One of the premier wine clubs in Pattaya is at the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel, where it has been since 2001. Now called the deVine Wine Club, the members were invited to a special French wine dinner called “La Route des Vins de Bordeaux”. This was promoted as a great opportunity for French wine lovers to indulge in excellent Bordeaux wines which are internationally recognized for distinguished quality and inimitable flavors, with the wines supplied by K. Anurut’s Wine Dee Dee Company.
The evening began with a cocktail reception at Sunset Terrace Lobby and Bar at Royal Cliff Beach Terrace with dinner at the Royal Grill Room and Wine Cellar. Executive Chef Walter Thenisch even supplied Brittany Oysters Vichyssoise which were washed down (nobody eats only one oyster, do they?) with Veuve Chantal Brut Blanc de Blancs NV Borie-Manoux.
(L to R) Antonello Passa, General Manager of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group; Berenger Le Boursicot, the current Export Manager for Southeast Asia & the Middle East of Borie Manoux: Bordeaux Wine Negociant & Classified Estates owner; Panga Vathanakul, Managing Director of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group; and Anirut Posakrisna, the owner and chairman of Sri Siam Co., Ltd.
To comment knowledgably on the wines was Berenger Le Boursicot who has received Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) diplomas from the Ecole du Vin de France and Vinecole in France. Monsieur Berenger is also the current export manager for Southeast Asia and the Middle East of Borie-Manoux, Bordeaux Wine ‘negociant’ and owner of Classified Estates who added to the ambience of the evening, making it both enjoyable and enlightening for the members and guests. Having a Frenchman describing his own wines brings out the Gallic passion!
(L to R) Bantawat Kerkpittaya, Patt Srinoi, the Managing Director of Sri Siam Co., Ltd.; Anirut Posakrisna, the owner and chairman of Sri Siam Co. Ltd.; and Suchart Suksawad, Beverage Manager at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group.
Some facts which may interest you – a Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, centered on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department, with a total vineyard area of over 120,000 hectares, making it the largest wine growing area in France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. Eighty-nine percent of wine produced in Bordeaux is red, with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes), dry whites, and (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) collectively making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or châteaux. This puts Bordeaux wines and producers at the center of the old world wine producers, but also at the forefront of modern viticulture.
Berenger Le Boursicot.
After the cocktail reception (and another couple of Vichyssoise oysters) we were settled and the opening welcome was given by the Royal Cliff GM Antonello Passa who introduced the guest speaker Berenger Le Boursicot.
Our first course was a mackerel and Tasmanian salmon tartar with fruit de mer and fava beans on saffron sauce and mussel foam (which was delightful, by the way). This was taken with a Bordeaux Sauvignon A.B.C., Turpin Freres et Riout, 2012. Whilst there were some people who enjoyed this wine, I personally found it a little lacking in character and finish – but as I always impress upon wine drinkers, appreciation is always very personal.
The oven-roasted barramundi steak with Belgian endives was a most pleasant dish.
The next course featured oven-roasted barramundi steak with Belgian endives. I was most taken aback to find that the barramundi did not come from Australia, but from Trat. However, no matter where it came from, this was a most pleasant dish. The white wine that came with it was a Bordeaux Blanc Chateau du Pin, Borie-Manoux 2010. A stronger wine, which was preferred by most of the deVine Club members.
The main course was a grain fed Charolaise fillet from Australia, with the first red, a Chateau Movinon Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Controlee Vignobles Tribaudeau, 2008. This wine had body, but very heavy on tannins (which did become less after sitting and breathing for a few minutes).
The main course was a grain fed Charolaise fillet from Australia.
A cheese selection was next, along with the wine of the night. This was a Chateau Trotte Vieille Saint-Emilion, premier Grand-Cru Classe, Borie-Manoux 2006. Monsieur Berenger attributed this wine’s excellence to the ‘terroir’ of clay over limestone. The wine was 50 percent Merlot and 50 percent Cabernet Franc and came from one of the top 12 Bordeaux chateaux.
We finished with an amazingly artistic dessert.
We finished with an amazingly artistic dessert and a sweet Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes Premier Cru Classe, 2006, which I did enjoy with my sweet tooth.
It was another tour de force from the deVine Wine Club.
Antonello Passa, General Manager of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group along with deVine Wine Club members enjoying the sumptuous dinner and excellent food and wine pairings during Royal Cliff’s “La Route des Vins de Bordeaux: French Wine Dinner”.
