American Marketer

Food and beverage

Krug pairs rustic cooking and bubbly for outdoor festival

June 15, 2017

Acclaimed chef Francis Mallmann will use 10-foot-tall fires to cook at Krug Festival: Into the Wild. Image courtesy of Krug

 

French Champagne house Krug is headed into the British wilderness for an evening of craftsmanship and experience on The Grange in Hampshire.

For this year’s Krug Festival, dubbed “Into the Wild,” the LVMH-owned Champagne maker will link with Argentine “culinary sybarite” Francis Mallmann and music discovery platform Mahogany.Sessions. The Saturday, July 29 event will invite 300 discerning guests to the British back country to experience “a rough luxury style of cooking.”

Krug on the grange
Mr. Mallmann is best known for his renowned restaurant Siete Fuego in the Uco Valley in Argentina. Siete Fuego, meaning seven fires, features a collection of open-flame cook pits inspired by Argentine gauchos and European migrants.

During Krug Festival: Into the Wild, Mr. Mallmann will bring Siete Fuego, by way of 10-foot-high fires, to the The Grange in Hampshire for an unforgettable dining experience.

Mr. Mallmann’s menu will include locally sourced meats and vegetables that will be smoked, roasted and charred over open-fire style cooking techniques for up to seven hours. Mr. Mallmann and his team will use sand pits, trenches and homemade dome-shaped frames to prepare the meal.

Each dish will be paired with Champagnes from the Krug portfolio including Rosé, Grande Cuvée and Vintage 2002.

Krug will pair its Champagnes with the meal prepared by Francois Mallmann. Image courtesy of Krug

“The presence and aura of Krug Champagne will be embodied throughout the Krug Festival: Into the Wild celebration this summer,” Mr. Mallmann said in a statement. “Krug embraces food and taste, from roasted embers to hung dome roasting, matching the elegance of a charred scallop and the deep complex roots of well-aged beef.

“The event this July will encompass our shared values of choice, spirit, friendship and passion,” he said.

The Krug Festival: Into the Wild atmosphere will be heightened further by musical performances curated by Mahogany.Sessions. The performers have been selected to match the mood of the dramatic outdoor setting and guide diners from dish to dish.

“We are excited to be working with Krug and Francis Mallmann to deliver an incredible premium festival experience that brings the very best music alongside impeccable cuisine and the finest bubbles known to man,” said James Gaster, director of Mahogany.Sessions.

“We look forward to presenting music in a fresh and complete way at this exquisite country location which is stunning both inside and out,” he said.

Krug Festival, a concept launched in 2016 on a private island, will take place Saturday, July 29 from 4 p.m. to midnight.

Tickets for Krug Festival: Into the Wild are priced at 395 pounds, or $503 at current exchange, for a single ticket or 750 pounds, or $956, for a pair. Tickets include all food, drink and return travel to London.

As an LVMH-owned spirits brand, Krug is using the recently launched Clos19 as a ticketing platform for the tasting event (see story).