The Hotel Guru goes Krug camping

What’s the connection between champagne, Mexican food and Mongolian yurts? None whatsoever you might think, but believe me, when conjured by the makers of Krug, this bizarre brew makes a pretty magical combination.

 

All will be revealed. The bare facts are these: we are camping in yurts, we are eating a Mexican feast and we are drinking Krug on tap: the Grande Cuvée, the Rosé and, pièce de la résistance, the statement 1996 Vintage.

 

The camping bit is being carried out in extreme boho-style luxury, though devotees of Krug would, I suspect, be content to sleep on nothing more than a mattress under the stars in this particular campsite. It is Krug’s own vineyard, Clos de Mesnil, perhaps the finest of only 16 walled vineyards in Champagne, sheltered not only by its protective walls but also by the surrounding houses of the village of Mesnil xxxx. The grapes from this sunny, sloping plot of gold, with views from the top across gentle hills patched with dark green woods and bright green vineyards, help to make the exquisite blend for which Krug is renowned and also, in certain top quality years, a champagne in its own right, Krug Clos de Mesnil. Here too, in the Krug maison, is one of its presses, plus high tech wine room and hundreds of handmade oak casks in which the grapes are brought vibrantly to life. Go camping at Krug and an expert from the House will guide you round, and explain all.

 

Forget hotels, stuffy or not. This is a wonderfully different way of spending time with friends or colleagues; expensive, yes, but truly one-off. At various times of the year, eight traditional yurts and one onion-domed, Persian-carpeted Grand Pavilion, all handmade by family run tent company LPM Bohemia, will spring up at Clos de Mesnil and other locations around Europe. Each large and airy circular tent contains a blissfully comfortable double bed dressed in Irish cotton and canopied in muslin, plus antique furniture and mirrors, fresh flowers and scented candles. Lighting, inside and out, is courtesy of bespoke lantern maker, Jig Cochrane.

 

By nightfall, the mood is set, the light from the lanterns piercing the gathering dark. Thomasina Miers, the celebrated chef and owner of Wahaca in Soho, produces dish after refreshing dish of the Mexican food for which she is renowned, and we all help to barbecue the most tender of beef bought by her that day from the butcher in Reims. The connection between champagne and Mexican food becomes clear: champagne, declares Tommi, is the perfect companion for her dishes, the only wine that can take the chilli. And where do the yurts come in? “Just a bit of fun”, says Charlie Mount, from Krug.“Why not?” Why not indeed?

 

Dinner over, singer songwriter  Tallulah Rendall, barefoot and full of charm, woos us with her gently swooping voice and delicate guitar playing. The champagne flows into the night, accompanied by Tommi’s wicked chocolate truffles, laced with chilli. The lanterns guide us to our tents. Champagne, Mexican food and Mongolian yurts: bizarre indeed, but also memorable.