Coopers and oenologists got together for an exceptional event in the kitchens of Atelier Guy Martin. The aim was to create six recipes that would pair perfectly with a selection of oak cask matured wines.

An evening to savour!

As lovers of fine wines will know, the barrel is not a simple container; it plays an integral role in the development of a wine's quality and characteristics as it matures.

In order to achieve an optimal level of quality, coopers and oenologists have to work closely together to combine their relative skills.

A natural extension of this professional complicity has brought their respective representative bodies together: ‘Tonneliers de France' for the coopers and the ‘Union des Oenologues de France' for the oenologists.

Further to this, the Tonneliers de France invited one hundred of the world's leading wine tasters to Atelier Guy Martin in Paris on Monday 2nd March.

The French and international oenologists, present in Paris at this time for the prestigious Vinalies Internationales,

were invited to prepare six recipes created by Sébastien Dagoneau, a master chef, notably trained at Le Grand Véfour. These recipes had been specifically designed to marry with a selection of oak cask matured wines.

In a very convivial, but nevertheless diligent atmosphere, they worked together to prepare and taste the following:

Millefeuilles of Scallops and Granny Smith, Crunchy vegetables in virgin olive oil and hazelnut sauce, paired with a Saint Aubin - La Chatenière 2007,

Lamb with coffee breadcrumbs, fine celeriac mousseline, paired with a Vosne Romanée Premier Cru « En Orveaux » - Domaine Guyon 2007,

Brochettes of smoked duck fillet with tomato confit, caviar d'aubergine, paired with a Château Beaurivage - Le Phare 2002,

Beef sautéed in Xérès, polenta fries with morel mushrooms, paired with a Premier Grand Cru Classé, Saint Emilion - Clos Fourtet 2001.

On the sweet side, Mango minestrone with a coconut-lime emulsion, paired with a Pouilly-Fuissé - Château Fuissé Le Clos 2006,

and finally, a remarkable Passion fruit soufflé with an exotic fruit coulis, married to perfection with a Gaillac Renaissance - Domaine Rotier 2006.

The taster-cooks of an evening were consequently fully able to appreciate the significant added value offered by cask maturing for wines when included in skilfully orchestrated gastronomic alliances.

An exceptional event, as friendly as it was professional, based solely on the quality of a lovingly matured wine and the pleasure that it imparts