Frédéric Engerer, renowned President of French wine estates Château Latour and Domaine D’Eugénie will host exclusive events this January at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and sister property The Beach House at Manafaru, which will join the Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 March 2010.
The winemaker will begin his visit at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, hosting two wine-tasting dinner events for guests in conjunction with the resort’s Executive Chef David Laval. On January 25th Engerer will showcase the Château Latour experience in Ithaa, the world’s first all-glass under-sea restaurant. On January 26th he will introduce guests to wines from the Burgundy Domaine D’Eugénie Estate in the resort’s renowned under-ground Wine Cellar, set two metres below sea level and home to regular degustation dinners enhanced by individual video screens.
On 28th January, Engerer will travel north to The Beach House at Manafaru, to host an event in the stunning Wine Cellar. The circular underground building pays homage to the traditional Cellar, with walls lined with bottles of wine. Guests used to the Maldivian sunshine are treated to the warmth of hot stone bags for their feet as they enjoy an interactive tasting experience.
Château Latour is located in the Medoc wine region in Bordeaux and one of only five classified First Growth Chateaux of Bordeaux. Revered amongst wine critics, the estate has undergone a renaissance in the last decade surpassing its Bordeaux rivals. This golden age has been accredited to Frédéric Engerer’s innovations, whose fine tuning of every aspect of the operation have taken the wines to a new level.
The Domaine D’Eugénie estate in Burgundy is also managed by Engerer. The Domaine comprises 6.5 hectares of well-placed, largely old vines in the Vosne villages, Vosne Romanee aux Brulees, Echezeaux, Grands Echezeaux and Clos du Vougeot appellations.
The Hilton Family Maldives prides itself on providing the most outstanding gourmet experiences in the country. The wine collections are selected by Ron Georgiou, one of only 264 Masters of Wine in the world and overseen by Sommeliers Michael Arcena at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and Sunny Chuang at Beach House and the Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa.
Prices:
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island:-
25 January 2009 – Chateau Latour in Ithaa $750 per person
26 January 2009 – Dom d’Eugenie in the Wine Cellar $450 per person
Beach House:-
28th January 2009 – Chateau Latour in the Wine Cellar $600 per person
Sovereign Luxury Holidays (08716640227 or sovereign.com)offers a seven-night trip incorporating five-nights at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and two nights at The Beach Housefrom £3,399 per person. Price includes daily breakfast, return flights from Gatwick with British Airways departing on 22nd January 2010 and private in-resort transfer. Transfers between the two islands are not included but are available on request, price also includes 24-hour Sovereign Concierge service and complimentary UK VIP airport lounge passes.
