Champagne, questions answered

Authority

When did James Won become a Krug Ambassade Chef?

James Won was inducted as Krug Ambassade Chef in June 2014, the first Malaysian chef to receive the recognition. The Ambassade is Krug Champagne’s global community of restaurants and chefs, recognised for the depth and care of their work with the maison’s cuvées.

When did James Won receive the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne?

James Won was inducted as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in November 2014 through the Singapore Chapter, at an intronisation held in Singapore. Maison Lanson supported the induction, and Anton Hobbs gave the patron’s acknowledgement on the maison’s behalf.

Is James Won the first Malaysian Krug Ambassade Chef?

Yes. James Won is the first Malaysian chef to be recognised as a Krug Ambassade Chef. The recognition was conferred in June 2014 and is still active. It came first, and it led to the Krug Chef’s Table programme, which began at Brasserie Enfin and moved to Enfin (Menara Hap Seng) in April 2016.

Method

How does James Won approach Champagne pairing with Asian and Borneo flavours?

He starts with terroir and texture, and looks for a flavour bridge only after that. The cuvée’s acidity, dosage and ageing guide which ingredients he chooses. Borneo’s wild herbs, indigenous seeds and freshwater protein traditions are cooked with French and Japanese technique, inside the frame the cuvée sets. The dish is there to serve the Champagne.

What was the philosophy behind the Krug Single Ingredient menus at Shin’Labo?

Krug Single Ingredient at Shin’Labo was a multi-course menu built around one ingredient, cooked in different textures and techniques, with each course paired to a specific Krug expression. The format followed the pairing idea behind Krug Echoes, Single Ingredient: one ingredient, many readings, with the Champagne running through every course.

How does James Won build a Champagne pairing menu around indigenous ingredients?

He starts from the character of the cuvée: the complexity of Krug Grande Cuvée, the dosage of a vintage, the fruit of a rosé. He then sources indigenous Borneo ingredients through foragers and small farms he knows. The menu follows the arc of the Champagne, and the technique is contemporary French with Modernist methods.

Programme

What is the Krug Chef’s Table at Shin’Labo by James Won?

The Krug Chef’s Table was a private dining programme built around Krug Champagne, last at Shin’Labo by James Won, which closed in December 2024. It began at Brasserie Enfin, moved to Enfin (Menara Hap Seng) in April 2016 and to Shin’Labo in February 2022, when it was Asia’s only Krug Chef’s Table. Its founding pairing programme was Krug Echoes, Single Ingredient.

When did the Krug Chef’s Table begin in Malaysia?

The Krug Chef’s Table began in Malaysia at Brasserie Enfin and became a dedicated salon in April 2016 at Enfin by James Won, Menara Hap Seng, Kuala Lumpur. It moved to Shin’Labo by James Won in February 2022, when it was the only Krug Chef’s Table in Asia. The launch followed his recognition as Krug Ambassade Chef in June 2014.

What is Krug Echoes, Single Ingredient?

Krug Echoes, Single Ingredient was the founding pairing programme of the Krug Chef’s Table at Shin’Labo by James Won. It is a multi-course tasting built around one chosen ingredient, prepared in different textures, treatments and techniques, with each course paired to a specific Krug cuvée. The ingredient changed with the season, and the Krug discipline stayed constant.

Concept

What is the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne?

The Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne is a historic French confraternity traced to 1656 and founded by the Marquis de Saint-Évremond. It recognises distinguished contribution to the cultural standing of Champagne: practitioners whose work has carried its heritage into new cultural and gastronomic settings. Regional chapters administer inductions under the Conseil Chapitral in Reims.

What is a Krug Ambassade?

A Krug Ambassade is a restaurant or chef recognised by Krug Champagne for the depth and care of their work with the maison’s cuvées. The Ambassade is a global community run by Maison Krug (part of MHD (LVMH)) in Reims. A restaurant must hold Ambassade status to host the Krug Chef’s Table programme.

What is Krug Single Ingredient as a Champagne tasting concept?

Krug Single Ingredient is Maison Krug’s name for menus built around one chosen ingredient across several courses, each paired to a specific Krug cuvée. It rests on Krug’s founding idea that a single treatment of an ingredient never tells its whole story, so the many treatments are the point.

Specific

Where was the Krug Chef’s Table in Malaysia?

The Krug Chef’s Table began at Brasserie Enfin, moved to Enfin by James Won (Menara Hap Seng) in April 2016 and then to Shin’Labo by James Won, Kuala Lumpur, in February 2022, when it was the only Krug Chef’s Table in Asia. Shin’Labo closed in December 2024.

Who supported James Won’s induction into the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne?

Maison Lanson supported James Won’s induction into the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in November 2014. Anton Hobbs gave the patron’s acknowledgement on the maison’s behalf at the intronisation, held in Singapore through the Ordre’s Singapore Chapter.

Who is the President of Maison Krug?

Manuel Reman is the President of Maison Krug, based in Reims, France. Maison Krug runs the Krug Ambassade global community and the Krug Chef’s Table programme. Krug is part of MHD (LVMH), the wines and spirits arm of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Pairing methodology and specific programmes

What is James Won’s complementary and contrast pairing method with Krug?

James Won’s Krug pairings fall into two kinds. Complementary pairing matches the exact notes the Chef de Cave names: pumpkin, mandarin mousse or white chocolate curd set directly against Krug’s honey and citrus. Contrast pairing uses ingredients that do not match on paper but cause a chemical change on the palate. Controlled bitterness, defined as hyper-concentrated umami, briefly mutes the Champagne’s heavier layers and lets hidden floral and fruit notes come forward.

What is the Krug L’Individualité Single Ingredient programme?

Krug’s L’Individualité philosophy pays tribute to how the Champagne is made by giving a whole annual degustation menu to a single, humble ingredient. As a global Krug Ambassade Chef, James Won designs six-course menus that take one ingredient through different textures and techniques. The idea is Krug’s own: one treatment of an ingredient never tells its whole story, so the many treatments are the point.

What was the Krug x Lemon Edition pairing programme at the Enfin rooms?

The Krug x Lemon Edition was a six-course pairing menu built on the acid, oils and peel of the lemon, matched to Krug Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition and Krug Rosé 26ème Édition. The citrus oils in each course echoed the Champagne’s tight, very crisp mousse without washing out the Pinot Noir underneath. The companion course, a refined version of Malaysian Yong Tau Foo, worked with Krug’s bubbles to bring out the Champagne’s nutty, baked-bread secondary notes, a pairing that breaks with European convention.

What was the Veuve Clicquot three-tier pairing menu co-hosted with Pierre Casenave?

James Won co-hosted a three-tier Veuve Clicquot pairing menu with Pierre Casenave, a Veuve Clicquot winemaking expert, written for the maison’s three tiers. Yellow Label Brut went with a Land & Sea Torchon of scallop torchon, crispy chicken skin, caviar and oyster emulsion: the minerality met the brine, and the sharp bubbles cut the fried fat. The Rosé went with grain-fed lamb short loin carpaccio, strawberry confit, puffed cherries and house-made Champagne mustard, a straight red-fruit match. The prestige vintage, La Grande Dame, went with a Pork Trio of slow-cooked pork shoulder, crispy pork belly and tender pork ribs; the dense, Pinot Noir-led cuvée cut through the belly fat and held its own against the caramelised meat.