Le Blog très officiel des Vins d'Alsace

Enrico Bernardo: a great sommelier with his heart in Alsace

By the riesling team, 16 January 2012

DR

Winner of the Best sommelier of the world competition at the age of 27, Enrico Bernardo is an important figure in food and wine.

Win­ner of the Best som­me­lier of the world com­pe­ti­tion at the age of 27, Enrico Ber­nardo has was­ted no time in beco­ming an impor­tant figure in the gas­tro­nomy and wine mar­ket. Three years ago he ope­ned his first “wine” res­tau­rant under the name of Il Vino d’Enrico Ber­nardo, which was shortly after­wards awar­ded its first Miche­lin star, and has just publi­shed a book on wine and food pairings.

How well do you know Alsace ?

it was the first wine region I ever visi­ted and it was also the first wine I ever found in a blind tas­ting (it was a late har­vest Gewurz­tra­mi­ner). I was 17 at the time and had just arri­ved from Milan and that’s how I got star­ted on the som­me­lier trail. So it’s no sur­prise that I have a spe­cial fee­ling for the region!

The way they work and the warm wel­come we always get when we visit a cel­lar, along with the com­plexity of the various ter­roirs. It’s a region with so many dif­ferent crus, each with the imprint of the indi­vi­dual wine­ma­ker, who chooses whe­ther the wine is to be bone dry or with a touch of sweet­ness and this gives you a huge choice. You need time to get to know them, it’s an intri­guing region for wine, and that’s half its charm. Not to men­tion the fact that the wines age really well!

What food and wine pai­rings do you recommend?

Tra­di­tio­nally, Ries­ling is sug­ges­ted with a chou­croute, but I often go for a Pinot Gris d’Alsace, with a few grams of resi­dual sugar as the per­sis­tence and sup­ple­ness of the grape makes a per­fect match with the rest of the dish.

I also like to drink a dry Pinot Gris Grand Cru with spaetzle and coq au vin, is it balances out the aci­dity of the wine sauce. Foie gras is usually ser­ved with a Pinot Gris or a Gewurz­tra­mi­ner, but also goes super­bly with a Ries­ling d’Alsace as the natu­ral aci­dity of the wine sets off the fatty aspect of the foie gras.

Flam­me­kueche: a fresh and lively Syl­va­ner has the aci­dity to off­set the cream and fro­mage blanc. Muns­ter: a Gewurz­tra­mi­ner. Pain d’épices (gin­ger­bread), with a late har­vest, as the extra­va­gant fruit of the wine go per­fectly with the spices. Mus­cat d’Alsace is dry and the per­fect ape­ri­tif, as it’s refre­shing, fruity and aromatic.

What Alsace food and wine do you have on your menu in your restaurant ?

My Chef, Michele Bias­soni and I work with the foie gras, pain d’épices and the jam made by Chris­tine Fer­ber, and muns­ter. I often include Alsace in my menus, they go per­fectly with raw fish, tar­tares and spi­cier food. Alsace wines are chameleon-like and will go with just about any­thing, espe­cially Asian cooking.
Do you have any good addresses for Alves us food?
Not really in Paris, as most of the time I’m in my res­tau­rant or tra­vel­ling abroad. in Alsace, though, quite a few, such as Cham­bard in Kay­sers­berg, My wife, Aline, is Alsa­tian and so she is the best guide I could have

° Il Vino, 13 bou­le­vard de la Tour Mau­bourg, Paris 7è. 01 44 11 72 00
° Il Vino, La porte de Cour­che­vel, 73120 Cour­che­vel. 04 79 08 29 62.
° just publi­shed “Savoir marier le vin” s Plon, 36 euros.
° Tas­ting les­sons in Paris : 3 modules / lear­ning winetasting,how to pair wine and food, lear­ning about wine. 3 two-hour les­sons in three days. 280 euros per module, maxi­mum 20 people.
Rens : www.enricobernardo.com

• previous article : Philippe Alexandre: between Pinot noir and choucroute
• following article : The 2012 Winemaker of the Year is Alsatian!