This calls for a toast: Moët & Chandon’s Elise Losfelt on champagne on ice
Elise Losfelt, winemaker in Moët & Chandon’s oenology team, on Moët Ice Impérial, the first champagne made to be drunk on ice, telling a good wine and food pairings.
Think champagne and one is bound to think of Moët & Chandon... and not without reason. They are the absolute numero uno when it comes to giving the world the best way to enjoy grapes. We stalked Elise Losfelt, winemaker and part of the Oenology team with the brand, when she touched down on Indian shores to launch Moët Ice Impérial–to tell us how the hell one enjoys champagne on ice!
Is this your first trip to India? How was your experience?
I have had the pleasure of visiting India once before. On this trip, I had a wonderful experience meeting people who are really enthusiastic about Moët & Chandon champagnes. In visiting New Delhi and Mumbai, I had the opportunity to present two champagnes from our wide and appealing range. First, our iconic flagship Moët Impérial–the world’s most loved champagne–which perfectly embodies the Moët & Chandon style. Our style is defined by three pillars: a bright fruitiness, a seductive palate and an elegant maturity. Vibrant, alluring and generous, Moët Impérial is a champagne that brings instantaneous pleasure! In India I was also able to present Moët Ice Impérial, the world’s first ever champagne created specifically to be enjoyed only on ice.
Tell us something about Moët Ice Impérial champagne? What is the idea behind introducing this innovation?
Moët Ice Impérial is a complete innovation in the world of champagne: it is crafted to be enjoyed only on the rocks! It was created because Moët & Chandon knew that some people drink their champagne with ice cubes during summers, for example in areas such as Saint Tropez in southern France. This might help to keep the champagne fresh for a longer time in warm weather, but it is not ideal for champagnes such as Moët Impérial, which is crafted to be drunk neat. That’s because the champagne’s balance and harmony is broken when you add ice cubes, and the bright fruitiness and seductive palate become diluted. But Moët Ice Impérial has been created to achieve harmony when it is diluted with ice cubes, so it is a great new way to enjoy a bold champagne experience!
What makes it different and sets it apart from the rest of the Moët & Chandon family offering?
At Moët & Chandon we have a wide and appealing range of wines. There is a champagne for every occasion and every palate! Moët Ice Impérial is a new opportunity to enjoy champagne in an elegant, ground breaking and escaping way.
How can you tell a good wine from an average one? For a wine enthusiast what are the best ways to tell a good wine?
Any wine that brings you pleasure is a good wine. So the first thing any wine enthusiast should ask him or herself when tasting a new wine is: does this wine bring me pleasure? Our winemaking philosophy at Moët & Chandon is driven by the idea of bringing instantaneous pleasure to every person who enjoys one of our champagnes. This is expressed through the style of our wines.
Can you tell us about the various regions of the world and the uniqueness that they enjoy in terms of the wine they make.
Personally, I can speak specifically about Champagne, the northern region in France. The Moët & Chandon estate covers more than 1,154 hectares of rich chalk soil in a region strictly delimited by France’s Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) regulations. The quality, size and diversity of our vineyards and grape supplies give us unique advantages enjoyed by no other. We have the luxury of choosing the best.
Our ability to select from a wide range of grapes is as essential to the constancy of the Impérial range as it is to the originality of our Grand Vintage. Furthermore, this allows us to remain faithful to our founding philosophy of ‘sharing the magic of champagne with the world’!
To make champagne, we must follow a highly demanding path with numerous delicate steps. Every one of Moët & Chandon’s wine styles is the fruit of the House’s generous philosophy and savoir-faire. Moët & Chandon’s expertise is the product of several centuries, forming an unbroken chain of invaluable knowledge and passion.
What is your favourite champagne?
That’s a difficult question for a winemaker! I prefer different champagnes in the Moët & Chandon range for different moments. For example I like Moët Impérial and Moët Rosé Impérial as an aperitif, or Moët Impérial as a ground breaking wine that breaks the traditional champagne rules. I enjoy the Moët & Chandon Grand Vintages as a more complex champagne experience, or our Moët Impérial in magnum or jeroboam for a celebration!
Tell us about a few foods that can be enjoyed with a glass of Moët Ice Impérial? Strawberries perhaps?
Moët Ice Impérial is a champagne that is great standalone drink–on the rocks of course–and it also pairs easily with any kind of finger food: sushi, maki, spicy barbecued meat or vegetables, deep-fried vegetables or meat. Moët Ice Impérial is like an escape, so you should feel free to escape from traditional food pairings! Its fruity intensity, richness and freshness will match with anything you can eat with your fingers!
From the June 2015 issue of FHM India.
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