Shanghai’s sexiest sommeliers share their most orgasmic wines
Who better to talk about the best wine to order on a date than the best looking wine experts in the city?
Wine screams, sorry, seductively whispers, “sexy,” but the heat goes up another few degrees when the person with the bottle is one of Shanghai’s sexiest sommeliers. We asked some of Shanghai's most inviting oenophiles to walk us through all the notes of their best pours.
Jean-Marc Nolant
Hometown: Epernay, France
Restaurant: 100 Century Avenue, 91/F, Shanghai World Financial Center, 100 Century Avenue, near Yincheng Lu 上海环球金融中心, 世纪大道100号91楼和93楼近银城路, +86 21 6888 1234
How did you first get interested in wine?
My family on my mom’s side is from Champagne. The first time I had Champagne was when I got caught at around three or four years old stealing the Champagne from my parents glasses. When I was 16, I began work on the harvest in Épernay, considered the best vineyards in Champagne.
Later I worked as a sommelier at the historic Chateau de Saran with chef Bernard Dance and in London at the two Michelin-starred, The Square. After that I traveled all around the world for two and a half years tasting wines at small producers from South Africa to Australia to really understand the differences and the terroir.
What's your ideal date wine?
A wine I can afford so I don’t have to do the dishes at the end of the night!
Personally, I wouldn’t choose something too complex. I like wine from the Loire Valley. It’s refreshing. It’s a great place in terms of vins natures (natural wine making). The wines have almost no sulfides and you won’t get a headache the next day. These winemakers work in the fields with their horses, their wine has a freshly crushed grape flavor, you drink one glass and you want to drink the whole bottle.
What wine could give you an orgasm?
1959 Richebourg from Henri Jayer. This wine was just unbelievable; the hairs on my arms were sticking up for 20 minutes afterwards! The flavor profile is extremely complex; it’s pretty much 50 years old but still acting like a baby. Dark cherry, black raspberry, black truffle type of flavor, no oak, no vanilla, everything very well integrated. Black truffle is very strong. It’s very much a noble wine. A guest brought this in recently and I was lucky he offered me a taste.
Jayer is a legend in Burgundy. He was making wines in a very unusual way at the time -- organic, biodynamic. He had a very special touch with pinot noir that no one else ever had. I was really lucky to meet him three times.
Vivian Tian
Hometown: Zhangye, Gansu Province
Restaurant: KEE Club, 796 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Maoming Lu 淮海中路796号近茂名路, +86 21 3395 0888
How did you first get interested in wine?
I went to hotel management school in Switzerland in 2004 and our tutor in the wine course gave us very profound wine training. I fell in love with wine and tried to taste more and more. When I came back to China, I worked as a sommelier in the Hilton in Beijing and then the Peninsula in Hong Kong.
What’s a sexy date wine?
I recommend Champagne for its fine bubbles and the glamor of it; it always gives you romantic feelings. I would specifically recommend a rosé Champagne: Billecart Salmon Rosé. Every wine lover would say this has a very good balance between fruitiness and freshness and can provide an unforgettable drinking experience.
What's your personal ideal date wine?
I would choose a red wine, which pairs well with meat like Burgundy Pinot Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru, because I like the velvet texture and it offers very good red fruit backed up by very silky tannins and a round elegant taste. When I drink this wine I always feel very peaceful and relaxed.
What wine could give you an orgasm?
I just came back from Vienna where I was invited by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. There I tasted some excellent Rieslings from a winery called Knoll. They have two Rieslings from their vineyard Smaragd that are absolutely beautiful. When I had them I felt like I was no longer standing on the ground, they really brought me up to heaven. They were full bodied, totally dry, with a high acid level but very integrated with fruitiness. Many white wines finish very quickly but this one could last a long time in my mouth.
Philippe Huser
Hometown: Chexbres, Switzerland
Restaurant: Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen, Wine Residence, 57 Jiangyin Lu, near Huangpi Bei Lu 江阴路57号1-2楼 近黄陂北路, +86 21 6318 0057
How did you first get interested in wine?
I was born and raised in a small village and all my neighbors were wine makers. I even asked my dad when I was little, how come we don’t have a vineyard? It seemed everyone else did! I began tasting started when I was three years old. Tasting and tasting wines, that’s how you get into it. Then I went to hotel school in Switzerland and took the general courses on wine. When I joined the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, they could see I loved wine and they asked me to re-do the whole wine list.
I always say I’m not a sommelier and there are a lot of technical things I don’t know. But I know all the wines from my 850 label wine list and I can recommend anything on it, no problem.
A wine that could give you an orgasm?
A Champagne Salon blanc de blancs I had recently which is 100 percent Chardonnay; it has a complexity and minerality which is elegant but at the same time it takes you minutes and minutes to get all the flavors. It’s really an experience of the soil; it has a lot of personality. Many Champagnes are blends but this is one year, one vineyard, one grape. You can almost see the vineyard, it’s very pure. This is one of the only wineries that releases just three wines under the Salon name every 10 years. They are extremely selective and you can definitely taste it. It’s not on my list now but it will be soon.
What’s a sexy date wine?
You don’t want to focus so much on the wine, you want to focus on the person you are with, so I’d recommend an American zinfandel, a serious wine. There’s enough body and structure for a man but it’s also elegant and fruity, so good for a woman too.
Another wine for romance is the Calon-Ségur from Bordeaux. It’s the only serious wine with a heart on the label, it’s a historic label. This is a beautiful, typical Bordeaux; it's very high quality but not crazy expensive.
Jean Dai
Hometown: Shanghai
Restaurant: T8, North Block Xintiandi, Lane 181 Taicang Lu, Xintiandi near Huangpi Nan Lu 太仓路181弄新天地北里8号楼近黄陂南路, +86 21 6355 8999
How did you first get interested in wine?
My first job was as a server at That’s Amore on Taikang Lu about five years ago. I didn’t know anything about how to recommend or pair the complex Italian wines on the list but I had a manager who totally opened my eyes to wine regions and Italian wine culture. I began self-study through the Internet and every month I went to around four different wine tastings to develop my palate.
What’s a sexy date wine?
I actually would not choose Champagne. A better choice would be a good sweet wine, like a Tokaji from Hungary. It’s different than other sweet wines like Muscat or Italian Pinot Grigio. The sweetness and acidity can match food and dessert and it has a very good apricot flavor that makes you feel emotional.
What would you choose for your own romantic evening?
Personally if I had a date at T8 I’d pick Two Hands, Bella’s Garden Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia. It’s spicy and you can find blackberries, a little bit of licorice and some lavender, it’s very complex with medium tannins. I would choose something to share with my boyfriend who likes very sweet floral wines, more similar to the typical Chinese palate. Many Chinese don’t really like Sauvignon Blanc because they think it can taste like cat pee.
How much should you spend on wine for a date?
If I’m on a date I would choose something around RMB 500, but at the same time if you choose one that’s only RMB 200 and it’s very good you can show off your good palate.
Some people think that if a wine’s price is very high it means it should be very good, but that’s not true. Some people just like to show off. I had one Chinese client who ordered a Chateaux Lafite 2002 mixed with Sprite. I tried to make a comparison for him by having him taste a glass without Sprite, but he said he still preferred the one with Sprite.