The Tribune

WINE and food enthusiasts were treated to a rare delight as Young’s Champagne combined with Blue Caviar Le Restaurant to present a night of extraordinary wine and champagne pairings.

More than 60 guests attended the sold out event and enjoyed several fine wines from the Burgundy region of France, each artfully matched with an elegant dish designed to balance with the wine and bring out the best in both.

On hand to present each course was wine expert Morgan Delacloche, who spoke about the history of the Burgundy region in general and Henriot Family Estate in particular.

Mr Delaroche, who travels around the world representing a number of prestigious wine makers including Champagne Henriot, Bouchard Pere et Fils and William Fevre, said he could not have been more pleased with the event.

“I think it went really well,” he said. “There was a great wine selection and people were really paying attention. You could see they were not just there to have a great time, but also to learn.

“Young’s Champagne and Blue Caviar did a terrific job in creating this atmosphere. The ambiance was perfect, and the food was excellent.

“It was very impressive that they were able to serve 60 guests at the same time. I have travelled around the Caribbean and I know sometimes service can be tricky, but this was perfect.

“The food was fantastic as well, The Salmon Tartare and the Tortellini were great. The grouper was an amazing paring – it proved you can do red wine with fish. The filet minion was excellent, so tender there was no knife required.”

Morgan, who travelled from France specifically for the event, said he was willing to cross oceans for a one-night affair because of his belief in William and Laura Young.

The local couple founded their boutique champagne and wine company in 2011 and have watched it flourish, quickly becoming the benchmark for fine French wine on the island.

“I have never regretted for a single second my decision to trust their ambition. A year and a half later, I am not only satisfied by impressed,” Morgan said.

“I really enjoy their enthusiasm and their vision for the market, which is important for me personally.

This vision, he explained, is to offer unique French wines and champagnes that are meticulously monitored and maintained, while making the experience relaxed and accessible.

“For them, fine wine is not something snobbish,” Morgan said. “The day after the event, we had a great time pairing wines with local foods like conch salad.”

Blue Caviar chef and owner Jacques Carlino understands the wisdom of the Youngs’ approach perfectly.

“This is something fun – combining different wine with different food,” he said.

“But wine is such a big word, there is so much to explain. What they are doing is opening the door by offering good wine at a decent value.

“Before I met William, I found French wine in Nassau too expensive, and it carried a stigma. There is sometimes a stigma to everything French – people see it as pompous, but this is so wrong.

“French cooking starts with rustic food. That is the basis. First, make it tasty, then you can concentrate on making it pretty.

“But this does not make it pompous. It’s like a beautiful lady – you put her in a beautiful dress, she looks fantastic, but she would look good even in a track suit!”

The balance of which he speaks is reflected not only in the quality and impeccable presentation of Chef Jacques’ food, but also in the atmosphere of his newly opened Lyford Cay restaurant.

The dining room, framed by a matrix of exposed wooden beams and a lofty vaulted ceiling, exudes rustic authenticity, but every detail is attended to with a subtlety and clarity which is truly modern.

“I really loved the event,” Chef Jacques said. “I am a big fan of food and wine. In fact, my background is in wine – I started there before moving to the kitchen.

“It was just exceptional to serve amazing wine with wonderful food. The pairings went very well, everything had the right balance, which is the point.

“I wish we could do more things like this in Nassau with people like William and Laura. We could include other parts of France, different wine with different food.

“I worked in London for 20 years and this sort of thing is common there. But I feel like there isn’t enough of it in Nassau, I would like to do more.”