Sunday November 8, 2009
Engineering a wine affair
Uncorked
By ED SOON
A common love of the grape brings together all sorts of people, from all walks of life.
THE charming Datuk Lau Foo-Sun is a wine aficionado who has taken the path less travelled. I e-mailed him some questions, curious to find out how this engineer came to be a wine lover who knows enough to write two books on the topic.
Man of many talents: Datuk Lau Foo-Sun, engineer and wine expert. – Photo from Marshall Cavendish How did a civil, structural and nuclear science engineer become such a noted wine aficionado?
My journey with wine began with the love of food. La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society (founded in Paris in 1950) and in 1977, I started its Malaysian chapter.
The Chaîne is based on the traditions and practices of the old French royal guild of goose roasters, whose authority gradually expanded to the roasting of all poultry, meat and game.
It is dedicated to fine cuisine while also widening its focus to table art.
Today, the Chaîne brings together professional and non-professional members from around the world who appreciate and enjoy wine and fine dining. While a confrérie is a “brotherhood”, women have always been welcome and they take an active role in the society.
I was its president in Malaysia for 25 years. The society organises gourmet dinners where, besides fine wines and food, you’ll find warm fellowship – a priceless pairing indeed!
You’ve published several technical books relating to your profession; how did two coffee table books on wine come into the mix?
During my term as bailli delelgue (president) of the Chaine des Rotisseur, my depth and understanding of the culinary arts grew by leaps and bounds.
When I was invited to be on the wine tasting panel for Malaysia Airlines (from 1992 to 2005), I simply did what I’ve been doing for years – food and wine pairing, albeit at 35,000 feet! (10,600m). That eventually led to the books.
The two books you wrote are filled with a lot of detailed information. Is research a passion for you?
Yes, I love international cuisine and wines. It’s truly amazing when you think just how many varieties of wines there are out there in the world and that they all originate from the humble grape.
It’s fascinating also learning about how the environment (climate and terrior), the skills of the winemaker and even storage all ultimately shape the final product that we enjoy – and often take for granted – at our dinner table.
Do you have a favourite wine or region?
The Chateau Petrus 1989, which has a beautiful, rich, dense colour, and its amazing complexity on the nose leaves an intoxicating taste on the palate.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (Red Burgundy) 2001 – this is a classic vin de garde (wine that can be matured in the cellar for a long time). It has a powerful, beautiful structure and its flavour has very seductive qualities, indeed.
For Champagne, I would go for Krug 1995 as it has an amazingly fresh bouquet and a lemon zest finish that tantalises the palate. It’s also extraordinarily versatile – the champagne goes well with almost everything!
With your long involvement in wine as well as haute cuisine – for example, you’ve judged the Salon Gastronomique and the Electrolux Star Chef Contest among many others – can we expect a food appreciation book out soon?
Yes, I am compiling a book on about 600 sauces for Western and Asian cuisine, and hope to publish it before the end of the year.
Ed Soon is a qualified oenologist and has run wine shops and worked as a winemaker in various countries. He now writes and teaches about wine around Asia.
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