A sparkling mind
Amanda Wassmer-Bulgin’s official title at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is Wine Director. But the wife of Sven Wassmer, whose restaurant Memories has been adorned with three Michelin stars since autumn 2022, isn’t only a force to be reckoned with when it comes to wine.
Her alcohol-free pairings are just as memorable. The renowned blog finedininglovers.com even named Memories as one of the 12 best locations in this sector worldwide, alongside restaurants such as Frantzén in Stockholm and Central in Lima. Particularly popular among the alcohol-free accompaniments are drinks with kombucha. This fermented black-tea-based beverage boasts a multi-faceted flavour profile. ‘Kombucha has a delicate acidity that goes well with many flavours from the world of fine dining,’ says Amanda Wassmer-Bulgin, who uses a very broad range of products for the drink’s second fermentation.
‘You can add nuances of everything from strawberry to Swiss pine. In this way, kombucha becomes a real experience for our guests.’ At the same time, the world of wine also remains incredibly important for British-born Wassmer-Bulgin. She, her husband Sven Wassmer and restaurant manager and sommelier Sebastian Stichter make an excellent team: ‘Whereas he transfers an increasing number of ingredients from the treasure trove that is the Alps to his meticulously refined dishes, her wine accompaniment creates pairings that give the whole thing an extra dimension,’ it says in the justification for her selection as Wine Personality of the Year 2022 in the specialist magazine Vinum.
Words Alex kühn
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