Login here! 
Written by Well-known in South African and international wine circles Germain Lehodey is delighted with his new position as sommelier at the award-winning Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient.
Lehodey, recipient of a number of industry awards, is a self-confessed food and wine lover who has been involved in the business for most of his life.
He has worked at top establishments around the country and sets course papers for the Cape Wine Academy. He also regularly organises “ingredient” tastings for anything from salt to bottled water so that people can expand their food knowledge.
His arrival at Mosaic at the Orient has given him a platform, he says, where he will be able to bring out the best when it comes to the pairing of food and wine.
Mosaic, in the picturesque Crocodile River Valley in Elandsfontein, has one of the most comprehensive wine cellars in South Africa with 28 000 bottles under 1 300 different labels from South Africa and around the globe. The selection of brandies like Armagnac and Calvados are unmatched. It also hosts regular wine evenings.
Asked what it takes to be a good sommelier, Lehodey says a person needs to have extensive knowledge of all alcoholic beverages served in the restaurant. “Secondly, you need to know how to pair food and wine in a way that brings out the value of the ingredients for a dish created by the chef.”
His career was moulded thanks to his parents. His father was a Calvados maker in Normandy, France, and from an early age he became steeped in the traditions of brandy and wine making.
The famous Gosset family, who were involved in the Champagne business, grew very close to Lehodey during his first years as sommelier. “At one of my first jobs in Paris I met a Mr Prieur, from Burgundy, who encouraged me to study wines. Both families helped change my life forever.”
Talking about the rules that exist between food and wine, he believed that the wine “should be considered as the second sauce of the dish and harmony should exist between the two.” He adds that no one ingredient should dominate the balance of flavour with the food and wine. “Everything must be in balance,” he explains.
A highlight of his distinguished career, he says, occurred in 1984 at the old restaurant at Spier when a guinea fowl stew was served with a Spier Pinotage 1974. “It was one of the best pinotages ever produced and it still lingers in my memory. A great gastronomic experience that will last forever.”
The best bottle of wine he has tasted, he recalls, was a Romanee Conti 1929 which he tasted in 1978 at Tour D Argent restaurant in Paris where he worked as a sommelier. The oldest drink is Clos du Greffier Cognac 1788 and a Jeroboam (6 litres) of Musigny (red Burgundy) 1961, which he consumed in 1980.
He applauds the progress made on the wine producing front in South Africa over the past 20 years.
His career has been punctuated with highlights, having worked in some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants. “I could write a book on the subject as I worked for five years at Tour D Argent Restaurant in Paris where world famous people dined daily.”
A favourite story involves the great is Salvador Dali who used to come to the restaurant every Sunday during his stay in Paris. “He was a great man outside of the world of painting.”
In South Africa great moments were meeting former President Nelson Mandela and movie star Leonardo Di Caprio who visited the restaurant at which he worked at the time.
His goal, he says, is to serve the best possible meal and wine for people who appreciate one’s efforts and to help create a memorable experience for them.
“I am delighted when my guests leave the restaurant happy and wanting to return.”
Mosaic’s cellar has won numerous awards. Mosaic triumphed at the Top 100 SA Wine List Awards for 2013 where it received the award for Best Wine List in South Africa. It also received the Best Value Award in the inspirational category. It was awarded the 2012 Diners Club International Diamond Wine List Award for the second year thanks to its world class cellar.
For the sixth consecutive year it was also honoured at the 2013 American Express Platinum Fine Dining Awards which recognise the country’s finest restaurants. Mosaic was the winner of the Best Long Wine List in Gauteng, Freestate and the Northern Provinces at South Africa’s Wine List Awards 2012, the country’s first independent wine list awards. It was also awarded the prestigious three flutes, the highest ranking given by the judges.
Cellar master Cobus du Plessis was inducted into the L’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne at a gala function held in Johannesburg in March and attended by Clovis Taittinger. It is the first induction of South African members into this champagne elite
