Champagne food pairings from GH Mumm's Didier Mariotti

Is it unusual for a champagne house to have a cellar master who wasn’t born in France? “Even though I was born in Montreux, Switzerland, both my parents are French, so I am French. My father is from Corsica, an island that is south of France. My mother is from Burgundy. It’s always interesting when you mix cultures. It’s like when you blend wine for champagne. One plus one is never two.”

Tell us about the art of blending. “It takes time to learn how to blend wines together, to learn how they react together, and I am still learning. It’s the beauty of this job. Every vintage is different because of the maturity of the fruits, the weather: there are a lot of different barometers, so the most important thing is to taste and describe separately each wine, to understand what it can bring to a blend.”

Mumm is now the world’s third-largest champagneproducing house. What is your biggest challenge? “To bring Mumm back to the level it was at 30 years ago, when it was No 2. It’s a very strong brand – the red sash [on the label] is something everybody knows – but it had some problems in the 1990s, when Seagram was the owner. I am also working to create new cuvées. The market and the customer have changed. Champagne is very important in Europe, but it is growing in the United States and in Asia, Australia and Africa. And their tastes are all different.”

How would you describe the Asian palate? “I don’t like the word ‘sweet’ because it means sugar, but the taste in Asia and Africa is more about fruitiness and roundness. They prefer less acidity than in France, where they like it sharp and dry.”

Mumm is the official champagne for Formula One racing. How do you feel about the winners spraying so much of it on the podium? “I am very proud because it’s a bottle of Mumm celebrating the most well known races in the world. Of course, they waste some of the champagne but it’s a unique moment. There is always a story behind every gesture in champagne. Back in the 1950s and 60s, the Formula One track in France was in Champagne. The winning driver used to get just a big wreath of flowers but the champagne houses decided to give a bottle to the winner, who would take it home. One day, I think it was an American driver, he was so thirsty he decided to open it. The bottle was warm so it started to spray everyone around him. That created a unique moment of joy.”

What dishes do you think go best with champagne? “It depends on the champagne. It is very delicate so things like seafood and fish will pair perfectly. Japanese food is very good with champagne because it is precise and simple. But when I invite people over, I create a big plate of different mezze and we drink different champagnes together. It’s a good aperitif moment and everyone can do what they want.