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Agiant spoon in the middle

of a lake o�ers a clue as to

what's happening in Moët

� Chandon's Orangery,

which is opening to the

public for the rst time

this summer. For such an auspicious

occasion you'd expect something

big - and this most famous of

Champagne houses delivers.

While we wait for the great reveal,

breaking o� pieces of chicken skin,

slurping oysters in a concentrated

cucumber extract and sipping Moët

Brut Impérial poured from magnums,

we are joined by tennis superstar and Moët � Chandon

ambassador Roger Federer. This is something big. We're outside,

desperate for a glimpse inside the Orangery, but rst our palates

are in for a rather unlikely treat: salt and Champagne.

This is the beginning of LE �, a collaboration between Moët cellar

master Benoît Gouez and three Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno.

Their shared passion for exploration and

creation has taken them on a two-year

journey to put together tonight's menu,

which sees art and science intertwine

in each mouthful to bring out di�erent

nuances of Moët's Champagnes.

Magnums of Brut Impérial are rst

up at the 7 Salt Bar. Pairing Champagne

with various salts may sound weird,

but there is method in the madness. As

Gouez points out, Champagne contains

four of the ve primary sensations

that make up taste - it has acidity,

sweetness, bitter elements and umami.

It's missing the fth element: salt.

(Umami, by the way, comes from maturation on the yeasty lees.)

Worth its salt...

But don't expect a three Michelin-starred chef and the maker of one

of the most popular Champagnes in the world simply to add a few

extra sprinkles of the white stu�. No, salt here comes in the form of

CHAMPAGNE SPECIAL

TONIGHT'S MENU SEES ART AND

SCIENCE INTERTWINE IN EACH

MOUTHFUL TO BRING OUT DIFFERENT

NUANCES OF MOËT'S CHAMPAGNES

thefifthelement

Glitz, glamour and Gallic �air - Moët � Chandon pulls out all the stops for a gastronomic

mystery tour of its exclusive Orangery in Epernay WORDS LUCY BRITNER

Clockwise from top left: the spoon in

the lake outside Moët � Chandon's

Orangery; salt sculptures; gold magnums