The sommelier has disappeared from four-star hotels over the years, but Restaurant Vlonders still has a wine expert. Sommelier Arnauld Risseeuw is happy to provide appropriate wine advice. Or choose one of the gems specially selected by him.
What can visitors to Restaurant Vlonders expect from the experienced sommelier? He enjoys speaking with guests, says Risseeuw. "As a result, I know the wine preferences of many of our regular guests. A new guest I ask about his taste preferences. That may well be the taste that I, as sommelier, don't like myself. I am there for the guest and try to sell the right product for him. A wine that suits the amount of money he wants to spend on wine. A wine that he obviously likes and that suits his state of mind. A guest who wants to dive into his vacation memories from Italy, I offer another completely different product. A sommelier must also have the courage to sell no. He offers that product that the guest might just not expect, but likes."
Guests who want to make a quick wine selection but are unsure what to order, he refers to the wine list of "Arnauld's specials. In it are four gems specially selected by Risseeuw during the wine fairs he visits and the extensive wine tour he takes each year. At the last wine fair in Düsseldorf, for example, he discovered a white Rioja from Spain. Extraordinary since the grape variety was only discovered in 1998 and is used by only three wineries. This white tempranillo was aged for three months in French oak. Delicious with vegan, fish and sushi. "If you choose one of the gems, you can be sure you are drinking a special and good glass of wine," assures the wine connoisseur.
Risseeuw is a member of the Association of Vinologists and the Guild of Sommeliers. He can speak particularly passionately about wines. "If you don't know, don't hesitate to ask," he advises wine lovers visiting the restaurant. "A chardonnay, for example, can be anything. Is it really dry, not dry, hard-acid or soft-acid? Ask if you can taste a little bit. Our open wines you can just taste at our place. To make a good choice, you can taste two wines side by side." A wine drinker must have a little courage to experiment, according to Risseeuw. "If you are very attached to one product, the product in your taste may be called something completely different. Be open to something new. Regulars know me, but someone visiting our restaurant for the first time can ask a waiter for more information about our wines. Then I come. I also walk around the restaurant like a regular waiter."