William Curley team wins Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy

Published: 12 October, 2012

The Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2012 has been won by pastry chef Sarah Frankland and sommelier Robert Giorgione of William Curley.

The sommelier and chef team triumphed over finalists from three renowned restaurants, with their creation of apricot, pistachio and chocolate pavé, with Domaine Fontanel Rivesaltes Ambré 1999.

The four finalist teams were: Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and William Curley. Teams were asked to prepare and present their ultimate pairing of a dessert creation incorporating dried fruit and/or honey, with a Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel from AOC Banyuls, Maury, Muscat de Rivesaltes or Rivesaltes.

Organised by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon, the final was held on October 8 at L'atelier des Chefs, London W1, which saw the four pastry chef and sommelier teams go head-to-head in the final stage of the competition, in a live cook-off.

Benoit Blin, president of the jury and chef pâtissier at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, said: "This year saw the highest level of entries yet. The decision came down to which team demonstrated a craftsmanship which would allow a very real chance of winning the European final. It was a close-run competition but, all factors considered, in the end it came down to one big differentiating factor: which team worked best together - and this was William Curley."

The winning team will visit Perpignan for the European final and enjoy a two or three-day visit to producers of Roussillon's finest wines. They will also receive a selection of Roussillon wines.

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