New Ducasse restaurant to highlight wine

Multi-Michelin starred Chef Alain Ducasse is about to open a new wine-focused restaurant in New York City.

Adour Alain Ducasse at the St Regis Hotel is scheduled to open in January 2008, a year after the closure of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. Its key feature will be a high-tech four seat wine bar with tasting notes beamed onto the bar via a computer-controlled projection system.

By touching an icon, guests will be able to search for details about their chosen wine, such as varietal, producer and region.

Named for the river near Ducasse’s birthplace in southwest France, Adour will offer wine matched specifically to each dish, as well as private temperature-controlled wine vaults that customers can purchase to house their own wine collections.

Wine director Gerard Margeon told decanter.com that Ducasse himself chose the pairings after tasting 99 wines for the 33 dishes on the menu.

The exercise revealed some surprising combinations, including lobster thermidor paired with a Pomerol, and pear clafoutis (custard pudding) with honey ice cream with sparkling pear cider from Normandy.

Ducasse, who recently won his 15th Michelin star and now has 25 restaurants worldwide, is not the only Chef to be putting more emphasis on wine.

Fellow Frenchman Daniel Boulud is also opening a new restaurant and wine bar in New York City next month. Bar Boulud on Broadway’s list is particularly strong on Burgundy and Rhone wines.

For an interview with Alain Ducasse and a review of his new restaurant at the Dorchester see Fiona Beckett’s website www.matchingfoodandwine.com

Written by Fiona Beckett