It really is not every day that one is invited to an intimate dinner with the CEO of the oldest champagne house in the world! Dinner was at The Table Bay hotel in the waterfront and chef Jason Franco did a great job pairing the food with a range of the Ruinart champagnes, from Blanc de Blanc (all Chardonnay) with West Coast lobster ceviche, to Springbok with the Rosé, to matching the Confit chicken with the Brut. Much French jostling and teasing with delicious bubbles and food were enjoyed by all. Ruinart is the largest Chardonnay Champagne producer, but Frédéric carefully avoided the question on volumes produced! Seems the French still like to keep some things a mystery! This was his first visit to South Africa and he has a busy 48-hour schedule in South Africa, culminating with a dinner at Benguela on Main in Somerset West on Friday 19th February. The Really Great Brands Company are spending a fair bit of energy on Ruinart so we expect to see it around more often. It has a serious price tag... but the heavy old bottles and the delicious tiny bubbles tingling the tongue certainly do the trick!