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German Ghelfi, the executive chef of the new Mandarin Oriental in Santiago, first fell in love with Chilean wine while living in Panama. When he took on his new role at Mandarin Oriental, Ghelfi saw an opportunity to do something unique with the wines that caught his eye.
Lapostolle, a Chilean winery founded in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle, from the family that created Grand Marnier, was his first choice as a winery partner. “I loved the philosophy and the work that was done there, both in the harvest and in the entire wine-making process,” he explains. Ghelfi approached the winery with the proposal and an alliance was formed.
As the first and only Mandarin Oriental hotel with its own proprietary still wine (although the Milan location has a sparkling wine and a craft beer), Ghelfi took a hands-on approach to creating the wine.
As renovations were made over the years, the Britannia team took the time to review the archives and find elements to add to the modern guest experience. “We found a menu from 1898 where Maison Ayala Champagne was served as an aperitif,” explains Peter André Gjerde, the hotel’s director of marketing and communication.
However, over time, Ayala lost its balance and production declined dramatically in the 1990s. Large investments in the house by the new owners, the Bollinger family of Bollinger Champagne, beginning in the mid-2000s, they soon moved the dilapidated property. Currently, Caroline Latrive, one of the three cellar masters in Champagne, oversees all winemaking.
Like the Champagne of Britannia, history played an important role in creation. “Capella Singapore was built in the 1880s to house British officers from the island-based Royal Artillery Coastal Defense Command,” explains Jesiah Fernando Selvarajan, supervisor and waiter at the hotel’s Bob’s Bar.
It is then aged for three years in bourbon oak barrels followed by five in French cognac oak, which Selvarajan says “creates a rich texture and flavors with fruity notes from the blend of caramel, vanilla and peach.”
Inspired by the hotel’s history with the spirit, the rum fits perfectly in the bar and in the tropical climate.
