If Virginie were a wine, the tasting notes would describe her as “a young, vibrant and adventurous French appellation with a refreshing sparkle and amazing legs.” She extols the virtues of the Oxford Malmaison customers who, she says, are willing to try different wines to complement their food. Although she’s French (with a wonderful accent to match), she says that the British are far more likely to experiment. In fact, her decision to move from France to study in London and Scotland was motivated by a passion to learn about a greater range of fine wines than the French experts were willing to recommend, as well as by the opportunity to expand her expertise to fortified wines such as port and sherry (which the French don’t drink as much).

She now has the largest wine list of all the Malmaisons, with over 400 bin numbers to choose from. In case this intimidates you, there are informative tasting notes on the wine list and Virginie is on hand to recommend the perfect accompaniment to your choice of food to meet your budget and palette. Virginie is extremely knowledgeable about the exact locations of her vineyard sources, so if you want a wine from a particular region where you have bought property or that you have visited on holiday then Virginie can recommend something special for you.

Virginie speaks with passion and excitement about her role at Malmaison, which she describes as “selling pleasure”. She enjoys getting to know what the customers really want and suggesting interesting wines to accompany their choice of dish. She says the customer is always right because they know what they like, so her job is to understand their palette and recommend the perfect all-round dining experience.

She loves the family atmosphere in the Malmaison team and especially enjoys working with head chef Russell Heeley, who is also keen to experiment with different combinations of tastes. As Virginie was educating me on the correct way to taste wine (I had to have several attempts to get it right and unfortunately she forgot the spitoon…), Russell came and joined us, and the pair started to discuss wine and food combinations. Their passion and enthusiasm for their jobs was obvious as they shared ideas for ways to delight the Malmaison diners.