(1/15/2011)
Anyone who has dined at The St. Regis Bali Resort's Kayuputi Restaurant knows Sommelier Harald Wisemann is passionate about wine; taking great pains to carefully pair the ideal vintage from his multi-level wine cellar with the outstanding cuisine presented by Chef Oscar Perez.
Harald is also charged with the wine education of the Resort's two junior Sommeliers - Andhika Rachmad Wahyudi and I Gede Yudhi Suryawan. That training encompasses weekly sessions under Harald's wise tutelage, ensuring that Andhika and Gede have the necessary breadth of knowledge to select and present wines to diners at their twice-awarded
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence Winner.The training imparted by Herald covers a step by step education in wine commencing with the general history of wine; wine
mise en place; understanding the wine making process for red, white, sparkling, rose, champagnes and sweet wines; wine etiquette and finally, and most important, lessons in assisting and guiding guests in enhancing their dining experience through perfect wine pairings.
To further complement their already extensive wine training, the
St. Regis Bali recently send Wisemann and his two protégés on a tour of the main wine producing areas of France. The educational tour began with a visit to the Loire region where the trio immersed themselves in the viticulture traditions in the villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, calling on many of the most famous wine makers of that region, including Henri Bourgois.
Then, the Sommelier team made their way to the Bordeaux region to familiarize themselves with
Haut Medoc, Pomerol and
St. Emilion. There they visited and sampled the wines of
Château Lynch Bages, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Palmer, Château Pontet Canet and
Château Petrus. At
Château Lynch Bages, the Sommeliers from Bali received an in-depth and hands-on lesson on how to make a wine curve, the art of blending several grape varieties to produce, for example, a
Lynch Bages.They team was also invited to a famous two-star Michelin Restaurant at
Hotel Cordeillan Bages where they were the guests of owner Jean Cazes and enjoyed a nine-course menu paired with
Lynch Bages wines.
In a celebratory mode, the wine tour ended with a visit to the Champagne region where they toasted the sparkling creations of
Barons de Rothschild, Pol Roger, Billecart Salmon, Jacquesson before concluding with
Duval Leroy. On route back to Bali the trio stopped in Paris visit leading wine shops and several famous
Chacuteries.Shown on
Balidiscovery.com is a picture of the
St. Regis Bali Sommelier team with master wine-maker Henry Bourgeoise (second from left) in Chevignol, Loire Region.
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