Q&A with Niek Beute
Niek Beute is a sommelier and owner of Vinoniek, an online wine platform. Vinoniek has its own YouTube channel where he regularly posts videos about the ins and outs of wine.
Which food trend should we stop immediately?
Menus of more than six courses. They’re simply too many impressions. You can’t process them. An eighteen-course menu is pure ego on the part of a restaurant. By serving so many courses, you go beyond the purpose and detract from the experience – as a guest, you simply can’t take it all in anymore. A shame and unnecessary, then.
Most memorable dining experience?
The most beautiful little dish I ever ate was when I went with a small wine importer to a winery in Champagne. Joël Robuchon (!) cooked for us. An egg with caviar. It was a small, simple dish. Joël brought along a sommelier who poured a wonderful wine to accompany the dish. The wine-and-food pairing was fantastic. Which is funny, because in France they attach relatively little importance to wine and food pairings. They often serve a beautiful bottle of wine and eat an excellent dish. Whether they go together doesn’t matter that much. This time, the dish fit the wine like a glove – and vice versa. I was completely blown away.
Favorite drink?
The most delicious wine doesn’t exist for me. It depends so much on the moment. There’s a suitable glass for every moment. But there are wine styles I can appreciate at any time, really. Champagne, of course (Niek’s expertise). And Madeira, a powerful, unique, 300-year-old wine with so much energy, truly special. And Burgundy, because the region is so complicated that it’s an endless quest. And I love that quest.
Indispensable gadget for the kitchen?
In the wine world: Coravin. I think it’s an incredible invention. Now you can always check whether your wine is still good to drink, and you drink more consciously; what do I really feel like drinking now? I think it’s a really great invention. I believe they’re also working on a version that allows you to test sparkling wine. That would be fantastic.
What will you never eat again?
Fresh oysters. They’re still alive when you eat them. Eating something alive feels like a kind of cannibalism to me, and I no longer want to take part in it. Chewing a living organism to death in my mouth is something I no longer stand for. I’m fine with a processed oyster. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve eaten crates full of oysters, so it’s somewhat hypocritical, but I don’t want to eat anything alive anymore.
You’re talking to a sommelier: I choose my wine first, then see what I can eat with it
Which country is your favorite when it comes to food?
English and German cuisine are developing very quickly. But classic French cuisine remains my favorite for now, because of its simplicity. Letting the power of a product speak for itself is what resonates most with me. As far as I’m concerned, that still happens best in French cuisine.
What should everyone have eaten at least once?
Artichoke and black truffle soup by Guy Savoy. I worked for him in Paris and was therefore able to eat this dish several times. This is the kind of dish in which the ingredients speak for themselves. It’s not that complicated, but the flavor is incredible.
What is the best supermarket product?
When it comes to wine, sherry. When it comes to food, peanut butter.
What’s still on your wish list when it comes to food?
Dining at Pierre Gagnaire’s, an underrated chef in Paris. I once had a job interview with him, and that conversation was very impressive. An intriguing man. I would really love to eat at his restaurant again. Le Cinq is also very high on my wish list. A restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris. I did an internship there. I have never seen such excellent hospitality. The sommelier there is also incredibly good, the best I know. Those guys are fantastic.
Which cookbook should everyone have on their shelf?
Pauli’s cookbook. A classic. I had to study it at hotel school. The best textbook for the kitchen.
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
Risotto. With whatever I have at home. Prawns from the freezer and Thai vegetables, for example. Or mushrooms. I put pretty much anything in it. It depends on what I’m drinking. You’re talking to a sommelier: I choose my wine first, then see what I can eat with it.
Which dish do you have no self-control around?
To be honest, I have to watch what I eat a little, haha. Past thirty… But a dish of paella with a bottle of bubbles will definitely be finished.
