The winners of the 10^th anniversary edition of Gosset Matchmakers were announced at the annual cook-off final held at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu on Monday (29.9.2025). Chef Darryl Shotlander and Sommelier Ché Dyson-Holland from The Dysart Petersham, in Richmond, London, beat four other teams to take the title and were crowned champions for 2025.

The Dysart Petersham team presented the winning dish to the judges of steamed monkfish rolled in Celtic mustard and nori, served with kaffir lime & ginger champagne dressing, spice oil, black mooli, and buckwheat & almond tuile that perfectly completed Champagne Gosset’s Grand Reserve.

Chef judge Michael Nizzero, Chef Instructor at The Waterside Inn Culinary Academy, commented “the roundness and richness of this monkfish dish paired with the Grand Reserve champagne was a standout dish of the day.” He continued: “alongside their invention dish, this team edged a win because of the quality of their food and creative pairings with each Champagne.”

Shotlander and Dyson-Holland were put under pressure on the day with a mystery basket of ingredients centred around Creedy Carver Duck from which they needed to invent a dish on the spot to pair with Champagne Gosset 12 ans de cave a minima rosé, a champagne with freshness, structure and depth of flavour that can handle complex flavours and spiciness.

The team presented another winning dish to the judges of duck breast roasted with a mixture of aged soy and sugar syrup, served with sesame seeds, sumac, and spice mix designed to enhance the flavours in the champagne that in turn had freshness and acidity to complement the invention dish’s spice and sweetness.

Throughout the day the judges complemented dishes from all the teams competing, each of which had a particular highlight but were just pipped to the win on the day.

Also of note from the judges was the focus teams gave to sourcing ingredients sustainably, utilising as much as possible from all their ingredients and foraging for freshness and seasonality – all were highly commended.

Presenting the winners with their prizes—a magnum of Blanc de Blancs Champagne Gosset and an invitation to visit Champagne Gosset in the new year—judge and export director Philippe Antony commented:

“The quality of food, the knowledge, and the presentations from all the teams today were exceptional. It is wonderful to continue discovering new and surprising pairings for the wines of Maison Gosset.” He added: “This competition is a testament to Gosset Matchmakers’ ability to uncover such talented individuals. Celebrating their achievements today is truly an honour.”

The full Champagne Gosset portfolio is distributed in the UK exclusively by Hallgarten & Novum Wines.

24 April, 2025 – Gosset Matchmakers proudly announces its tenth anniversary, marking a decade of nurturing talent and collaboration between emerging chefs and sommeliers to create exceptional food and Champagne pairings.

Established in 2016, this prestigious competition has become a cornerstone in the culinary world, celebrating the partnership between high-end gastronomy and fine Champagne.

Over the past ten years Gosset Matchmakers has been instrumental in identifying and nurturing rising talents in the culinary arts. The competition has consistently attracted participants from renowned restaurants across the UK, challenging them to craft innovative dishes that pair perfectly with Champagne Gosset’s distinguished cuvées.

The competition’s credibility is underscored by its panel of esteemed judges, comprising leading figures from the culinary and wine worlds. Notable recent judges include Benjamin Ferra y Castell, Head Chef at Pavyllon; Matthieu Longuère MS, Wine Director at Le Cordon Bleu London; Melody Wong, Director of Wine at The Peninsula London; and Luciana Berry, Top Chef Brazil winner and Le Cordon Bleu alumna. Their collective expertise ensures a rigorous evaluation process, upholding the competition’s high standards.

This year’s contestants will be invited to create a dish to pair with Gosset Grande Réserve Champagne that pairs beautifully with food due to its rich, structured profile and balanced acidity. Made from a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier, it offers depth and freshness that complement a wide range of dishes. Its fine bubbles and vibrant citrus notes cut through richness, while toasty, nutty undertones enhance flavours in poultry, seafood, and creamy sauces. The wine’s complexity and persistence make it versatile across appetisers, mains, and even certain cheeses.

Reflecting on the competition’s impact, Philippe Antony from Champagne Gosset commented, “It is a source of great pride to reflect on the past ten years of the Champagne Gosset Matchmakers competition and to recognise the wealth of emerging talent that has participated, as well as those who have distinguished themselves as winners.”

