CHAMPAGNE SYMPHONY

Your next glass of 2008 Krug champagne should be served with the beautiful musical notes of RYUICHI SAKAMOTO. Here's "Suite for Krug in 2008".

- LORRIA SAHMET

This is not about your usual champagne pairing. No 10-course menu of seasonal ingredients. No sommelier's recommendations table-side. Well, it could be, and it would be an excellent addition to your evening. But not when speaking of three Krug vintage champagnes from 2008.

To clarify, it's not to say that Krug shies away from traditional gastronomic pairings - the revered French house has its yearly Krug x Single Ingredient edition. Rather, it's a testimony to an overarching philosophy the maison has subscribed to since its founding in 1842: each plot of vines across the rolling landscape of Reims is worth celebrating on its own - and in its own way.

And these 2008 labels - Krug Clos du Mesnil 2008, Krug 2008, and Krug Grande Cuvée 164éme Édition - were destined to be paired with music.

Krug has always been about music. Perhaps it's become more apparent with Olivier Krug, the house's sixth-generation representative, but has always existed within Krug's extended discourse: plots of vines are referred to as "performers"; grapes, "instruments"; and the champagne itself, a melodious piece of "music".

As for Krug's Cellar Master, Julie Cavil, who's the "conductor", her discerning role entails choosing, comparing and cherry-picking "auditioning"- the best of every season for a "masterpiece", also known as the Krug Grande Cuvée.