Delicious food, Classic wines at eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX

At the eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX gastronomic festival, taking place in the Parc de Bruxelles from 8 to 11 September 2016, it will be all about tasting delicious food and enjoying the diversity of Bordeaux wines. The festival attendees who are eager to expand their knowledge will have to opportunity to learn how to handle pans and fresh products at the Mmmmh! workshops, to be initiated into the secrets of Bordeaux wines at the wine school or to attend an exceptional session dedicated to wine tasting of prestigious top ranked wines which are among Grand Crus Classés. To unwind after a long week, eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX offers a chance to luxuriate by strolling from gourmet booth to wine stand. Going beyond culinary discoveries, workshops allow each visitor to become a participant in the event. It’s a unique opportunity to cook and learn in the exceptional setting of the Parc de Bruxelles.

Besides, there will be 50 winegrowers from Bordeaux and the “Bordeaux Coups de cœur, la sélection belge” Pavilion for the first time at the eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX festival. Wines from Bordeaux join forces with foody treats from Brussels for a rather tasty festival in the Parc de Bruxelles.  A unique opportunity to learn about the diversity of Bordeaux wines, chat with 50 winemakers and merchants from that part of the world and learn about their passion, their terroir and their wines. They will also be suggesting wine pairings for the signature dishes cooked up by 15 Brussels-based chefs who will be taking it in turns to cook in the festival’s pop-up kitchens. There are some flavoursome encounters in store in the 6 pavilions dedicated to the different wine families from Bordeaux* or at workshops at the Bordeaux Wine School. A new feature this year is a 7^th pavilion: “Bordeaux Coups de cœur, la sélection belge” (Bordeaux favourites, the Belgian selection), meticulously chosen by a panel of young Belgian wine professionals.

Mmmmh! workshops

An Mmmmh! counter will arrange cooking classes throughout festival weekend dedicated to the culinary arts. Whether they are beginners or seasoned veterans, apprentices will have the chance to discover different types of traditional or creative cuisine from here and elsewhere. Indeed, whether they are preparing an elaborate meal for honoured guests or an original  meal for family or friends, visitors will be able to find something for every palate. This year, the workshops are offering something new: Alex Joseph (Rouge Tomate), Ugo Federico (Racines), and Karen Torosyan (Bozar Brasserie), some of the great Brussels chefs from eat! BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX, will also share their culinary secrets with festival-goers. Children, accompanied by their parents, will also have a chance to attend the workshops in order to get a taste for cooking and become budding chefs.

The Bordeaux wine school workshops

During the festival, the Bordeaux School of Wine pavilion is the place to be for newcomers and seasoned pros who love wine and great food. Once again this year, the School’s renowned workshops will be part of eat. BRUSSELS, drink! BORDEAUX. On the agenda: Bordeaux food and wine pairing, introduction to Bordeaux wines, Bordeaux white wines, Right Bank/Left Bank… Bordeaux Wine School pavilion will allow visitors, experts and amateurs alike, to (re)discover the wines of Bordeaux and how they should be savoured in a fun, original way.

For foodies: a totally new workshop in Brussels for wine and gourmet cuisine under the direction of Nicolas Nguyen Van Hai, chef at Le Chapon Fin, an historic Bordeaux restaurant. The workshops are led by Belgian trainers accredited by the Bordeaux School of Wine and are offered in French, Dutch, and/or English.

The Bordeaux “Masterclasses”

For the first time this year, the festival offers to take wine-lovers on a journey through the most prestigious Bordeaux wines during two “Masterclasses.” The first session will be devoted to the Great Vintages designated in 1855 (including a tasting of an assortment of five Médocs and two Sauternes), and the second will focus on introducing participants to the Ranked Great Vintages from Graves (including a tasting of seven red and white wines). Great Vintage owners will offer their comments during the sessions which will calibrate even the most delicate of palettes and refine the knowledge of the most discriminating experts. The “Masterclasses” will be offered in a small group in the BIP’s Salle des Guichets, across from the Parc de Bruxelles.

Bordeaux, so much to discover

eat! Brussels, drink! Bordeaux gives visitors a unique opportunity to (re)discover the quality, authenticity and huge diversity of the wines of Bordeaux by meeting the men and women who produce them. For this event, 50 winemakers and merchants will be coming to Brussels to share the history and secrets of their wine. Aficionados, most of them from family-run businesses, talented young men and women who have often travelled the world only to return to their roots to create wines in their image, experts in organic agriculture who hone their production techniques, winemakers from Belgium and beyond who have fallen in love with this incredible region… There are as many different approaches as there are wines, and this is what makes Bordeaux such a rich region. The focus will be on the savoir-faire of Bordeaux’s winemakers, as well as the variety of soils, the microclimates and the meticulous way different varieties are blended to create sophisticated and unique wines… surprising red, white and sparkling wines that are deliciously fresh and ready to be drunk immediately at any occasion.

The Bordeaux coups de cœur, la sélection belge pavilion

This year, there will be a new pavilion to introduce visitors to Bordeaux coups de cœur, la sélection belge (Bordeaux favourites, the Belgian selection). Put together for Belgium by a panel of young Belgian judges (young sommeliers, wine merchants, wine advisors and bloggers), this selection of 100 wines, available in Belgium at prices ranging from €4 to €25 will introduce consumers to the diversity and accessibility of wines from Bordeaux. eat! Brussels drink! Bordeaux will offer a unique opportunity to discover the richness of this 2016 selection.