Meeting an important client for dinner? Here’s how to choose the right wine

Sharp suit? Check. Reservation at a fancy restaurant? Check. You are off to a ability meeting with an important primary or client, and you want to channel your inner Don Draper.

Things get a little tricky when the sommelier presents you with the vino list.

You scan information technology and your mind is a blur, a vii-second lightspeed trip across the regions of the winemaking globe. Is that a winery proper noun? That French discussion is familiar but is that a silent consonant? What do I pick?

To help you brand the right impression with your vino selections, CNA Lifestyle roped in 4 wine experts: Edwin Soon, wine author and consultant; Kenny Leong, freelance vino journalist; Anthony Charmetant, co-possessor of Ma Cuisine eating place; and Kelvin Tay, group sommelier mentor of The White Rabbit restaurant.

READ: The White Rabbit celebrates its 10th birthday with old-school classics

Ma Cuisine owners Anthony Charmetant and Mathieu Escoffier. (Photograph: Ma Cuisine) WHAT KIND OF WINES WOULD You RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO CONVEY HIS OR HER STATUS IN A POWER Meeting?

Edwin Before long (ES): I'd recommend Bordeaux wines from top chateaus similar Lafite, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, and d'Yquem. Burgundy Grand Crus from the appellations of Chambertin, Corton, Romanee-Conti would too work.

Kenny Leong (KL): Bordeaux seems like a predictable pick, while Burgundy offers more intrigue and refinement, so you should take that into consideration if you'd like your vino to convey more sophistication and discernment.

If you are the client and take been given the liberty to choose, it's prophylactic to go for options like Gewurztraminer, Soave, or the undervalued Spanish reds. This non only lets your host know that your palate extends beyond the usual Chardonnay, Riesling, or Merlot, it likewise says a lot near how you choose to spend your money where it's worth, by avoiding the mainstream offerings that typically see higher marking-ups.

Kelvin Tay (KT): I'd go for a Burgundy, too, as the region's Pinot Noir has plenty of elegance and intensity. I could spend hours tasting and re-tasting them to meet how they are evolving. My personal favourite is Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges, which I'd pair with a grilled Mishima wagyu flat iron steak cooked rare or medium rare.

The White Rabbit's Kelvin Tay recommends a bottle of Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges. (Photo: Kelvin Tay)

Anthony Charmetant (Air conditioning): Since the guests are in a business coming together, they may not have enough time to explore a large, powerful, complex wine. I'd recommend a wine that is like shooting fish in a barrel to drink and understand, at a price indicate they are comfortable with, and one that doesn't require much caption or additional time to breathe and decant.

I'd pick a Domaine Egly-Ouriet, Premier Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny, a champagne which is revered by vino lovers. Alternatively, a Crozes Hermitage Clos Des Grives Rouge (2016) from Rhone-based producer Domaine Combier. This is a Syrah that opens up gently with subtle peppery notes. The wine could be paired with quick and piece of cake dishes such as our La Pissaladiere, a classic caramelised onion tart with anchovies.

ES: I'd too point to a price rather than a wine on the wine menu, and ask the sommelier to advise "something similar to this for the repast". The perceptive sommelier would know to propose the advisable wine just at the budget I had indicated with my finger-pointing, with the other diners none the wiser.Noted vino author and consultant Edwin Before long. (Photo: Edwin Soon)

WHAT WINE ETIQUETTE SHOULD THE GUESTS AND SOMMELIER OBSERVE?

KT:

If a guest serves or pours a wine wrongly, nosotros may propose (the right way) but sometimes, depending on the customer, we may accept to have a pace back. In my early days as a sommelier, I got told off past a guest when I tried to correct him: "Young man, you are teaching uncle how to drink!" It'south important to build rapport with your guests.

AC: We will seat our guests in a more private expanse that is quiet plenty for them to talk business. When it comes to serving the wines, we like to exist a silent player. Their needs should be taken care of with timely, smooth service, so they may focus on the serious context of the power meeting in our hospitable setting.

Anthony Charmetant's pick is the Domaine Egly-Ouriet, a champagne revered by vino lovers. (Photo: Ma Cuisine)

WHAT WINE JARGON SHOULD I USE IF HE OR SHE WANTS TO Print THE GUESTS?

ES: Y'all tin ask the sommelier most the vino's terroir, which is a technical term to describe a wine gustation that is influenced by the vineyard'due south growing conditions, geography and altitude. Yous tin can besides ask if the wine is cool or warm climate. The one-time means the wine is more delicate, with a crisp acidity.

Freelance wine journalist Kenny Leong. (Photo: Kenny Leong)

KL: Merely substitute normal words for wine-speak. For instance, "nose" instead of "scent", and "bouquet" instead of "aroma". You can say: "What a gorgeous nose this vino has, the boutonniere is alluring and intense."

xuhintrues.blogspot.com

Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/how-to-choose-the-right-wine-for-power-meetings-impress-client-238451

Share this post