I’m delighted to be checking out my first 3 Michelin Star establishment on Friday, Piere Gagnaire’s restaurant in Paris. We’ll be doing the prix fixe evening tasting menu (the menu I linked to is the smaller lunch version). My understanding is that PG does not offer a pre-chosen wine pairing option. While I am confident that they will have a world-class sommelier, I would prefer to go into the situation somewhat prepared/educated on the task at hand: choosing wine(s) that will compliment a 15+ course menu. In a situation like this, is it normal to have a white & red on the table at the same time? If so, perhaps I’ll do a champagne (b/c I like champagne, particularly Krug or Salon, they also seem to go well with just about everything) + a red wine? In terms of budget, I am student so my wine-budget is somewhat limited, particularly given that the dinner alone costs $700 for the two of us before we start picking wines
In any event, any suggestions on how to strategically pick wines for the occasion would be most appreciated indeed.
Autolycus: that is precisely the problem! I assure you we will not be drinking 15 half-courses of wine, but there really are that many food courses. Therefore the question is, how to choose perhaps two (or more if we go with half-bottles?) versatile wines that would compliment this variety of food.
You’d need to know exactly what the courses are. But, generally, you are most likely going to go from “lighter” white wines (eg, sauv blanc) or a champagne and moving to the more robust reds with the main course. Then on to a Port w/ dessert.
But if you’re eating one course at a time, then generally that will go with one wine. I would expect that the meal would be planned such that one wine can span several courses. But, again, it depends on the specific items in each course.
Oh, and we’ll expect a full accounting of the mean once you’re finished!
BTW, I asked a mod to move this to CS, where it belongs.
Why you don’t want to talk to the sommelier is confusing to me. Nothing you can bone up on ahead of time is going to impress this dude. He’s also likely spent a LOT of time in the kitchen pairing wines to the courses. I always ask sommeliers for pairing suggestions within my budget. Good ones will ask you what types of wines you usually enjoy, and then give you a few different options along the taste spectrum- i.e. sweet versus dry, oaky versus fruity, etc. Allow this to be a wine-pairing educational experience for yourself, too! You’ll have a better and more nuanced wine experience if you go in with an open mind and the desire to be educated, as opposed to trying to figure out what you want to be drinking beforehand.
Trust me, I could care less about impressing the sommelier. What it comes down to is having to make an costly, complicated decision in a matter of minutes. A decision that will also impact my enjoyment of a rather expensive meal. So yeah, I’m doing my homework.
Also, its worth keeping in mind that sommeliers presumably get a commission on what they sell, so obtaining unbiased info seems like a good idea as well.
What you do is give him a firm budget, and a hint about your tastes [frex I detest dry as sand wines, I consider them sour and nasty. I prefer young lighter fruity wines. Giving me something that is sahara dry is not a good idea. ] He will be able to figure out 3 or 4 wines in your budget and taste range that will compliment the food. That is his job =)
Besides, what can he do, twist your arm into that 300 dollar bottle when your entire wine budget is 250? All you do is say no. He can not force you into buying anything.
I agree with this - the sommelier’s job is to assist you in your selection.
His/her reputation - and by extent that of the restaurant that employs him - depends on making customers happy with their selections.
If you were talking about a small unrecognized place I could see the sommelier pushing an expensive wine over something appropriate but less costly. But I find it unlikely that a 3 star establishment will take that risk.
I have two friends who are both sommeliers at Michelin star restaurants - they normally don’t work on commission and secondly would get fired if the chef were to find out they were pushing the more expensive wine instead of the guests preferences. They are there to enhance your dining experience not to deplete your wallet…
Another vote for “they almost certainly don’t work on commission”. Especially not in France, where the reputation of a sommelier is paramount.
For a 15-course tasting menu, the sommelier is going to be extremely au fait with which wine should be matched to which course. Probably they have a list s/he has memorized for that meal. This is certainly true with the tasting menus at the 2* and 3* places I’ve eaten at - they already know which is the best complement to the dish. Doing this can double or triple the cost of the meal, too, but if you’re going to splash out, then why not go the whole hog?