Antony continued: “Looking to the future is even more inspiring, as we welcome new competitors at the outset of their professional journeys and provide them with this rare opportunity to express their creativity and present their ideas as they embark on their careers.” As Gosset Matchmakers commemorates this milestone, it reaffirms its commitment to inspiring and recognising the next generation of culinary professionals. The competition continues to celebrate the art of pairing fine Champagne with exceptional cuisine, fostering innovation and excellence throughout the UK hospitality community.

The Gosset Matchmakers 2024 competition reached its final showdown at Le Cordon Bleu London’s Cord Restaurant on Fleet Street on Monday 23rd September, with chef and sommelier pair, Chef Oliver Grieve and Sommelier Camilla Bonnannini from Albatross Death Cult, Birmingham taking home the title. Pitted against other chef and sommelier teams from Frog by Adam Handling Restaurant, Heron in Edinburgh, Pahli Hill in London and The Ritz London, the team swayed the judges with a dish of Quail, Nam Jim, and carrot prepared in three different ways created to match perfectly with Gosset Petite Douceur Rosé.

The finalists were also asked to concoct a dish using a box of surprise ingredients, including a filet of smoked eel which had to be used as an essential element of the final dish. The teams had only limited time to conceive and execute a dish that would harmonise with Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs. The winning team used the smoked eel as the dish’s main element, carameled it in butter and finished with a blow torch. They used Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs in a beurre blanc with kohlrabi pickled in elderflower vinegar. It was served with a garnish of kohlrabi Parisienne cooked in a dashi butter, and apple that was soaked in the Champagne itself, finishing with a little dill, to give a bit of liveliness.

Matthieu Longuère MS, Wine Director at Le Cordon Bleu London and Chair of the judging panel commented “The level of the finalists were really impressive overall. In a closely matched contest, it came down to the level of cooperation and collaboration between the winning team, in producing two very good dishes, which influenced the final decision.”

Matthieu was assisted by experts in matching wine with food, including Tina Gellie from Decanter Magazine, Leona di Pasquale from Camellia and Vine and Benjamin Ferra Y Castell from Pavyllon restaurant along with Thibaut Le Mailloux from Champagne Gosset and Will Oatley from Louis Latour Agencies

Now in its ninth year, Gosset Matchmakers continues to celebrate harmonising fine wines with food along with this collaboration between chefs and sommeliers.

Photo Credits John Scott Blackwell

Gosset Matchmakers extends their thanks to everyone who entered this year’s competition including the four runners up.
– Chef Steven Howell and Sommelier Jordan Ingram from Frog by Adam Handling Restaurant, London
– Chef Joseph Hendry-Burgess and Sommelier Erin Donnelly from Heron in Edinburgh
– Chef Anurag Singh and Sommelier Henna Zinzuwadia from Pahli Hill in London
– Chef Robert Veitch and Sommelier Davide Santeramo from The Ritz London

At Champagne Gosset, we are thrilled to support 100 Top Sommeliers, an initiative by The Sommelier Edit to honour the UK’s finest sommeliers. This month, we had the pleasure of attending the awards presentation, where we celebrated with and recognised these outstanding professionals.

In line with our commitment to highlighting emerging talent through the Gosset Matchmakers competition, we proudly supported the judges’ special category “Top Five Ones to Watch.” It was exciting to see familiar faces like Vanessa Stoltz and Jiachen Lu, both former Gosset Matchmakers winner, selected with Jaewong Jeong, Felix Law, and Dion Wai.

Additionally, several others associated with Gosset Matchmakers also received accolades. Elisa Marchini and Matthew Davison, both winners, and finalists Matilda Tsappis and Nikolaos Emner were also recognised.

If you are interested in participating or nominating a team member for this year’s Gosset Matchmakers, there’s still time. Teams consist of one sommelier and one chef, each with five years or fewer of professional experience. This year, the challenge it to create an innovative pairing featuring Gosset Petite Douceur Rosé.

For more information and to register, visit our website. Once registered, you’ll receive joining details and instructions on submitting your final entry by the end of June.

Cheers to celebrating and nurturing the next generation of top sommeliers!

All images supplied by The Sommelier Edit. www.sommelieredit.com

Entries are still open for this year’s Gosset Matchmakers Competition. We asked judge Matthieu Longuere MS and last year’s winning sommelier Jiachen Lu (now head sommelier at Cord by Le Cordon Bleu) for some tips on pairing this year’s focus wine with food.

Gosset Petite Douceur Rosé is a versatile, off-dry Champagne that combines aromas of blood orange, ripe strawberries, and raspberry with its luscious yet fresh palate. It is the perfect choice for a wide range of savoury and sweet ingredients and a Gosset Matchmakers selection that we hope will encourage creativity and experimentation.

