Celebrity Life

Krug x Onion is here to pay tribute to one of the most versatile- and most humble - ingredients.

Few ingredients do as much to satisfy our tastebuds as the humble onion. Chopped, raw, roasted, pickled, fried, carmelised — the list goes on — the onion takes many forms, all of them delicious, but rarely does it play a starring role. Outside of French soups and sour cream pairings, it barely even gets mentioned by name. Until now.

For the latest edition of their "Krug X Single Ingredient" campaign, the Champagne house founded by Joseph Krug demands that attention be paid to the long-overlooked allium. It follows a house philosophy that each onion, like each plot of vines in a vineyard, is itself a single ingredient worthy of celebration.

Krug x Onion is the sixth ingredient to be recognised in the ongoing campaign, which launched in 2015, first spotlighting the potato, with egg, mushroom, fish and pepper each getting their respective moment in the years that followed. But this time, it's all about the onion.

To kick off Krug X Onion, 11 Krug Ambassade Chefs from nine different countries — including Hong Kong's Uwe Opocensky of Restaurant Petrus at Island Shangri-La Hong Kong — travelled to India to explore the myriad delicious, delightful and unexpected ways the onion could be be enjoyed, and to better understand why it became a staple ingredient in every cuisine across the globe.

With Krug Cellar Master Julie Cavil and former Krug Cellar Master & Deputy Director of the House Éric Lebel, the group spent three days in Jaipur, letting the sights and sounds and flavours around them inspire their culinary creativity to new heights, with the onion, of course, celebrated at the centre of it all.

Because no celebration is complete without Champagne, each dish was designed to be paired with a Krug Grande Cuvée, a blend of over 120 wines from more than ten different years; or a bold and expressive Krug Rosé, uniting the meticulous care and attention to detail of the House with that of the Krug Ambassade Chefs and lovers of Krug.

While Opocensky was the lone Krug Ambassade Chef from Hong Kong to travel to Jaipur, he was not the only participant from the city in this year's Krug x Onion campaign. A number of other local chefs have joined in to put their twist on the onion as well: Robin Zavou (The Krug Room at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong), Guillaume Galliot (Caprice at Four Seasons Hong Kong), Vicky Cheng (VEA) and Krug Lover Chefs including Agustin Balbi (Andō), Ricardo Chaneton (MONO) and Franckelie Laloum (Louise).

Best of all? The opportunity to taste each Chef's individual expression of this complex vegetable is all yours. So no more tears: Let's give the onion its due.

Caprice

The Chef: Guillaume Galliot

The Onion: Onion from Cevennes

The Dish: Onion Royale with saffron grapes, foie gras and crunchy brioche

Availability: Now

Price: HK$2,280 + 10% per guest as part of Caprice’s tasting menu

Petrus

The Chef: Uwe Opocensky

The Onion: Roscoff onion & banana shallots

The Dish: Onion tarte tatin

Availability: 17 September - 31 October

Price: HK$698 + 10% for dish + 1 glass of Krug Grande Cuvee

VEA

The Chef: Vicky Cheng

The Onion: White onion, red onion, shallots, Cipollini onion, chives

The Dish: French onion soup with grilled cheese

Availability: 17 September - 31 October

Price: Additional HK$680 for a dish + a glass of Krug Rosé as part of VEA's tasting menu

Andō

The Chef: Agustin Balbi

The Onion: Red onion

The Dish: "Tardes es San Telmo" — red onion consommé, almond cream, carabinero prawns

Availability: Now

Price: HK$1,888 + 10% as part of Andō's tasting menu

MONO

The Chef: Richard Chaneton

The Onion: Roscoff onion

The Dish: Roscoff onion, Paris button mushroom, black sesame condiment

Availability: From end of August onwards

Price: HK$1,480 (short menu) and HK$1,880 (long menu)

Louise

The Chef: Franckelie Laloum

The Onion: Cevennes onion

The Dish: Smoked and stuffed Cevennes onion with black truffle, 24 months comte cheese emulsion

Availability: 2 September onwards

Price: HK$328 a la carte, or part of the 6-course signature menu at HK$1,588

Missed your chance to taste one of the Chefs' inspired creations? This year's Krug x Onion book is available in all Krug Ambassades and partner restaurants, who will be celebrating the onion with menus and experiences through the end of the year. Portraits and recipes from the collection will also be featured on www.krug.com.

