The plate contained what could be considered appetizers. Well, not so much like bite-size hors d’oeuvres, but more like street food—squid balls and siu mai, as well as barbecued pork spare ribs, tenderloin salpicao, with adobo rice.
It was unusual because we were going to pair them with wines. The host of this event, Alex Dale, had done it previously with his South African wines.
Dale, founder and managing director of the Winery of Good Hope, wanted to emphasize how his products can be paired with practically any Filipino food. The event’s venue, Planet Grapes at Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, was appropriate because it’s a place to enjoy “wine without the drama.”
Dale is English, educated in Oxford and also studied French literature at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. He grew up in a family of wine merchants; in France he worked in Burgundy vineyards and then went to South Africa where he saw a promising wine industry.
There he put up his company with the help of friends who were as passionate and knowledgeable about wines.
He said that the site of his winery, Stellenbosch near Cape Town in South Africa, has the same climate as the French wine regions of Rhone Valley and Languedoc. His wine labels include Land of Hope, Vinnum Africa, and The Winery of Good Hope.
Delightful match
The very first bottle Dale considers South Africa’s revival of a variety of the place is the chenin blanc (2012 Radford Dale Renaissance). Light, citrusy and with a bit of mineral taste, this went well with the squid balls and siu mai.
The next wine made us smile because it said, “unoaked chardonnay” (2013 The Winery of Good Hope). For a long while, wine drinkers suffered from chardonnay’s smell from the oak barrel it was stored in, such as those produced in California. We had it with most of the food, but was best with barbecued pork spare ribs.
The pinotage (2013 The Winery of Good Hope Bush Vine), was a delightful match for the tenderloin salpicao and adobo rice. Dale said it’s grown in an old bushvine in Stellenbosch; one could sense his pride of reviving this South African grape variety.
Asked if it could go as well with braii, or South African barbecue, he said yes.
We were surprised that it is also recommended for salmon, which is difficult to pair with wine. A wrong choice will mean a metallic aftertaste, not pleasant at all.
The last two wines—the 2012 The Winery of Good Hope Mountainside Shiraz and 2012 Vinum Cabernet Sauvignon —were both reds and would have been good with the salpicao and pork ribs. But we opted to enjoy them without food, smelling their aroma and imbibing the bold flavors. These were perfect winding-down drinks.
Planet Grapes River Park branches in Alabang (tel. 8319438, 8319439) and Shangri-La Plaza (tel. 5318207, 5322950) have Christmas celebration packages—from free wines with every party reservation to pre-loaded wine cards (P1,000 discounted) for their wine dispensing machines.
22 Prime’s holiday menu
Discovery Suite’s 22 Prime offers its holiday menu from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1: Lunch and dinner include a sumptuous foie gras terrine, pumpkin bisque, USDA Angus prime rib eye and dessert.
There is a dessert buffet available only on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve—a table of chocolate concoctions including mousse, pralines, crème brûlée, cakes, fudge brownies, both dark and white.
Have some cocktails created by guest mixologist Enzo Lim such as the Breakfizz of Champions, which has breakfast regular items of orange juice, egg and bacon.
22 Prime is at Discovery Suites Ortigas, 25 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City; tel. 7198888