puiforcat_logo
The Sommelier Collection
Laying the groundwork for a new art of living

Collection by collection, luxury French Maison Puiforcat lays the groundwork for a new art of living – an Art of taste, de ned by the harmonious conjunction of today’s usages with a rich silversmithing tradition.

Every consideration revolves around the table, a focal point of contemporary culture and a leitmotiv of the house’s history. Whether with cutlery, champagne and cognac beakers, or coffee, tea, and pas- try sets, Puiforcat’s expert instruments reinvent gastronomy at every step, from preparation to setting and on to the time of tasting. The house now spotlights a fertile territory for its Art of taste with the Sommelier collection, entirely dedi- cated to the sublimation of wine.

PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER

Collaboration by collaboration, Puiforcat reasserts its commitment to avant-garde design. After designers Patrick Jouin, Gabriele Pezzini and Aldo Bakker, as well as chefs Pierre Gagnaire and Pierre Hermé, the silversmith once again gathered a distinguished circle of experts. The 2004 World’s Best Sommelier, Lombard Enrico Bernardo is also the owner of Parisian restaurant IL VINO, a Michelin-starred establishment; while Michael Anastassiades, a London-based designer born in Cyprus, has created a body of minimalist works that have entered the MoMA’s and Victoria & Albert Museum’s collections, among others. Under the silversmith’s guidance, a perfect symbiosis ourished between the scholar of wine and the master of metal and light.

From a serving bottle to a large wine bucket, through carafe and, of course, one glass for each type of wine and also for champagne and water, Puiforcat Sommelier refines and redefines the experience of tasting, for both the host and his discerning guest.

PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER

The Collection and its Story

glass – the flow instead becomes horizontal, transporting the wine towards other regions of the mouth. Unexpected sensations arise. Round, supple characteristics come to the fore. The base is shaped conically, to concentrate the wine and slow down the natural oxidation process. The companion liqueur glass is tulip-shaped to pre- vent the ethers from evaporating. And dessert wines are served in a narrow glass, a true bubble of sweetness. Elsewhere on the table, every need is met in advance. Apart from the glasses and carafe, every object is silver-plated: the champagne buckets, the coaster… The mirror-polished extends to the inside of the wine tray, to better highlight the reflections of the bottle. Lastly, as water is not sensitive to oxidation, the dedicated beaker dresses up in silver-plated metal.

The Sommelier collection provides a set of inventive instruments to galvanize the senses. Free from conventions, they generate original usages.

PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER
PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER
PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER

New Equilibrium

The Sommelier collection elevates and rejuvenates the ceremony of wine tasting. A new equilibrium is born, that partakes both of tradition and change. The quest for balance, a gustative Grail, informs every aspect of the collection.

Held in hand, the crystallite glasses’ feathery lightness opposes the comforting weight of their metallic stands; we are taking off for an impromptu trip, yet remain connected to our roots. Between discovery and history, the scales do not tip.

On the table, anchored to their stand, the glasses are perfectly stable. Laid down outside the stand, they sway softly for a few seconds before finding a new balance. A short interlude given over to the contemplation of the wine and the swinging nuances of it robe.

Wherever the glasses are put down, they cast a subtle pattern of geometric reflections that brings new life and structure to the entire table setting. The relationship between light and matter is meticulously staged by Michael Anastassiades. It too is an affair of poise – minimalism in conversation with sophistication.

To top it all off, Enrico Bernardo has taken the utmost care to engineer within each glass the optimal balance of flavors, beautifully matching the harmony of the noblest vintages. Conversely, the slight faults of certain bottles are tactfully concealed, in accordance with the current evolution of taste.

Leading the circle of experts, Puiforcat weaves together the elegance of its historic signature and its commitment to functionality, a hallmark of XXIst century design. With its Sommelier collection, the silversmith strikes the perfect balance between permanence and renewal.

PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER
PUIFORCAT SOMMELIER

A Look Inside the Atelier


EXPLORE DEEPER