Culina Bistro Kuala Lumpur recently hosted a one-night-only wine pairing dinner featuring Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite.
The historic estate is recognised as one of Bordeaux’s First Growths, a distinction reserved for the region’s top five wine producers. A pioneer in expanding beyond traditional French terroirs, the maison established its presence in Chile in 1988 and Argentina in 1999.
Located at Shoppes at Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur, Culina Bistro is a modern eatery that is part of the Culina in KL group of outlets, which comprises a market, bakery, wine bar, and bistro.
The recent dinner was part of the Culina Series – a collection of curated culinary experiences and masterclasses – and was hosted by the maison’s brand ambassador Pierre-Antoine Ballan, as well as Culina’s associate director of wine business development, Mathias Camilleri.
Before the dinner, I spoke to Camilleri about his pairing process, and he said that while wine pairings can be very subjective, for him, the most important component to consider in a pairing is the sauce.
“When I do a pairing, I will always ask the chef if I can try the sauce, because it is the bridge between the protein and your wine, and the essence of the dish,” he said.
“So, when I do a pairing, I think, ‘does the sauce is lack something? Is it too strong? Is it too rich?’” he explained.
“If so, as the sommelier, you can make a choice of wine that will bring it down a little. Or if there is an element in the sauce that is really important, you can choose a wine that will enhance it instead.”
It was a principle that held true during the dinner, especially with the main dishes.
The first main was Ocean Trout Acqua Pazza, a savoury bowl of umami-filled flavours that Camilleri daringly paired with the excellent Los Vascos Le Dix 2018 from Colchagua Valley, Chile, a full supple red wine with notes of berries and plums, and a maritime saltiness in the background that really brought out that seafood goodness in the dish.
Another unique one was the second main – MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Striploin.
This was paired with not one, but two Argentinian wines from Bodegas Caro – Caro 2019 and Petit Caro 2021, with each wine giving different flavour sensations and experiences when paired with the decadent Hanwoo beef.
At the start, we had a pair of canapes – Fried Sushi (nori-cured ocean trout, yuzu kyosho aioli, rice cake), and Beef Skewer (MiGyeongSan outside round, ponzu) accompanied by William Fèvre Chablis 2022.
We then moved on to the William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2017, which Camilleri wanted to pair with a dish that would enhance the sea compounds of the Chablis.
Hence, it was served together with the appetiser, Scallop Crudo, which was full of seafood umami, and brought out the maritime influences of the wine’s terroir.
Desserts also took a dual savoury and sweet route - led by a Cheese Board of aged cheddar, brie, blue cheese, gouda, nuts, dried fruits, followed by Poached Plums (port, thyme, mascarpone).
Both were paired with a Château Duhart Milon, Moulin de Duhart, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France 2020, which provided a sensual, satisfying end to the evening.
