Michel Fonné, the special guest of the evening, chose to launch his range of wines in Romania with Vlad Bibolar and led us into the world of his wines, in an exploratory trip to find out the secrets of a work based on meticulousness, experience and tradition . As for the dishes of the People kitchen, dishes that accompanied these wines, I have nothing but words of praise. We went through a whole gastronomic story again, a story that revolted our taste buds and gave free rein to the imagination and here I want with all my heart to congratulate those who prepared these dishes because they were simply .. .extraordinary (People chefs are the best!). The whole atmosphere was completed by the pictures that ran continuously on the two monitors, pictures from the Michel Fonné domain area. One word is enough: fascinating. A small, beautiful, chic town, with old houses, pedestrian areas, a fairytale town detached as if from the story of Charles Perrault’s Cinderella, a town that whispers to you as if to get in the car and start on the road to discover them secrets. But let me tell you about the Michel Fonné estate and its wines. Really located in the heart of Alsace, west of Colmar, on the old wine road, in the village of Bennwihr, at the foot of the Grand Cru Marckrain hill, this area has a beautiful story based on passion. The Colmar area is known for its privileged exposure, the oenologist Michel Fonné himself being a person who pays a lot of attention to preserving the tradition of producing quality Alsatian wines. Michel Fonné, the winemaker, graduated from the University of Dijon, after which he continued his training in the famous Champagne region at a house at least as famous, Damery. He later expanded his knowledge in Alexander Valley, California, and in 1988 took over the family winery from his uncle Barth Rene. Its domain is currently expanding over an area of 13 hectares in 4 municipalities: Bennwihr, Mittelwihr, Sigolsheim and Colmar, managing to cultivate 7 emblematic grape varieties of the area.
The first wine I tasted and which personally impressed me was Sylvaner Tradition 2016. The wine has fine and subtle quince aromas, it is fresh and fruity, perfect for summer but not only, it is a wine that urges you to the story in a late summer or autumn evening. Muscat Tradition 2015, the second wine tasted was dominated by an intense aroma of fresh grapes, being a blend of 65% Muscat d’Alsace and 35% Muscat d’Ottonel. I really had the feeling of tasting a grape.
The first Riesling of the evening, Riesling Rebgarten 2015, is known as one of the best varieties of white wine with subtle mineral notes of white peach, not aggressive at all. The wines were of course accompanied by People Pub dishes, the appetizer that consisted of a parfait, and the main course in veal cheek on sauerkraut puree (absolutely magnificent!). We stayed in the Riesling area for the fourth wine of the evening, Riesling Grand Cru Mandelberg 2014. Being richer in residual sugar, but with a moderate blood alcohol level, it created an interesting feeling compared to its predecessor, developing a perfect harmony in what look at the flavors.
Pinot Gris Roemberg 2014, the next wine tasted comes from over 65 years old vines, being a semi-dry with intense aromas of apples and citrus, spectacular however by the texture and taste offered.
The last wine of the evening was perhaps one of the most anticipated. Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru Markrain 2014, a fragrant, seductive wine, with subtle notes, with an intense aroma and at the same time settled, but which causes you to smell it incessantly in the glass as you enjoy it.
We ended the evening with a spectacular dessert prepared in the kitchen of People Pub, a quince dessert, which offered a delicious end to a beautiful autumn evening spent with friends here, a dessert with specific flavors and seasonal colors.