The post No More Tears: Krug x Onion Gives the Unsung Ingredient its Due appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Imbibed amidst an immersive patchwork of sounds, scents, and flavours, the latest edition of Krug's much-loved multi-vintage Champagne strikes a chord that is as joyful as it is delicious.

I'll be the first to concede that there's nothing quite like "the intangible quality...of taking in the terroir" but insofar as virtual tastings are concerned -- essentially the status quo for drinks industry pundits in 2021 -- the recent unveiling of Krug's latest Grande Cuvée proved to be oddly visceral and thrilling (in some ways, even touching). Every year since 1843, the eponymous makers of prestige Champagne have released a new assemblage of reserve wines, always consisting of the classic Champenois trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier; and always left to age sur lie for 7 years.

Dispensing first with the formalities, the 169th Edition is a "generous expression" of 146 wines made in 11 different years (Krug bottle single vintages relatively infrequently), the oldest of which harkens back to the turn of the millennium. It is, however, the 2013 vintage that -- to butcher a musical analogy -- really sets the bassline: with intensely "luminous and pure" Chardonnays; racy Meunier; and Pinot Noir that extrudes a long, treacle finish. It is in a word, unsurprisingly, 'scrumptious': at its best harmonising alongside sharp aged cheese; aromatic seafood dishes; maybe even a cheeky slice of tarte tatin.

Unsurprisingly, the hallmarks of this Grande Cuvée (namely quality, consistency, and complexity) remain present year in, year out; but it's Krug's highly intuitive method of presentation that helps to immerse drinkers in the art of crafting prestige Champagne. With the jubilant voice of Olivier Krug pouring into their ears -- livestreaming in from the Maison's ancestral holdfast in Reims -- participants in these 'Encounters' were able to hear the story of the 169th Edition in a style that takes you beyond the spoken word. An "audio pairing" composed by Belgian musician Ozark Henry (and fed through to listeners using 8D technology) chronicles, in sonic form, the entire journey of the latest Krug edition: from plot to tasting, and finally harmonious blending together at the hands of Cellar Master Julie Cavil.

As ever, these 'Encounters' ended with a culinary presentation (in Hong Kong, presided over by Island Shangri-La's Uwe Opocensky) inspired by the tasting notes for the current edition -- langoustine and freshly jetted oysters seem to be much-favoured accompaniments this time round -- followed by a round of questions for the Maison's patriarch, Mr. Olivier Krug. On whether he was excited for a resumption of global travel -- to better present this 169th annual bottling -- he expressed optimism. Until then, you could do a lot worse than sipping to a soundtrack.

The 169th Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is now available at various retail partners throughout Hong Kong, including Watson's, The Fine Wine Experience, CitySuper and Avize Wine Cellar. To learn more, visit Krug online.

The post Krug Sets an Ebullient Tone with the Release of its 169th Edition Grande Cuvée appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Champagne? Yes, of course!

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Restaurant Zen's executive chef, Tristin Farmer, shares his experiences in Jaipur as a Krug chef ambassador.

The post Krug explores the onion with their single ingredient programme appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Restaurant Zen's executive chef, Tristin Farmer, shares his experiences in Jaipur as a Krug chef ambassador.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

A new style of champagne is bubbling up, offering aficionados distinct and differentiated tastes.

