NEWS
CONNOISSEUR MACRON TREATED XI WITH CHAMPAGNE, WHITE BURGUNDY AND BORDEAUX RED
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
27-3-2019
In a private dinner hosted by the French presidential couple in the French Riviera last Sunday, Chinese President Xi and his wife were served Mediterranean dishes accompanied by Pol Roger champagne, Montrachet Grand Cru and a Petrus, according to French national newspaper Le Figaro.
The private meeting, held in Villa Kérylos in Beaulieau-sur-Mer some 10 km to the east of Nice, served as a warm welcome to President Xi and his wife before official events of their 3-day state visit starts.
Renowned local chef Christophe Bacquié, of Hotel du Castellet, was in charge of the dinner menu with help from chefs from the French presidential palace who were flown in to help.
Having gained three Michelin stars last year, Bacquié designed a menu packed with Mediterranean flavours using locally sourced produce including apple, grapefruit, asparagus, olive oil, crab and veal.
The dishes were accompanied by Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Cuvée 2000 champagne, Joseph Drouhin’s Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet Grand Cru 2011 and Petrus Pomerol 2002.
It is not known if President Macron personally picked the wines to pair with the dishes, but he is a high-profile connoisseur who has repeatedly showed off his blind tasting skills and has declared that wine is an ambassador for his country.
The Chinese president and his wife were guaranteed a good night sleep at Hotel Le Negresco in Nice after the warm leisurely private dinner, in their own bed reportedly shipped from Beijing.
The couple was received by the French president again in a state banquet at the Elysee Palace in Paris the next day, but details of the food and wines served have not yet revealed.
(the writer can be contacted at: SLawMathews@thewinechronicle.com)
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