Here is a cite for the suggestion that they work on commission. My experience having a casual dinner at the 2nd restaurant in George V (the Four Seasons Paris) was that it took me a while to communicate my budget to the sommelier. Now perhaps this was my fault for not being sufficiently blunt from the get-go, but I guess I don’t like to disclose specific dollar amounts because i’m always a bit flexible on these things and wouldn’t want to not be told about a particular bottle if its just $50 more than the number I mention. For the record, the first wine the four season’s sommelier suggested was about $800.
The issue of commission, and money in general, aside, I am also of the opinion that the more informed I am going into these sorts of situations, the higher the level of discourse I can engage in with the sommelier. By this I mean that if I have a better idea of what I’m shooting for by virtue of chatting with you all, then he or she can use my detailed request to make more effective use of our time in together in the restaurant and help me find the perfect bottles. Surely this is not dissimilar to what most of you do before making any big purchase in a retail store?
That said, an $800 bottle is insane. But given that your review says “wines soar to thousands of dollars” I think an indication of budget is vital. I never have an unlimited budget, so always have to say something like: “I would like your advice in choosing good pairings, but I can only afford €X. Please could you guide me towards the best experience.” You could even say you would consider spending more if there’s something exceptional but at least it’ll give them a ballpark.
I was just watching a TV show that had Jose Andres traveling Spain eating food. He went to El Bulli and drank cava for his entire meal. He said that cava is a great wine for spanning a tasting menu because the bubbles help flavors travel.
The one high-end restaurant where I have eaten a tasting menu gave me a chardonnay when I asked for a glass that would carry through all the courses (seven, in this case). Courses included salad, house cured meats, seafood, beef, cheese course, dessert, and something else I can’t remember off the top of my head.
Well it doesn’t really matter anyway because, like every decent restaurant that serves a tasting menu Gagnaire’s restaurants all sell wine by the glass. It isn’t uncommon to be offered a different glass with every course at a decent restaurant. Keep in mind that the meal can take hours to complete.
That sounds absolutely delightful. You definitely will have to give us the recap.
When my husband and I dined at The French Laundry a few years ago with some friends, we ended up buying 2 or 3 bottles of wine. All were red, since most of the party preferred those, but one was a lighter wine while the other 2 heavier. And I can’t remember if we all ordered Champagne for the first course or if it was considered part of the course, but that was how we started. Just one glass each of sparkling wine with the amuses-bouches to whet the appetite.
It would not be unheard of at all for you to order 2 or 3 bottles, sparkling, white, red, dessert, etc.
It would really be impossible to try to give you any solid suggestions other than that. It depends on the courses, the mood you guys are in, etc.
I have to agree that the sommelier is your best friend in this instance. She should know what the menu is that day and should be able to pair accordingly. If you go in knowing you want to start with a white or a sparkling wine, just explain that, point to one or two you think might work, and make sure they are in the price range you are comfortable with. Once she knows that information (and your general likes/dislikes, say, if you detest Chardonnay for some reason) she can make a few suggestions.
Honestly, that’s really the most important piece of information the sommelier needs from you. A discreet indication of your price range. If you are comfortable with a range, say from $75 to $200, then just point to a couple of different wines in those ranges. You don’t have to utter a word, but you could say something like - this one looks interesting (75 bucks), but I’d also be interested in something like this one if it will be a smash hit with today’s menu ($150 or whatever).
You can go about choosing the second bottle at that time, or you could ask for the wine list again once the first bottle is depleted to choose your second bottle, which is probably how I’d go about it. But that just makes sense for me since I won’t really know what will tickle my taste buds until I’m already into the meal.
BTW, the good news, at least right now, is that the dollar is as strong as it’s been against the Euro in a long time (thanks to Greece and Spain). So as long as you actually have dollars maybe your meal will be down around $650 by the time you get to it.
