Every Saturday TheChampagneSommelier will ask 5 questions about 5 coeur de bouteilles to friends and Champagne lovers from near and far. This week we took a bubbly chat with Russian born Champagne lover & sommelière Valeria Tenison. Merci Valeria !
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
BIO
Valeria Tenison
Valeria Tenison is a sommelier and a wine writer. Russian-born, Valeria has lived and worked in eight countries of Europe and Asia. She started her career in wine in 2009, having obtained a sommelier diploma in Saint-Petersburg, later adding to that a WSET 3 certificate and lately a VIA Italian Wine Ambassador title. She was the winner of the 2018 Best Female Sommelier of Russia and a runner-up in Ruinart Sommelier Challenge France 2019. She received her WSET Diploma in 2021. Based now in Bordeaux, Valeria works as a sommelier at an Italian 1* Michelin restaurant and writes for several wine magazines.
[follow Valeria on Instagram here]
Which Champagne would You treat your parents or in-laws?
‘A classic, not too fancy and not too dry as they still have “le goût russe”, a creamier style. Let’s say Louis Roederer ‘Collection 242‘ as I appreciate a lot the talent of Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon.‘
Which Champagne would You treat your lover?
‘Well, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Playing hard, I would go for a rosé – Emilien Feneuil ‘Les Puits Rosé 1er cru’, a rare wine that would astonish both an amateur and a geek.’
Which Champagne would You treat your boss?
‘I will stay on a safe side here. Whatever religion one preaches, no one will be upset with a bottle of Krug ‘Grande Cuvée’.‘
Which Champagne would You treat yourself?
‘A new name that I have never tried before. Champagne is living a boom now, it is great to discover new labels. Any suggestions? ‘
Which Champagne would You treat a dream guest, and why?
‘Sounds banal but I would love to have a chat with Barbe Nicole Ponsardin to ask her about the old days of Champagne and drink something from these days. From my side I would bring Bollinger ‘Vieilles Vignes Françaises’, a rare cuvée from their ungrafted vines.‘
[ what piece of music would you listen to drinking wine with Your dream guest ?]
‘I am not ready to shock Nicole with a French rap 😉 “Tout oublié” by Angèle is one of my favourite pieces of the modern music “en français”. ‘
