Today’s wine-drinkers are looking for quality over quantity and at The Glass, owner Luc pairs two wines at different price points to guide and educate his customers on a great wine choice
by Laurence Civil
Fine French dining reached its height in Bangkok during the 1980s, driven by a wealthy bourgeois who had been educated in Paris and had acquired a taste for gastronomic elegance. Today it’s the bistro-style, which is the Parisian-style of one-dish dining with a glass of wine.
Luc Busin, the fourth generation of a family of Champagne producers from the Montagne de Reims, has created a “Bistro Moderne” interpretation at The Glass in Ekkamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63; Tel: 02 108 8982; www.theglassbangkok.co.th), enhancing the basic concept by offering 36 French premium wines by the glass, 32 still wines, three Champagnes, and a sparkling wine. Using four “wine emotion” machines, they are all stored in perfect condition for 21 days. The machine dispenses three pouring options: a 3ml sip, a 6ml half-glass, and 12ml full-glass.
Today’s wine-drinkers are looking for quality over quantity, but not all customers feel they have sufficient knowledge to select their own wine. To address this, Luc has paired two wines at different price points to guide and educate his customers. “There is no such thing as the perfect pairing,” Luc says.“Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal taste.”
Dinner started with a bistro classic of a toasted goat’s cheese salad drizzled with honey from Champagne. This dish was paired with two wines: a Chardonnay Domaine Gayda 2013, a wine that captures the spirit of Languedoc–with a fresh, clean, cool-climate style of Chardonnay; and a Petit Chablis Domaine Fourrey 2013 Burgundy–from a fourth generation-owned estate. Both chardonnays express different characters.
The main course was Australian beef tenderloin with Cepes served with mashed potato. This was a delightful dish; cooked-to-perfection. The first suggested pairing was Bandol Chateau de Pibarnon 2010, a blend of 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache from Provence, in an area that overlooks the Mediterranean. The second, an organic Beaume Le Prevoles 2011, is 100% pinot noir made at Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson. The fruit comes from a lot wedged between the City of Beaume and the Grand Cru vineyards.
For dessert, I took the classic caramelized apple tart tartin. This was paired with the Chateau de Pibarnon, which was also served with the main course. The second wine was Pierre Larousse, a 100% sparkling chardonnay Blanc de Blanc from the Loire Valley.
The Glass boasts a great diversity of premium wines to suit all palates and pairings.
