Roxane Dupuy: ‘In London, Port is growing’
Last week, Roxane Dupuy, executive sommelier at Row on 5 in Savile Row, London, was announced as winner of the Taylor’s Port Vintage Years UK Sommelier Challenge. Port is gaining traction in the London restaurant circuit, she tells db, with the rise of Port cocktails engaging a younger audience.
Dupuy beat 19 other entrants to win the first installment of the competition, designed to let UK somms showcase their vintage Port expertise, at Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Napoleon Cellar on 14 July.
The competitors faced a blind tasting challenge: six vintage Ports from six different decades, for which they were tasked with writing tasting notes, identifying the vintage years with justification and proposing food pairings from their own menus.
“In general, in London, Port is growing,” Dupuy tells the drinks business. “On menus, there’s always an option of having a glass of Port or cheese. But Port houses are also doing eye-catching large format bottles, and it also works in cocktails. There are many ways to showcase Port.”
Aside from cheese, what actually pairs with Port?
As the ultimate winner, Dupuy has bagged a two-night trip to Porto at The Yeatman Hotel, including meals and a private tasting with Taylor’s technical director and head winemaker, David Guimareans, and a selection of Taylor’s vintage Port.
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Her restaurant, Row on 5, offers four different Port pairings. There’s the “iconic” match of Port and cheese, but for the ‘discovery’ pairing, Dupuy opts for a slightly younger, but still a vintage Port; for the mid-range pairing, she explores more mature vintages from the 90’s, and for the very premium pairing, offers a vintage from the 60’s or 70’s.
Last winter, the restaurant menu featured a Chawanmushi dish, with 24-month-aged parmesan and black truffle. It made the perfect duo with ‘60’s Port, according to Dupuy. “It was simply stunning, because it was full of complexity, layers and richness.” In general, she thinks Japanese cuisine suits Port well. Unadon – Japanese glazed eels – with smokey teriyaki sauce – deliciously matches with ‘70’s Port, for instance.
The rise of Port cocktails
“Sommeliers nowadays don’t open a lot of sweet or fortified wine, so the fact the team has the opportunity to be trained on so many different decades, Port houses and quintas, is a big plus, because their palate and understanding of fortified wine is built up,” Dupuy continues.
She finds the growing use of Port in mixology “very interesting”, with Port producers like Churchill’s and Symington manning cocktail bars, and Graham’s popularising Port cocktails in its annual bartender competition. Dupuy believes it’s “a modern approach for younger customers to get an introduction to Port.”
While the somm sees more and more consumers engaging with fortified wines, especially at fine dining establishments, what’s important is how you offer it. “As a sommelier, you want to find the perfect timing for it,” she explains. “Port is an easy sell at the end of the meal, but what makes me excited is when we can link wines with a very particular moment in the meal. It creates a nice memory for the guest.”
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