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Published on January 27, 2008

The couple met 10 years ago while studying oenology at Geisenheim, the only school in Germany to award advanced degrees in winemaking. Philipp was from Rheinhessen and Eva from Mosel, a mere 150 kilometres by road, but a world apart in taste and temperament.

Philipp, like his family's Rieslings, is bold and expansive. Eva is more reserved, the flesh-and-blood embodiment of the slate soil that gives her family's Rieslings their refreshing, fruity palate and mineral finish.

With 55 men and just five women in their class, it took some time for Eva and Philipp to become a couple. And with their family-owned vineyards requiring full-time attention, it took them even longer to marry.

They finally wed last August, just before harvest and winemaking duties forced six weeks of separation to tend to their respective Wittmann and Ansgar Cluesserath labels.

They chose to celebrate their honeymoon this January, when their estates - both founded in the 1600s - would be closed for the frigid German winter.

Ten days ago, they flew to the Silva Evason Hideaway in Koh Samui where Fin (fabulous is needed) wine importers and event organisers Jan Ganser and Benjawan Wisootsat celebrated Eva and Philipp's nuptials and their wines with a dinner overlooking the rocky Samui shoreline.

Jan and Benjawan are meticulous planners, and they spent hours before the dinner with resort manager Andreas Kraemer, executive chef Thomas Jakobi and chef de cuisine Ryan Dadufalza matching Jakobi's seven-course creation with seven of Eva and Philipp's wines. They huddled with saxophonist Norman King, choosing a song for each course, which followed a natural progression: mingling, flirting, and falling in love … to the wedding and honeymoon.

Guests flew in from Europe, the US and around Asia to sample Jakobi's creations and the Wittmann and Ansgar Cluesserath boutique wines, just a few of which are available at leading hotels and resorts in Thailand.

Here were matches made in heaven. As strains of "Isn't She Lovely" wafted through the evening sky, waiters delivered appetisers of warm scallops nestled in "almond soil" with accompanying dollops of pumpkin smoothie, coriander-apple sorbet and watermelon foam. Hot-cold, solid-soft. Opposites, like Eva and Philipp, that attract.

The scallops were paired with a Wittmann 2004 Gutswein Scheurebe QbA Trocken, Philipp's answer to a Sauvignon Blanc, a fruity aromatic wine that complimented both the sorbet's sweetness and the scallops' subtle sea-like meatiness.

To celebrate Eva and Philipp's falling in love, Jakobi expanded on the opposites-attract theme by serving a delicate turbot and confit of Bresse chicken heightened with mole. To the side were dollops of avocado puree and mango-papaya chutney. Eva's fresh, fruity, mineral-toned 2006 Piesporter Göld Riesling Spät matched perfectly with the dish's spicy and sweet elements. In the background, King played "When I Fall in Love".

The couple discussed how the best Rieslings can age, just like a red, and how their families each have Rieslings dating back to the 1920s. "Their personalities change, but they retain their freshness," said Philipp, who began employing organic cultivation in 1990 and today practices biodynamic viticulture.

To demonstrate how well Whittmann's Rieslings age, Jan and Benjawan dug into their personal collection and served a Wittmann 2002 Westhofener Riesling "S" Qba Trocken, which they brought to Thailand four years ago. The medium-bodied wine still had the balance of fruit flavours, acidity and intensity that won it a Wine Spectator rating of 91 when it was released.

Jakobi paired the wine with slices of duck breast, prawns the size of small whales, caramelised chicory and chilled chicory, potato blini and a splash of yellow curry. The mildly spicy dish was a perfect foil for the wine. As guests savoured the moment, King played "I Will Always Love You".

The evening's sole red was a pinot noir, a Wittmann 2005 Spät Rotwein Trocken "S", that was rich and full, tasting of berries and traces, Philipp says, of the Reinhessen's limestone soil. It was paired with two very different cuts and preparations of beef - braised wagyu cheeks and broiled tenderloin with truffle jus - with the different tastes and textures providing a satisfying culinary interplay.

The evening ended with fireworks, the launching of a Loy Kratong lantern and a traditional kiss over tiers of tiny German wedding cakes. Guests bid Philipp and Eva good night and left them to enjoy the moon, stars and roiling sea as it crashed upon the rocks of Samui.

Hal Lipper,  

Special to The Nation