Gosset Matchmakers Highlights Petite Douceur Rosé

Petite Douceur Rosé is a long-aged, non-vintage wine, made in an off dry style. The dosage is slightly elevated to 17 grams per litre, complimented by Gosset’s characteristic natural acidity. To help you navigate this year’s challenge, we sought insights from judge Matthieu Longuere MS and last year’s Gosset Matchmakers champion sommelier, Jiachen Lu.

Matthieu Longuere MS, Wine Development Manager, Le Cordon Bleu London

Matthieu advises that Petite Douceur Rosé’s natural acidity will make the mouth water, effectively cutting through fat and protein while balancing the perception of salt. The extra dosage coats the palate and creates a film that softens the heat of spices and prevents sweetness clashing with the wine’s acidity. Finally, he noted that 11 years lees ageing brings forward Umami, making it a great partner to ingredients such as mushrooms, soy sauce, salt-cured fish and meat, raw fish and cheeses.

Based on these observations Matthieu suggests that he would serve Petite Douceur Rosé with dishes such as Thai green curry, duck à l’ orange and cold poached lobster and in more casual settings with dishes such as pulled pork, antipasti, and fresh fruits.

Jiachen Lu, Head Sommelier, Cord by Le Cordon Bleu*

Jiachen shared her experience serving Petite Douceur Rosé at a dinner party, where it was a hit despite initial apprehensions about its slightly sweeter style. She praised the champagne’s balance of citrus and ripe summer berries, lively acidity, touch of sweetness, and persistent fresh finish.

The evening began with watermelon, tomato, and feta salad, with a touch of dill. Jiachen said “the natural sweetness of the champagne and salad match beautifully, bringing out the juiciness of the wine to balance with the salty, briny notes of the Feta.”

The main course was a steak tartare with homemade potato chips. “The still Pinot Noir in the base wine and long ageing have given the wine sufficient intensity to deal with raw steak, and the natural acidity cuts through richness of the egg yolk and potato chips,” said Jiachen and when on to say. “Petite Douceur’s elevated dosage also helps with this dish because it can soothe the palates of people who are sensitive to spicy seasonings such as Dijon mustard and Tabasco sauce.

Entries now open

Entries for Gosset Matchmakers 2024 are now open and you have until the end of June to submit your final entry. To get started please register on our website and we will be in touch with full details on how to enter.

Gosset Petite Douceur Rosé

• Chardonnay 60%, Pinot Noir 40% (33% white and 7% vinified red)
• 2010 vintage base wine
• 11 years minimum ageing, a further 6 months after disgorgement to allow dosage to assimilate.
• From the villages of Ambonnay, Avize, Bouzy, Cumières, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger…
• Dosage 17 g/l

Le Cordon Bleu London’s Cord Restaurant on Fleet Street was where the action took place on the 18th of September 2023, with chef and sommelier pair, Gail Ge’er Li & Jiachen Lu from Dinings SW3, winning the title.

They were competing against some formidable teams in Killekrankie House Hotel, Perthshire, L’Enclume in Cumbria, Rebel Restaurant in Newcastle, and London-based Fallow & Ham Yard Hotel.

Stealing the show however, was Dining’s beautiful Turbot and Scallop Puff designed to harmonise with Gosset Grande Rosé.

The finalists were also tasked with crafting a dish using a box of undisclosed ingredients, featuring Cassava, a root vegetable known for its mild nuttiness and sweetness that can be used in the same way as potato. The teams had only limited time to conceive and execute a dish that would harmonise with Gosset Millésime 2015. The winning team transformed the cassava into noodles with a fresh vegetable salad and champagne broth.

The judges marvelled at the variety of dishes presented, with no two teams presented it in the same way. Killiekrankie served a risotto of cassava and potato, brown butter with lemon and thyme, pickled apple & champagne sabayon with crispy yukka trim. L’Enclume created cassava fritter with labneh and apple & radish salad picked in Grand Millesime 2015. Rebel made cassava gnocchi, toasted bread sauce, smoked apple and parsley oil. Ham Yard Hotel & Fallow offered up boulangère of cassava, champagne beurre blanc, rosemary smoked hung yoghurt, champagne pickled apple.

