When attendees are asked which Wine Experience seminar they’re looking forward to the most, many quickly respond with the same answer: the Chefs’ Challenge. A longtime fan favorite, this event pits four leading chefs and restaurateurs against one of Wine Specator’s own in a wine-pairing competition.
This year, senior editor Bruce Sanderson returned to face off against his opponents from the 2023 event, Chefs’ Challenge veterans José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen and executive chairman of José Andrés Group restaurants; Emeril Lagasse, television star and owner of Wine Spectator Grand Award–winning Emeril’s and Delmonico Steakhouse; Eric Ripert, chef and partner of Grand Award winner Le Bernardin in New York City; and Danny Meyer, executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, whose New York restaurants include Grand Award winner the Modern.
So how does it work? Each chef prepares a dish—to be enjoyed by the panel and the crowd—for which another chef and Sanderson have picked wine pairings. After tasting each dish with the two wines, the audience votes on which pairing works best.
But this year, there was a twist: Rather than declaring a winner by a show of hands each round, guests voted on their phones, the tallies displayed on large projection screens. “How do we know these voting machines aren’t being rigged?” Andrés asked jokingly.
First, Ripert offered his salmon rillettes—a canapé that’s been served at Le Bernardin since 1972—made from poached and smoked salmon held together with mayonnaise, lemon juice and chives, and topped with burst-in-your-mouth trout roe. For a pairing, Lagasse offered a sparkling rosado from Luis Pato in Portugal; he noted the wine had a “creaminess that offset the saltiness” of the dish.
Sanderson leaned on the classics with Alfred Gratien’s Brut Champagne Cuvée Paradis 2015 (95 points, $135). “With the oiliness of the salmon, the wine should have some richness and depth, but also good acidity to cut through,” explained Sanderson, who earned praise for his choice. “Last year, I felt it was like hazing for you,” said Ripert. “This year, you’ve stepped up your game.” The Champagne gave Sanderson a first-round win, with 54 percent of the vote.
“I have no problem with Bruce winning … except for when it’s my round,” Meyer remarked. “There is just something about the yeasty notes of the Champagne that took it over the top.”
Up next was Meyer’s dish, prepared by chef Justin Bogle from skyscraper-topping Best of Award of Excellence winner Manhatta. On the plate was a cured, hand-harvested sea scallop bathed in a swirl of red pepper sauce and inky black olive oil. “We wanted to throw a curveball to all the wine pairers,” teased Meyer. Looking to Spain’s coastal Rías Baixas region, Ripert chose an Albariño from Bodegas Forjas del Salnés. He described it as having a “strong personality—mineral, with an undertone of ginger.” Sanderson brought a bottle from his tasting beat: the rich and savory Grattamacco Vermentino Bolgheri 2022 (91) from coastal Tuscany.
Andrés noted that a scallop is the symbol of the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage route through northwest Spain, including Rías Baixas. The audience seemed to feel the strong connection, and Ripert took the second round with more than 62 percent of the votes.
For his round, Andrés served an elevated take on the tapas staple ensaladilla Rusa, a potato salad popular in Spain’s Jerez region, the home of Sherry. Andrés dotted his version with chunks of Maine lobster and speckles of trout roe. Presenting his wine pairing, Meyer added another Iberian white to the Chefs’ Challenge lineup, going with a blend from winery Álvaro Castro in Portugal’s Dão region.
“I love this wine,” Meyer said. “I was just in Portugal about three weeks ago, and I couldn’t stop eating the Portuguese version of this dish … [This wine] is the first that I had with it. It’s from a smaller producer [and] made from 18 different grapes.”
Sanderson also went Iberian with his pick, Marqués de Murrieta’s Rioja White Capellanía 2019 (93, $120), thinking that he could play favorites with a Spanish bottle. (Winery owner Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga was in the audience and, prompted by Andrés, stood to applause.) “This wine has breadth and depth, but that hint of oak and vanilla makes me almost think of Sherry,” said Sanderson.
“The little finishing note of Sherry works so well with this particular tapas dish,” Lagasse observed. “It may be the Portuguese coming out in me, but I love the elegance of this wine.” Meyer ultimately got the win, landing 59 percent of the audience vote.
Lagasse closed out the show with a beautiful tartlet layered with smoky Portuguese-style chouriço (a sausage similar to chorizo) under gem-like fresh green peas and edamame beans, all accented with a pea vinaigrette and topped with a quail egg. Continuing the theme (and celebrating his home country), Andrés offered a Spanish match: Avancia Godello Valdeorras Nobleza Old Vines 2022. “In this wine, you will find pineapple and spices,” he said. “When I drink it, I feel like I’m in Barcelona.”
Sanderson confessed that this dish flummoxed him; from the description, he thought the chouriço would be more prominent, which is why he chose an expressive Italian red, the Tolaini Chianti Classico Vallenuova 2022. “Are you admitting you’re losing?” ribbed Ripert.
Some of the audience still preferred Sanderson’s pick, and he garnered 33 percent of votes. Nonetheless, Andrés cemented his fourth-round win, giving Sanderson a final count of 1–3. But at the end of the day, the real winners were the guests enjoying the delicious food and great wine at the Chefs’ Challenge.
The Wine-and-Food Pairings
Eric Ripert
Salmon Rillettes
Emeril’s wine: Luis Pato Bruto Rosado Bairrada Espumante Informal 2014 (NR)
Bruce’s wine: Alfred Gratien Brut Champagne Cuvée Paradis 2015 (95 points, $135)
Danny Meyer and Justin Bogle
Scallop Crudo with Red Pepper, Black Olive and Lime
Eric’s wine: Bodegas Forjas del Salnés Albariño Rías Baixas Leirana 2023 (NR)
Bruce’s wine: Grattamacco Vermentino Bolgheri 2022 (91, $58)
José Andrés
Ensaladilla Rusa with Langosta and Trout Roe (Russian Salad with Lobster)
Danny’s wine: Álvaro Castro Quinta da Pellada Primus Branco Dão (NR)
Bruce’s wine: Marqués de Murrieta Rioja White Capellanía 2019 (93, $120)
Emeril Lagasse
Ervilhas com Chouriço (Tartlet with Portuguese Chorizo Mousse and Green Pea Salad)
José’s wine: Avancia Godello Valdeorras Nobleza Old Vines 2022 (93, $75)
Bruce’s wine: Tolaini Chianti Classico Vallenuova 2022 (93, $30)
