are crowded, don’ t hesitate to try the quieter ones: every single exhibitor is worth a visit.
• Remember to bring a cup( plastic or paper) to spit into, then empty it into the spittoons in the aisles.
• Bring a bottle of
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