French Wine Dinner

Mas De Daumas Gassac the legendary French wine producer revered for its outstanding red and white wines recently joined forces with Acqua Restaurant at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya for an outstanding French Wine Dinner.

Now, many wine dinners fail to live up their name and are mere marketing ploys to lure in customers into pre-fixe dinners with courses that fail to pair well with hap-hazardly chosen wines.

This was most certainly NOT’ the case at this French Wine Dinner.

Often referred to as the Languedoc’s Grand Cru or First Growth, Mas de Daumas Gassac herald from the South of France and the wine region Languedoc and are regarded by many as the Languedoc region’s most prestigious wine estate in fact they have single-handedly rewritten the history of winemaking in the region.

Mas De Daumas Gassac was founded by Véronique and Aimé Guibert – and is now run by their four sons Samuel, Gaël, Roman, and Basile.

Find out more:
www.daumas-gassac.com

The 1st Growth of the South

The French-themed evening was hosted by Mr. Dennis Thouvard (GM Centara Grand Mirage, Pattaya) and Mr. Basile Guibert (Co-owner Mas De Daumas Gassac).

As guests gathered canapes were served with a refreshing welcome drink (Mimosa) and soon after the tasting began.

The evening consisted of 4 wines all paired with a dish then a Dark Chocolate Delight of Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Lava-Style cake that oozed a chocolaty sauce and delicately topped with fresh raspberries – Heaven Sent!

Each Wine:

Moulin de Gassac Sauvignon Blanc
Pont de Gassac Red 2016
Mas de Daumas Gassac Red 2016
Mas de Daumas Gassac Magnum 2004

Our first course was Duck Liver from Landes with Pan-Fried and Pressed, Thai Mango Jelly and Glazed Ginger Tagliatelles – Simply Outrageous, the combination of flavours and textures were delightful and the first wine Moulin de Gassac Sauvignon Blanc, was a friendly and a little bit of a fruity start to the evening and one that made me giddy to taste more.

Next, we made a swift transition to Red and the Pont de Gassac Red 2016.

This medium bodied ruby red wine also had a fruity finish but struck me as a more serious wine full of flavor well-balanced slightly dry and already my favourite.

This was paired with crunchy Dublin Prawns in a Citrus Vinaigrette with Basil Chiffonnade.

The combination of the wine and the seafood was lip-smacking both equally palatable and the perfect duo.

Then the main event a Beef Fillet with Truffles cooked on a string served with Espuma of Potatoes a classic dish done to perfection paired with Mas de Daumas Gassac Red 2016.

Fuller in body compared to the previous wine but equally delicious with a stronger and gamey finish this Smokey rich offering was a class act.

A Cheese Plate followed. Mild to strong, rounds and wedges, light against dark, soft and hard it was all there and was paired with our final wine Mas de Daumas Gassac Magnum 2004

Rich, Spicy, Sweet, Subtle a Traditional and Elegant wine with depth and the perfect wine to finish a splendid evening.

The night was a resounding success and it was insightful, interesting and revealing to hear about the wine industry and the featured wines from Mr. Basile Guibert.

Each course arrived with precision and unparalleled wines that you simply must try.

By Paul Johnson

Aqua Restaurant
Centara Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya
277 Moo 5, Naklua, Banglamung, Pattaya 20150, Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 3830 1234
Fax: +66 (0) 3871 4999
Email: [email protected]

www.centarahotelsresorts.com