Custom wine advice

The sommelier has disappeared from the four-star hotels over the years, but Restaurant Vlonders still has a wine expert. Sommelier Arnauld Risseeuw is happy to provide suitable wine advice. Or choose one of the gems specially selected by him.

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 talking to guests, says Risseeuw. “As a result, I know the wine preferences of many of our regular guests. I ask a new guest about their taste preferences. It might be a taste that I, as a sommelier, don't personally like. I am there for the guest and try to sell them the right product. A wine that fits the amount they want to spend on wine. A wine that they obviously like and that suits their mood. A guest who wants to dive into their vacation memories from Italy, I offer a completely different product. A sommelier must also have the courage to say no. He offers that product which the guest might not quite expect, but still enjoys.”

Guests who want to quickly make a wine choice but don't know what to order, he refers to the wine list with 'Arnauld's specials'. It contains four gems specially selected by Risseeuw during the wine fairs he visits and the extensive wine trip he makes every year. At the last wine fair in Düsseldorf, for example, he discovered a white Rioja from Spain. Remarkable since the grape variety was only discovered in 1998 and is used by only three wine companies. This white tempranillo has been aged for three months in French oak. Delicious with vegan, fish, and sushi. “If you choose one of the gems, you can be sure that you are drinking a special and good glass of wine,” assures the wine expert.

Risseeuw is a member of the association of vinologists and the guild of sommeliers. He can talk 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, very acidic, or mildly acidic? Ask if you can taste a little. You can taste our open wines with us. To make a good choice, you can taste two wines side by side.” According to Risseeuw, a wine drinker should have a little courage to experiment. “If you are very attached to one product, the product in your taste might be called something very different. Be open to something new. Regular guests 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.”