The Royal Cliff Wine Club presented another in their
series of Winemaker’s Dinners last weekend. This time it was the House
of Joseph Drouhin, from the Burgundy region of France, represented by its
director, Gerald Uhlen.
Before the dinner was served, the captain of the Wine
Club, Ranjith Chandrasiri, spoke to the packed house (there were literally
no seats) on the House of Drouhin and thanked Georges Barbier of
Vanichwathana (Bangkok) the importers of the wines.
Panga
Vathanakul (centre) and Andrew, Wood GM of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
present gifts of appreciation to Georges Barbier (left) and Gerald Uhlen
(2nd right). Ranjith Chandrasiri (2nd left) president of the Royal Cliff
Wine Club proudly looks on.
Director Gerald Uhlen then took centre stage, opening
his remarks by saying, “Ranjith has said it all. Thank you for having me
- I only came for the drinks!” That set the tone of one of the most
enjoyable evenings held at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s Grand Wing.
The meal began with a parfait of goose liver with
raisins and green peppercorns accompanied by a very fruity Chardonnay, a
Rully Blanc 1994. Gerald Uhlen took the opportunity to inform those diners
from the New World who might have thought they “invented” chardonnay
that France (and Burgundy in particular) had been making wine for 3000
years, so they really knew what they were doing.
The next wine was a Chablis Premier Cru 1999 which was
very smooth. The taste, according to Gerald Uhlen, came from the fact that
the vines were grown in a substrate of oyster fossils, giving credence to
his assertion that France had been at this sort of thing for many years.
The main course was a tenderloin of whole roasted
Charolais beef served on boulangere potatoes with roasted garlic and a
sauce made from a Joseph Drouhin Pinot Noir. The entire Wine Club was
captivated by this dish, and the cooking, under the watchful eye of the
Royal Cliff’s executive chef Walter Thenisch, was just superb.
By this stage in the evening the Wine Club had moved
into the reds, through a wonderful Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 1987, a
light and elegant red, and then into a Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 1989,
with a table worth of over 2,000 baht per glass! This wine was simply
sensational and I scoured the tables looking for any bottles that were
left. Unfortunately others had had the same idea, so I was only left with
the lingering taste - beautiful!
We finished with French farmhouse cheeses and a warm
pear tart with Williamine sabayon and bitter chocolate ice cream. It was a
superb evening, and at 1,500 baht the bargain of the year, considering the
value of the wines consumed exceeded the per capita cost (thank you
Georges Barbier)!
These Winemaker’s Dinners are now firmly fixed in the
food lovers calendar and it was interesting to note that the better hotels
in Bangkok are now starting their own “copy cat” wine clubs and
dinners as well. I wonder if the Suppression Police might consider
investigating such “copy” merchandise!
Do not miss the next Winemaker’s Dinner. Like several
diners who were too late to book their places for this Burgundy dinner,
you will need to book early. Watch the Pattaya Mail for information on the
next one.
(L
to R) Elfi Seitz, Christel Pilz and Anita Suchoch-Kasper at the German
Language Club meeting.
(L
to R) Sopin Thappajug, associate judge of the Chonburi Child and Family
Court, Patinya Sutsawan, chief of the Chonburi Child and Family Court, PSC
Charity Chairman Bernie Tuppin and PSC President Carl Engel.