• The culinary experience explores the art of temperature to showcase the latest innovation in modern refrigeration: wine climate cabinets with automatic tempering programs

• As part of the Gaggenau Vario cooling Expressive series, this first-of-its-kind development redefines wine serving and storage for the home

• Attending guests were among the first to see Gaggenau’s newest suite of kitchen cooling appliances in Canada
  

MONTRÉAL, QC, September 24, 2026 – To mark the launch of its new Vario cooling Expressive series in Canada, Gaggenau, the luxury brand for professional-grade home appliances, invited culinary studio Menu Extra to create a bespoke experience at the Montréal Biodôme, exploring temperature’s power to preserve, transform and reveal.

At the launch event on September 21, Gaggenau featured its most advanced cooling innovation to date: wine climate cabinets with automatic tempering programs. As part of the Vario cooling Expressive series, this first-of-its-kind development redefines wine serving and storage for the home.

Set within one of Montréal’s most distinctive architectural landmarks, the evening brought together gastronomy, wine, scenography and hospitality around a shared pursuit of precision. Crafted for an audience of architects, designers and culinary experts and professionals, the experience reflected Gaggenau’s longstanding relationship with professional kitchens and its Professional Kitchen Principle, where every innovation serves a purpose, every detail supports the chef, and exceptional results are achieved with precision and ease. From the precise temperature of each bottle to the preparation and service of each dish, temperature became both a technical consideration and a creative medium.

Wine as ritual

The experience unfolded as a ceremony celebrating the ritual of collecting, serving and sharing wine. Each bottle was stored, presented and served according to its individual character, demonstrating how subtle variations in temperature can alter aroma, texture and perception. The wine program, developed by sommelier Alexandre Perron alongside Menu Extra co-founder and Beverage Director Alexis Demers, approached service with the precision normally associated with the professional cellar.

Each pairing was served at a carefully considered temperature, moving throughout the evening from the freshness and tension of Champagne at 6°C to the expression of Pinot Noir at 14°C. Bottles appeared through a sequence of deliberate gestures, turning opening, pouring and sharing into a choreography of its own. In this context, temperature was not simply a number. It became an instrument through which wine could be experienced at its fullest expression.

The Vario cooling Expressive series

At the heart of the experience was Gaggenau’s Vario cooling Expressive series, bringing the precision and ritual of professional wine preservation into the home. Developed by Gaggenau’s design and engineering teams, the new wine climate cabinets introduce a proprietary tempering system that brings each bottle to its ideal serving temperature – automatically and predictably.

Temperature, humidity, light and storage conditions influence how a bottle develops over time and how it ultimately reveals itself when served. This innovation eliminates the guesswork and manual steps usually associated with wine service.

A distinctive feature of Gaggenau’s Vario cooling Expressive series wine climate cabinets is automatic tempering, transforming preservation into precision preparation. Using dedicated sensors, each bottle is brought to its ideal serving temperature, extending the precision of the professional cellar into the home and ensuring every wine can be enjoyed at its fullest expression.

The Gaggenau Vario cooling Expressive series is available now in Canada.

For more information about Gaggenau and the new Vario cooling Expressive series, please visit the website.

 

About Gaggenau

Gaggenau is a manufacturer of high-quality home appliances and is acknowledged as an innovation leader in design and technology “Made in Germany”. The company, with a history dating back to 1683, has revolutionised the domestic kitchen with its internationally acclaimed products. Gaggenau’s success is founded on technological innovation and a clear design language combined with high functionality. Gaggenau has been a subsidiary of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH in Munich since 1995 and is currently represented in more than 50 countries with over 60 flagships and showrooms in major cities around the world.

The difference is Gaggenau

 

About Menu Extra

Menu Extra is a Montréal based culinary studio that leverages gastronomy to craft meaningful experiences. We believe in seasonal cuisine crafted from locally sourced ingredients prepared with impeccable technique. Driven by a pluridisciplinary team, our holistic approach blends expertise and creativity to design ephemeral experiences that leave a lasting impression.

 

Credits

Bespoke Culinary Experience: Menu Extra

Client: Gaggenau

Culinary Direction: Francis Blais, Co-Founder and Culinary Director, Menu Extra

Beverage Program Direction: Alexandre Perron and Alexis Demers, Co-Founder and Sommelier, Menu Extra

Creative Direction: Samuel de La Courtemanche, Creative Director, Menu Extra

Production: Amanda Prow, Creative Producer, Menu Extra

Scenography: Menu Extra

Custom buildouts: Shopdogs Inc.

Graphic Design: Clémentine Lemière, Menu Extra