Tell us a bit about yourself:
How to begin? My name is Matthew and I’m the new Sales and Events Manager at Bon Coeur. I’ve worked in hospitality from the age of 17 to earn some extra money while at college and university. After a dalliance with teaching secondary school, I realised that I enjoyed working in a restaurant more than in a classroom and I’ve never looked back. My last role was working as a sommelier at House of Tides, a Michelin star restaurant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I then decided it was time to try something new and continue my journey in wine in a different role, joining the Bon Coeur team at the end of September.
As the weather is starting to close in, what is your favourite winter drink?
It has to be a hearty Rioja like the Vina Ardanza Reserva with a big Sunday roast, or a smoky whisky such as the Elements of Islay Cask Edit when sat by a roaring fire. Both of these are wonderfully warming.
Do you have a favourite wine?
It’s a bit of a cop out answer but I’m always looking forward to what’s new, something I’ve not tried before, something unusual and different. That being said there will always be a place in my heart for German and Austrian wines, especially Villa Wolf Gewurtztraminer, which opened up the world of white wine for me where before I had always preferred red.
Cheeseboard or pudding?
I would always go for a dessert; I have a huge sweet tooth. I love a sticky toffee pudding served with a glass of Gonzalez Byass Pedro Ximenez; sweet and sticky, notes of dried raisins and baking spices. Ooh heaven!
What do you get up to outside of work?
My life outside of work revolves around my family, my wife, two children and the pets. Lots of evenings are spent watching Masterchef or Great British Bake off with my wife, playing videogames with my daughter, or babbling nonsense with my baby boy. When we’re not doing things together, I’ll often be found going for long walks with the dog down by the River Tyne or watching Newcastle Falcons rugby team.
What is your favourite wine fact?
My favourite fact is that Laurent-Perrier, one of the most prestigious champagne houses, still manually riddles its bottles in order to move yeast from the bottom of the bottle to the neck before disgorgement. That’s hundreds of thousands of bottles that all need to be turned by hand, the scale and dedication of that is amazing to me.
What do you think of wine and food matching?
Pairing food and wine is an absolute joy, seeing how flavours in the wine and in the food change when they meet each other. I’m not really a stickler for rules when it comes to pairings; so long as you can match the intensity of flavour or level of acidity you can have a lot of freedom and fun experimenting with different combinations! That being said, I would never try and pair a tannic red with a fish dish as the oils in the fish will make those tannins taste metallic, and I would never dream of having anything other than an Argentinian malbec with a well-cooked steak.
What will your new role entail?
I will be taking over the running of our award-winning wine showroom, Cellar 21, where you will be able to find me most days; do call in for a coffee and chat all things wine! I will also be working with Andrew to expand, develop and manage our range of ever popular events including supper clubs, wine and whiskey tastings, as well as educational food and wine pairing workshops. Watch this space, there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy!
