Is Dublin becoming blase about fine-wine dinners, now our economy is bubbly enough for leading producers to include it on their promotional tours? Perhaps, but not entirely. In Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud on April 29th, there was the distinct feeling that heels were higher than usual, jewellery and smiles more sparkling; that men not noted for their elegance had suddenly discovered a suit and sartorial flair. Remi Krug, president of the most prestigious of all the great champagne houses, was in town.
Blase was perhaps the very thing the assembled company of powerbrokers, wine merchants and restaurateurs expected him to be. Born into the fifth generation of the famous family, anointed on the lips with Krug shortly after birth and pretty much steeped in exceptionally costly bubbly ever since (the current Irish starting price is around £70 a bottle), he might have been forgiven for exhibiting a degree of insouciance. But there was no need. There was more to the man than marketing froth. Remi Krug turned out to have the same engaging character, the same mix of light-heartedness and intensity, as his remarkable champagnes.
If Ireland was to develop a passion for Krug on a grander scale, would he be able to satisfy our thirst, I wondered - given the limited supplies of this luxury product, lusted after the world over? He smiled. "There is always room for passion. Yes, of course." Passion was a recurring theme in his conversation. A passion for quality, of course. A passion for richness and harmony. A dash of romantic passion, too, tossed in with humour when he reminded us that Krug is the only prestige champagne available in half bottles - perfect for adding fizzicality to assignations. "We produce a pack of two half bottles called Krug for Two," he explained. "I call it Krug Before and After."
What is so special about the world's most highly prized champagne? It almost goes without saying that it is produced from grapes of the very highest quality, with relentless attention to detail at every stage. But Krug is different from other prestige cuvees in a number of significant ways which contribute to its distinctive, full, rich flavours. It is the only one to be entirely fermented in small oak casks. The blending operation, overseen by Remi Krug's brother Henri, is exceedingly complex, involving up to 50 wines from 20-25 different growths and as many as 10 different vintages: not much wonder Krug calls its non-vintage Grande Cuvee "multi-vintage". It is aged in the bottle for at least six years before release and will continue to improve for several more. Vintage Krug is known for its outstanding cellaring potential. A life-span of 20-30 years is not uncommon and regularly outstripped. The legendary 1928 is still eagerly pursued by Krugistes.
Grande Cuvee is the flagship, however, and the wine Remi Krug would choose to take to a desert island. "It has the widest spectrum of flavours, so it suits every situation," he maintains. Didn't Jackie Kennedy drink a glass every day before lunch? He hesitates, good breeding inhibiting name-dropping . . . but yes, it is public knowledge, revealed in a book by an ex-butler, that she was a Krug fan. Pressed further, he mentions a few others: Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Maria Callas, Giorgio Armani. Even Absolutely Fabulous has had its moment of glorying in Krug - for a special occasion when the dollies would have felt Bolly too much like an everyday treat. Was this the kind of publicity the champagne kings really wanted? "I didn't mind, provided they said nothing derogatory about Krug, and provided they didn't insult Bollinger, which is also a very fine champagne," said Remi Krug. "I have a magnum of Bollinger in the boot of my car at the moment." Here, the brief list of Krug lovers, real and televisual, ended. Nobody mentioned Jeffrey Archer, despite his reputedly lavish hand with Krug at parties.
An innate sense of style, Remi Krug believes, is the reason why Italy is now his number one market. "The Italians instinctively appreciate beauty and sensuality, so it doesn't surprise me at all." The UK and the US come next, with the Far East catching up fast. Travelling the world in his marketing role ("My brother's the blender; I'm the preacher"), Remi Krug has enjoyed trying his champagnes with all sorts of different cuisines. The Guilbaud kitchen was praised for its menu - foie gras to go with the Grande Cuvee; escalope of salmon, then veal in a cream sauce for Krug 1989; a chocolate plate with Krug Rose before the finale of Krug Clos du Mesnil 1989, the exhilarating single vineyard Chardonnay-based cuvee, served alone. "But it's not necessary to have very refined food," he told us, midway through the feast. "Krug can also be very, very good with peasant food. Grande Cuvee is wonderful with bruschetta and pieces of Parmesan cheese. Very exciting for me was to taste Krug Rose with a Pakistani dish of lamb and lentils. I even tried Clos du Mesnil recently with popcorn. An American lover of Krug told me the flavours were fantastic together, and he was right."
Krug with a simple supper, as a fabulous, rare treat . . . why not? Or a single flute of Krug, Jackie O-style, as the only alcohol you'll have at a celebratory lunch - a drink that will deliver an instant lift and no ensuing slump in the mid-afternoon? From next month, Patrick Guilbaud will encourage this temptation by serving Krug by the glass. "One glass, like that - it's a moment of craziness, a moment of magic," said Remi Krug. "We are competitors to psychiatrists, you know. Krug makes people feel so much better. It does a lot more good than all these drugs people are taking for depression." It tastes nicer, too.