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OMGD China Wine & Food Pairing

Bailliage of China
Beijing, August 20, 2016

Pairing wines with so-called 'junk' food

Participants will never again be able to enjoy a trip to the cinema without champagne!

At the Bailliage’s Ordre Mondial wine and junk food pairing event, Vice-Échanson Michael Delacruz dared to match very fine wines with foods more suited to sporting events than a grand repast! However, even the so-called “junk” food was up-scaled with Chef Bernie Sperk, Vice-Chancelier, preparing every item fresh to the Chaîne’s highest standards.

The afternoon event began with champagne paired with popcorn which was neither a store-bought, pre-popped concoction nor microwaved. Chef Bernie popped the corn the old-fashioned way, on the stove, topping it with clarified butter and sprinkling on Camargue fleur de sel. Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain NV combined its effervescence with the popcorn’s delightful crunch - movie night will never be the same!

Gordon Biersch-style French fries followed. Of course they were hand-cut and fried by Chef Bernie, then sprinkled with Camargue fleur de sel and served with mayonnaise. Fried chicken arrived next coated with salted cornflakes served with a tomato aioli and Popeye’s blackened ranch sauce hand-carried from New York for the occasion. It came as something of a surprise that with these two dishes the Henriot also continued to work well.

Pepperoni and cheese pizza was delivered from ‘La Pizza’, a renowned Beijing pizzeria. It was paired with Tenuta Poggio Al Mandorli 2010 Chianti Classico DOCG from Italy. Afterwards, hamburgers with classic garnishes of tomato, onion, lettuce were served with ketchup and barbecue sauce. A Domaine de la Grange des Maures 2011 Beaujolais partnered.

Concluding the tasting was ‘Twinkie, a classic American junk food dessert enlivened with homemade vanilla ice-cream, alongside Fiore Sparkling NV Moscato d'Asti DOCG from Italy.

We agreed this was the best quality “junk” food ever and any cinema or fast-food restaurant visit must include a bottle of wine … preferably sparkling!

Steven Schwankert
Vice-Chargé de Presse

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