Metro

Tuesday November 18, 2008

Champagne and 007 agent go a long way

By THO XIN YI


BOTH tasteful and groovy, Champagne Bollinger and Agent 007 have been sharing a special bond for 29 years.

“Champagne Bollinger has been featured in 16 James Bond films as 007’s choice of champagne,” Champagne Bollinger area manager Vianney Fabre said.

The latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, marked a 29-year association between the wine maker and the secret agent since 1979.

Limited edition: The Bollinger/007 Bullet is retailed at RM25,000.

Bollinger could be spotted three times in this latest release, but Fabre gave his vote of favourite scene to The Golden Eye, which involved Pierce Brosnan, a woman psychiatrist and of course, a bottle of Bollinger.

“Bond was sitting in his Aston Martin with a beautiful girl. He pushed a button and a bottle of Bollinger appeared in between the seats,” he said.

“It’s not a paid advertisement — Champagne Bollinger’s appearance in the film is a testimony of the friendship between the film production team and the Bollinger family,” he said.

An avid Bond fan who treasures a gift box collection of all 22 Bond movies, the 27-year-old pointed out that the French bubbly wine has an English touch.

“About 35% of our products is exported to England while 10% is distributed in France. It is the highest among all countries,” he said.

“Like James Bond, Bollinger is exclusive and symbolises luxury. The production volume is small as we want to ensure the quality.

“Our entire production is only equivalent to 5% of the non-vintage production of the biggest champagne maker in the world.

“And the most important thing is, the grapes come from Bollinger’s own vineyards and this guarantees the top quality and consistency,” Fabre said.

Fabre was in town recently for a champagne wine pairing dinner at Frangipani Restaurant & Bar in Kuala Lumpur.

Perfect pair: Oyster and Strawberry Shooters & Poached Crab Rolls with Salmon Role and Pink Grapefruit was paired with Champagne Bollinger Cuvee N. V.

Seated in the sleek restaurant, the bubbly lovers were treated to a luscious five-course menu prepared by Frangipani managing director Chris Bauer.

A fine companion to seafood and fish, Champagne Bollinger Cuvee N. V was served together with the first and second courses — Oyster and Strawberry Shooters & Poached Crab Rolls with Salmon Role and Pink Grapefruit and Pan Seared Spice Crusted Scallops on Half Cooked Potatoes, Fried Porcini Slices and Caramelised Onions in White Gazpacho Vinaigrette.

Moving on, the guests enjoyed Champagne Bollinger Rose N. V. together with Oregano Beurre Noisette Poached Lobster with Caviar Spiked Simmered Leek.

“The choice of Bollinger champagnes depends on the moment, and Rose is the perfect one for a celebration with someone special. This champagne is both feminine and masculine — feminine for its pink colour and masculine for the red wine adding in it,” Fabre said.

The third type of Champagne Bollinger, La Grande Annee 1999, was poured when the Unilaterally Seared Ocean Trout Fillet with Pan Seared Foie Gras Served with Red Wine Glaze on A Bed Oxtail Stew was served.

Produced only when exceptional quality harvests occur, the vintage wine is best served at a temperature of 10ºC or even slightly more.

Exquisite: Unilaterally Seared Ocean Trout Fillet with Pan Seared Foie Gras Served with Red Wine Glaze on A Bed Oxtail Stew

“If the bottle comes straight out from the fridge, I suggest waiting for five to 10 minutes to enjoy the nose and mouth,” Fabre said as he warmed up his glass of La Grande Annee 1999 with his palms.

The dinner ended with a sweet note with the guests indulging in Baked White Chocolate and Beer Custard with Cocoa Hazelnut Florentine and A Guinness Dark Chocolate Sauce.

Apart from Champagne Bollinger, the guests at the event were also awed by a limited edition collector’s item dubbed Bollinger/007 Bullet.

Designed by French designer Eric Berthes, it takes the form of a gun bullet lying on a carbon covered base.

A magnum of Bollinger 1999 lies within the bullet with a length of 65cm. Once the magnum is released from its cradle, the inside of the bullet converts into a set of compartments to store personal accessories.

There are only 207 copies of this collector’s item and each is individually numbered. Only one is available in Malaysia to be sold at a recommended retail price of RM25,000.

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