An afternoon with Dan Buckle & Chandon

If you’ve never heard of the Eight Gourmets Gala (EGG) in Sunway, join the club.

Most places in Sunway are foreign to me anyway, and this being a new place and all, doubly so.

Anyway, the reason I whipped out the GPS to find this location was to attend a Chandon Lunch as well as Cocktail Masterclass with Dan Buckle, Senior Winemaker of Chandon.

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As with almost all tres chi chi events, a welcome tipple of snooty enough caliber should be served, in this case the Chandon Brut, before we were all ushered elegantly into the lunch area. The event began with an introduction of Chandon’s history by Dan Buckle – he talked about Chandon’s heritage, vineyard and its winemaking process to set the mood for lunch.

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an introduction of Chandon’s history by Dan Buckle

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So, as lunch was served, Dan encouraged us to experiment and choose our preferred pairing of sparkling or still wines for each meal course served – no right or wrong, just you and your taste buds and your preference. Wow, I really like this sort of wine food pairing lunch – well, it definitely gets your tipsy faster for one thing.

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First up, the Seafood Platter. The suggested pairing was with the Chandon Brut, or Chandon Rosé for an extra layer of complexity and additional richness to the palate. Both bubblies were fresh, with a great biting zing and fruitiness, but I preferred the complex rose for this pairing.

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bloody massive oyster .. not that I was complaining!

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neither was FBB!

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Smoked Duck Salad was the second course served. For this course, the Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir 2013 was the best match – a tannic, fruit infused medium bodied red, it truly enhanced the smoky flavours in the duck.

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For the main course, a Grilled Salmon was served with Mint Sauce. We paired this with both the Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir 2013 and Domaine Chandon Chardonnay 2013. I liked the Pinot Noir pair again in this instance.

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A serving of Beef Prosciutto with Kalamata Olive was brought out next, accompanied by a glass of Domaine Chandon Shiraz 2012. The oaky shiraz was just the foil to lift the strong waxy flavours in the gamy beef prosciutto. Very nicely paired indeed.

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The luncheon ended on a sweet and rather high note – the Raspberry Crème Brûlée served with Chandon Brut and Chandon Rosé. Loved both pairings, so I wouldn’t dare pick!

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After lunch, Dan called us to an interactive Chandon Cocktail Masterclass guided by EGG’s skillful bar manager to learn the fundamental steps of crafting creative bubbly flavours with the Chandon Brut.

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some took this class seriously… 

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others less so… 😛

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Nonetheless, it was a most educational and engaging masterclass.. really fun, especially since it was like bar-tending and cocktail making, minus the sweat and tears. Every thing had been measured out for us beforehand, right down to the expertly sliced garnishing! Good lord.. didn’t think mixology would be this easy!

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Anyway the two-hour interactive session showcased Chandon’s flagship wines comprising of Chandon Brut, and Chandon Rosé, as well as the red and white still wines, the Chardonnay 2013, Pinot Noir 2013 and Shiraz 2012.

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What a great afternoon.. I do hope I remember a thing or two about cocktail making.. so I can put it into practice at my next dinner party..

The first cocktail was a Tequila royal, comprising 30ml tequila, 15ml fresh lime syrup, and 8ml agave syrup. The second cocktail, was the Apple Gin Fizz, comprising 10ml gin, 10ml lemon juice, 10ml fresh apple juice, dash of syrup, mixed and shaken, and 60ml of Chandon Brut.

For those who love cocktails, there’s a promo at EGG –  15th May till 31st July 2015 at RM 28+, for cocktails using Chandon Brut and you can choose between the Green Demon – made of Gin, Mint, Monin Lemon Grass, Cucumber and Chandon Brut; or Lola – made of Belvedere Vodka, Fresh Apple Juice, Watermelon Syrup, and Chandon Brut.

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