Dom Pérignon – Food and wine pairings – Marco Fadiga

"Finding the perfect pairing" by Marco Fadiga

What is your background?

I’ve been in this house since 13 July 2016. That’s the date I won the game.

How long have you been in the house?

It’s far from finished! The second fermentation begins in the bottle. Due to the addition of liqueur, the sugar in the wine is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The bottle should be stored horizontally at 10°C for several months.

What drew you into the world of champagne?

What used to be done by hand has long since been mechanised, and over the years the riddling process has allowed dead yeast and sediment to accumulate at the bottom of the bottle.

The bottle is tilted downwards and rotated a quarter turn every day for three months. The bottle can remain in this position for several years as it begins to age.

At one of my agencies, I worked as a ‘Dom Pérignon Custodian’ for around ten years. It was an opportunity which, as well as allowing me to forge a relationship with the house, enabled me to enter the world of champagne and become part of it.

A key stage inthe production of champagne! Placing the neck of the bottle, along with all the sediment, into the mixture of frozen nitrogen. The sediment is thus converted into ice cubes and expelled when the bottle is opened, months or years later, under the pressure of the carbon dioxide inside the bottle.

What are the main steps in designing a protocol?

I share Vincent Chapelon’s vision. We are not looking for the perfect pairing. What drives us is finding a dialogue between wine and food through the ideals of creative tension. Discovering different aspects of the wine during tastings and subsequent culinary trials was the highlight of the journey.

Which wine do you prefer when you’re working at Dom Pérignon?

I cannot answer that question because every vintage I encounter in the creative process is unique. That is the strength of all Dom Pérignon cuvées. Furthermore, the 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé and the 1998 Seconde Plénitude really gave me a sense of strength during the recipe development process.

Which Dom Pérignon food and wine pairing has made the biggest impression on you?

The one I haven’t created yet...