Judges’ feedback

Melody Wong, the Director of Wine at the newly opened The Peninsula Hotel, London and Chair of the judging panel noted how hard it was to pick a winner as all the finalists showed remarkable culinary skills, inventiveness, and teamwork. She was accompanied by experts in the field including Luciana Berry, (a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and a winner of Top Chef Brazil winner), Ian Churchill (writer & restaurant consultant), Bertrand Verduzier, (Global Business Director at Champagne Gosset) and Will Oatley, (Managing Director of Louis Latour Agencies).

Bertrand Verduzier from Champagne Gosset commented, “Gosset Champagnes are exquisite wines, enriched with effervescence, making them ideal partners for great cuisine. All teams showed a great knowledge of this fact, and the winners truly demonstrated impressive thoughtfulness and creativity which elevated both the Champagne and the dish they served.”

Now in its eighth year, Gosset Matchmakers continues to celebrate harmonising fine wines with food along with this collaboration between chefs and sommeliers.

The two winners of Gosset Matchmakers 2023 join the distinguished ranks of the Matchmakers alumni. They are also awarded a magnum each of Gosset Champagne and a three-day trip to Gosset’s headquarters in Epernay. The visit will feature a full tour of the cellars and vineyards, as well as an exclusive blending session by Chef de Caves, Odilon de Varine himself.

Champagne Gosset Matchmakers competition, now in its eighth year, is set to showcase the culinary and oenological prowess of the finalists as they vie for the coveted title of Gosset Matchmaker 2023.

The live final event will take place on Monday September 18^th at Cord by Le Cordon Bleu, where five talented chef and sommelier teams will go head-to-head, creating gastronomic masterpieces that pair in perfect harmony with Gosset Grande Rosé, this year’s featured champagne.

The competition not only underscores the significance of wine and food pairing but also highlights the essential collaboration between sommeliers and chefs in creating unforgettable dining experiences. The finalists, carefully selected through a rigorous competition, all have less than five years of experience as a chef or sommelier, ensuring every team will have an equal chance to win.  

The shortlist for Gosset Matchmaker 2023 is truly impressive, with an equitable mix of five talented male and female participants, not only from London but regions beyond. The line-up also shows a commitment to culinary sustainability with three environmentally conscious restaurants – Rebel, Fallow and L’Enclume, the latter of which proudly bears a Michelin Green Star. 

Matthieu Longuere MS, Wine Director at Le Cordon Bleu London, will be leading an esteemed panel of judges on the day, including Melody Wong, Director of Wine at The Peninsula London; Luciana Berry, Top Chef Brazil winner and a Le Cordon Bleu alumna; Bertrand Verduzier, Global Business Director at Champagne Gosset; and Will Oatley, Managing Director of Louis Latour Agencies. These experts will evaluate the chef’s dishes and wine pairings, considering innovation, teamwork, and their ability to think on their feet.

On top of creating their signature dish with the accompaniment of Gosset Grande Rosé, the finalists must also prepare an impromptu dish with a mystery ingredient, paired with a surprise Gosset Cuvée. This spontaneous challenge aims to highlight their skill in crafting flavours on the fly.

The prize awaiting the winning team is an exclusive, all-expenses-paid trip to Gosset’s cellars in France and the title of Gosset Matchmaker 2023! At the winery, they will join Cellar Master team, Odilon de Varine and Gabrielle Malagu in sampling and blending wines.

-Ends-

Notes for editors:

Past Gosset Matchmaker winners include:

2022: Sommelier Sotir Semini and Chef Julien Deschamps for Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

2021: Sommelier Matthew Davison and Chef Adam Eyre for Fischers Baslow Hall

2020: Sommelier Joshua Castle and Chef Myles Donaldson for Noble Rot

2019: Sommelier Oskars Mickans and Chef Piero Italiano for Heritage 

2018: Sommelier Vanessa Majella Stoltz and Chef Ian Waller for Forest Side

2017: Sommelier Raphael Laurent Chef Ambra Papa for Petersham Nurseries 

2016: Sommelier Elisa Marchini and Chef Riccardo Pozzobon for The Lanesborough

Social media tags: #gossetmatchmakers @louislatouruk @champagnegossetofficiel @lecordonbleulondon @sommelieredit

Gosset Matchmakers is organised by Louis Latour Agencies (Champagne Gosset’s UK agent) in conjunction with Sommelier Edit and Le Cordon Bleu London.

If you wish to attend the final, please let us know.  We have a limited number of places available.

For further press and media information please contact Annie or Kate at Limm Communications T: 01635 202528 M: 07747 617690 E: info@limmpr.com