About 80 residents savoured eight Gallic cheeses provided by La Fromagerie master fromager Gilles Mereau, of Auckland, which were paired with red and white wines from the in-house cellar.
Chef and caterer Victor Bronner made finger-food, such as cheese twists, pates and salmon and anchovy toast.
Hand-made tarts and chocolates, by chocolatier Gary Kneip and pastry chef Christophe Rogazy, tantalised taste buds.
Restaurant manager and sommelier Josselin de Gesincourt provided the wine expertise while accordionist Colin McNigel, from the Arrow Miners Band, provided the melodies.
"Gilles was doing a road trip around the South Island visiting the stores he sells cheeses to, so we decided to coincide his visit with a launch party," Les Alpes marketing manager Serena Mars said.
"We wanted a soft opening to start with, as it's a new business, but after three weeks we have a really good staff and we were confident we could handle the party."
Co-owners Anne-Marie and Serge Guilhaumou employ about 20 staff and three-quarters are French nationals.
Mrs Guilhaumou said she was enjoying being the hostess for evening diners and exchanging travellers' tales with residents and visitors after her 33 years of globe-trotting.
"We're very happy, very excited because it's working so well. We're happy to be in Queenstown."
Mrs Guilhaumou and Miss Mars said they had been approached by Wakatipu hotels and cafes to supply breads and pastries and they were keen to expand the catering side of the business.
The menu would change seasonally and the summer selection would be unveiled in October or November.
