Benoit Blin is Judge at Vins de Roussillon Dessert Trophy

Four sommelier-and-pastry-chef team finalists announced for Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2010 final

Now in its fourth year, the Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy (RDT) 2010 attracted the highest calibre of Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel (VDN) and dessert pairing entries.  It proved another tough year for the expert panel of judges, who have just evaluated the paper round of this prestigious competition, and selected four finalists to cook live at L’atelier des Chefs, Wigmore Street, London W1 on Monday 25 October 2010 at the UK final.  The short-listed teams will prepare and present their delectable dessert and wine matches for tasting by the jury.

Sommelier and pastry chefs from around Britain represented their restaurant, teaming together to explore their knowledge of food and wine to create their perfect pairing, (this year with a citrus theme to pick up on the citrus notes naturally present in many Roussillon VDNs).
 
This year’s finalists are:

1 Lombard Street, EC3 for their ‘Citrus Lombardo with kumquat and orange sorbet’ paired with Maury Blanc, Domaine les Terres de Fagayra 2008, created by head pastry chef Arnaud Viatte and head sommelier/restaurant manager Matthew Mawtus

Galvin La Chapelle, E1 for their 'Lemon bavarois with citrus fruit salad' paired with Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine Pouderoux 2008, created by pastry chef Daniel Fancett and head sommelier Andrea Briccarello

Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, SW1 for their 'White grapefruit mousse with an Amedi dark chocolate and chilli spring roll, grapefruit and orange juice caviar', paired with Rivesaltes Ambré Domaine Fontanel 1998, created by head chef Luke Underhill and sommelier Frédéric Ahuir

Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorset for their ‘Orange and mandarin crêpe soufflé “Suzette”, paired with Muscat de Rivesaltes, Château de Jau, 2007, created by chef de partie (pastry) Sophie Mackenzie and assistant head sommelier Robert Clement

Eric Aracil, export manager, Wines of Roussillon, commented: “Roussillon has 13 AOCs and 15 grape varieties.  This means that those with both talent and imagination can create something truly original.  In the paper round, the judges were particularly looking for the team’s reasoning behind the flavour combinations they had proposed.

“The dishes which worked best – on paper at least – were those which demonstrated clear collaboration throughout.  Where the pastry chef reflected the various flavour notes in the wine, the jury could almost taste the marriage of flavours – and they will at the UK final next month.  Indeed one judge was heard to describe one of the entries judged yesterday as ‘mouth-aspirational’!”
                                       
This year’s RDT judges are:

Tim Marson MW – buyer, Bibendum Wines
Sarah Jane Evans MW – writer and broadcaster, founder member of The Academy of Chocolate
Costanzo Scala – head sommelier, Benares
Benoit Blin – chef pâtissier, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Sara Jayne Stanes – chief executive, Academy of Culinary Arts

Anne Coquelin and Tibaut Pannas of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons were the winning team of this trophy in 2008.

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