> Surprising pairings of B&G wines with international gastronomy by Dominique Laporte, Best Sommelier of France

For this occasion, Barton & Guestier's international food selection was the following:
From Asia (Japan): Salmon sashimi,
From Europe (France): Brillat-Savarin (a French cheese)
From North-America: Buffalo tartare...

Said Dominique Laporte: "It is important to point out that there is more than one perfect match. In terms of matching there are no wrong answers. Every one has his own preferences and the right choice depends on personal taste. Not every one reacts in the same way to sweetness, bitterness, acidity or saltiness. I like to demonstrate that by chosing different wines and tests people's reactions".

For the Salmon Sashimi matching, Dominique Laporte chose the B&G Réserve Sauvignon Blanc and B&G Passeport Chablis. At first the participants tasted the wines without the food, to perceive and register the differences.between the wines : the fresh and aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with its citrus notes is of course completely different from the Chablis - 100% Chardonnay - with its very round and creamy notes.

When tasting each wine with the salmon, participants discovered 2 different dishes:
with the Sauvignon Blanc, the aromatic citrus notes covered slightly the taste of the fish, where with the Chablis the fish taste and especially the creamy or fat texture of the fish was emphasized.

In terms of "preferences", the participants were divided in 2 groups, exactly as Dominique announced.

For the Brillat-Savarin matching, Dominique selected B&G Passeport Vouvray and B&G Passeport Rosé d'Anjou, two rather sweet wines from the Loire valley. The attendants were surprised by this choice but very willing to try. Moreover, most admitted never having tried a Rosé wine on a cheese.

The Brillat-Savarin cheese is made of cow milk and extremely creamy; it contains 75% fat.

The matching with both wines emphasized this creaminess, the Rosé d'Anjou making the cheese slightly saltier than the Vouvray. Dominique explained that fat, sugar and alcohol are all part of the same family and that's why the cream of cheese fits perfectly well with the sweetness of the wines.

With the buffalo-tartare, Dominique offered B&G Réserve Cabernet Sauvignon and B&G Passeport Médoc.

The B&G Cabernet Sauvignon shows blackcurrant aromas with soft vanilla notes, where the B&G Passeport Médoc, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is more complexe and elegant, with well present tannins.

The tartare was made with a dressing of oil, salt and pepper. The matching with the B&G Cabernet Sauvignon did not influence the taste of the tartare, where the tannins of the Médoc proposed a subtle opposition to the fat of the tartare, enhancing the taste of the buffalo meat itself.