“When it comes to wine, there is perhaps no ingredient more important than location. The land, air, water and weather where the grapes are grown – what we call the terroir - are what make each wine unique.” This was part of Pascal Jolivet’s introduction to a tutored tasting organised by Wands Limited last week at the InterContinental Malta in St Julians.
Pascal Jolivet is a flamboyant, young, dynamic winemaker from the Loire region in France who firmly believes his wines should allow the natural qualities of the grapes to be expressed as much as possible. The house of Pascal Jolivet, established in 1987, is well known worldwide especially for its Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines. “The Loire region provides an exceptional environment for sauvignon to produce a rich ripe-tasting wine, with a very balanced taste. There is an increasing appeal for our Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines which are refreshing, exciting and easy-to-drink and which can be drank either with a nice lunch or dinner, or even on their own.”
Introducing M. Jolivet, Wands’ General Manager Pierre Stafrace, said: “This is a great opportunity to meet a winemaker who has been described as a ‘superstar’ and whose wines are the brand of choice in many Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris.”
Pascal Jolivet guided the guests at the event through a wine tasting appreciation of five different wines. These included Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Blanc 2004, Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé 2004, “Attitude” Sauvignon Blanc 2002, and “Exception” Sauvignon Blanc 2001. The highlight was La Grande Cuvée Sancerre Rouge 2002, which is a very elegant and well-balanced wine.
The wine tasting selection offered enough variation to arouse discussion about the different tastes and preferences during the gala dinner that followed. This was elaborately prepared by the hotel’s executive chef Max Grenard to accompany three wines: Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2004, Attitude Jolivet Pinot Noir 2002 and Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Rose` 2004.
The Pascal Jolivet wine-tasting event was the latest in a series of special wine-related events organised by Wands.