Inside Krug's Kitchen, the Champagne World's Culinary Initiative

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Champagne has the power to transform even the most mundane events into something magical. Other sparkling wines might be great for Bellini top-ups and weekend debacles, but Champagne is the one we all reach for when it’s time for a real party. Its aura is so powerful that its name is synonymous with celebration, happiness, and indulgence.

We all love it, but this French ambrosia is usually relegated to an aperitif or post-dinner treat, to be enjoyed while canapés are paraded on silver platters or with a slice of birthday cake. It’s fair to say that most people rarely open a pricey bottle of Blanc de Blancs for dinner. In 2014, Maison Krug decided to show the world that champagne deserved a more central place on the dinner table, and thanks to the help of some amazing chefs, they have been proving that point for the past ten years.

‘In my family, Krug champagne has always been associated with gastronomy’, says Olivier Krug, sixth-generation Director of Maison Krug. For him, connecting bubbles and fabulous food to celebrate haute cuisine in all its forms seemed like an obvious choice. Every year, Krug chooses a single ingredient to be enhanced and celebrated by a chef. The peculiarity of the initiative lies in the simplicity of the produce selected, which is humble and commonly found in every kitchen. For example, past ingredients spanned from rice and potatoes to mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions.

The concept of using a single ingredient is inspired by the peculiar way the grapes used to produce Krug’s champagne are grown. Maison Krug meticulously tends to 240 thousand plots of land, each harvested and produced separately, making every plot its own “single ingredient”. This unique approach ensures that only the best of the yearly harvest makes it into the bottles, a testament to the brand's dedication to quality.

To mark the ten-year anniversary of this initiative, Maison Krug chose a particularly creative ingredient, flowers. To make the celebration even more special, the brand gathered not one, but ten multi-Michelin-starred chefs. Each chef was tasked with creating a unique dish, showcasing their culinary craftsmanship and pushing the boundaries of creativity.

Out of the ten outstanding chefs, Hélène Darroze was chosen to create a dish using this year’s ingredient, the flower, while Anne-Sophie Pic – whose three Michelin-star restaurant Pic has just been named the best restaurant in the world in Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best Restaurants” in the “fine dining” category – has taken over the tomato and Enrico Bartolini celebrated his Italian roots creating the ultimate beetroot risotto using 2022’s single ingredient, rice.

The location chosen to celebrate the occasion was the former Gare des Invalides in Paris. Inside the iconic building, the Maison recreated a cosy space decorated like a French country cottage to ease the guests into the brand’s world. After all, Krug champagne is a family affair and walking into the space felt like walking inside their Family House in Reims.

Before sitting down for lunch, we were invited to use our five senses to better appreciate the ten ingredients championed in the kitchen. In a spacious lab-like room, we were astonished by the perfume that can be extrapolated from mushrooms and potatoes (who knew raw mushrooms and spuds could smell so good?). We analysed fish skin showcased on Petri dishes using a magnifying glass and observed the different textures an eggshell can have.

When it was time to sit down to taste this year’s creations, the first thing I noticed was the wine glasses lined up on the table, a testament to the Maison's wine etiquette. As the Maison’s experts often emphasise, ‘Krug should be consumed in a proper glass and not in a flute or a coupe’, as this allows the champagne to fully express its rich aromas and complex flavours. Making it the main protagonist of the meal, not a side character.

The dishes that followed were a beautiful extravaganza of the simplest produce. We started with William Bradley’s comforting interpretation of mushrooms before getting to the main event, Hélène Darroze's delicate crab à la rose, and finished with Arnaud Lallement’s lemon trompe-l’oeil.

But, for me, a special mention goes to three Michelin-star German chef Jan Hartwig, who – while suggesting that ‘good champagne fits well with almost every food’ – transformed a modest onion into a dish to remember. All the goodness was accompanied by Krug Grande Cuvée and Krug Rosé, proving that Olivier Krug is indeed correct: a good glass of champagne can alter any produce into something special.

Register your interest to attend Inside Krug's Kitchen via www.krug.com/form/inside-krugs-kitchen

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