The post Fresh winemaking approach paves way for exciting new champagnes appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

A new style of champagne is bubbling up, offering aficionados distinct and differentiated tastes.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Every year the esteemed House of Krug invites a worldwide Ambassade Chef collective to highlight a single ingredient and craft interesting pairings with Krug Champagne in their cookbook series. This year, thirteen top chefs have been enlisted to highlight the pepper. Playfully named 'Rock Pepper Scissors', this marks the fifth book which features Chef Guillaume Galliot of Hong Kong's three-Michelin-starred Caprice, and is the follow up to the popular potato, egg, mushroom and fish series in previous years.

But what of this new and rather unexpected pairing with the pepper? Well, much like Krug, the pepper is incredibly versatile and comes in various forms; long, round, small, sweet, spicy, red, yellow and even numbing -- the list goes on, and I haven't even got to the multitude of raw or cooked preparations and presentations it can come in. All of which make it quite the intriguing match with Krug Champagne.

Interpreting the pepper in Hong Kong, six Krug Ambassade Chefs including Umberto Bombana of 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo, Guillaume Galliot of Caprice, Vicky Cheng of VEA, Uwe Opocensky of Petrus, Mori Tomoaki of Daigo by Mori Tomoaki, and Robin Zavou from The Krug Room at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, will also be creating imaginative pairings for Krug Grande Cuvée or Krug Rosé.

A blend of over 120 wines from more than 10 different vintages, Krug Grande Cuvée is one of the fullest expressions of Champagne. With toasty notes of bread, hazelnut, and a fresh sweetness of jellied fruits enhanced by elegant bubbles, the Grande Cuvée holds exceptional finesse which matches perfectly with refined gastronomy. Krug Rosé is just as extensive in aromatic palette and harmonises puff pastry with red berries, before developing towards sweet honey and citrus -- a taste experience heightened by the finest of bubbles.

So without further ado, here are the six chefs who have drawn inspiration from their individual cuisines and cultures to create their pepper-inspired Krug pairings, which are now available (for a limited time only) at their respective restaurants:

8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana: Chef Umberto Bombana

[caption id="attachment_169307" align="alignnone" width="1586"] Sweet pepper risotto with anchovy[/caption]

Starring: pimiento, friggitello, cruschi, senise, red cherry chilli peppers

Pairing: Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition

Caprice: Chef Guillaume Galliot

[caption id="attachment_169308" align="alignnone" width="1586"] Roasted racan pigeon with piquillo pepper marmalade with hibiscus and cocoa sauce[/caption]

Starring: piquillios pepper

Pairing: Krug Rosé 21^ème Édition

Daigo by Mori Tomoaki: Chef Mori Tomoaki

[caption id="attachment_169309" align="alignnone" width="1586"] Wagyu sushi with manganji tougarashi peppers[/caption]

Starring: red and green manganji tougarashi

Pairing: Krug Rosé 21^ème Édition

The Krug Room, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong: Chef Robin Zavou

[caption id="attachment_169311" align="alignnone" width="1586"] Braised abalone, cuttlefish noodle and shishito pepper tempura[/caption]

Starring: shishito pepper

Pairing: Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition

Petrus, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong: Chef Uwe Opocensky

[caption id="attachment_169310" align="alignnone" width="1586"] BBQ quail with smoked, aged, pickled, and fermented peppers[/caption]

Starring: Trinidad scorpion, scotch bonnet, habanada, shishito pepper, red sweet Italian pepper

Pairing: Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition

VEA Restaurant & Lounge: Chef Vicky Cheng

[caption id="attachment_169312" align="alignnone" width="1586"] Chopped chilli pepper fish maw[/caption]

Starring: red jalapeño, red habanero, Italian sweet chilli peppers

Pairing: Krug Rosé 21^ème Édition

For more information on Krug x Pepper and the Rock Pepper Scissors book, view the website here. 

The post Krug Champagne Invites 6 Hong Kong Chefs to Spotlight the Humble Pepper appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Champagne houses now have tools to better guard against fraud while gaining a new channel to interact with their customers.

The post Tracking technology now ensures your Champagne will be genuine appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Champagne houses now have tools to better guard against fraud while gaining a new channel to interact with their customers.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.