Vintner Elise Losfelt talks about learning the ropes of wine making

As a sixth generation winemaker, it’s no surprise that Elise Losfelt learnt to identify the finer nuances of gushing deep reds and sparkling golds at a young age. Before she knew it, the Moët & Chandon winemaker was following in the footsteps of her family members. “Among others, my mother and grandmother were winemakers too, so the drink was definitely a topic of discussion almost all the time while growing up.

I think I became a winemaker at the age of three and that is what I wanted to be ever since I can remember,” says Losfelt during a recent visit to India. Ask her what she likes the most about her job with Moët & Chandon, Losfelt says that to see people enjoy the beverage so much gives her immense satisfaction. “It’s wonderful to make a product that brings so much joy into people’s lives,” she says.

On mum and dinner-table conversations

Though she trained to be a skilled winemaker later on, Elise insists that she picked up the art of tasting wine from her mother, whom she considers as a major source of inspiration. “She taught me to taste the flavours and how to recognise each flavour,” says Elise with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “Wine is and always was dinner table conversation in my home. Wine and food are regular topics of conversation in a typical French family, but we were a step ahead as we’d end up discussing the beverage all the time,” she says laughing.

Enjoying wine after work

Analysing wine requires a lot of concentration and can hardly be done at a party, especially with all the noise around. Elise says that though she tries to understand the aromas at all times, she tries to drop her guard every now and then. “Though I try not to think too much about the wine being served at friends and relatives’ parties, I know a bad wine when I taste it.

If I’m at a gathering and I know that the wine is really bad, I just change my glass and try to keep mum about it for as long as I can,” she says. She loves receiving bottles of wine as gifts but her friends are scared to give her one. “They’re probably afraid that I will begin telling them the characteristics of the wine — I must admit that I love educating people about the champagne and wine they are drinking,” she says.

Pairing Indian food with wine

Talking about Indian food that can be paired with Moet & Chandon, Losfelt says that one must avoid drinking it with hot chilli spices. That would kill the experience of the champagne. “What I strongly advise is to try it and discover what suits your palette for yourself,” she says. “But Moet & Chandon Imperial will pair really well with any kind of raw or cooked seafood and a little bit of salt. You can also pair it with tandoori chicken and lamb.”