The Wine Flights Premium

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu wine lovers were recently treated to a Wine Flights Premium, a combination of fine wines from the Greg Norman Wine Estate (distributed exclusively by Bibendum Wines) with luscious chocolates produced by the Rafle Gourmet (distributed by The Chocolate Chamber) and lovely hors d'oeuvres from the regal kitchens of Marco Polo Cebu. It was held at the Marco Cebu Plaza lobby lounge and the Blu Bar and Grill.

Sample of the Greg Norman Red Wines Pairing Special are as follows:

1.GN Estates Malbec, Mendoza Argentina 2012 with ganache chocolate and Seared Tuna with Lemon & Garlic Aioli and Beetroot Salt;

2.GN Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles, California 2011 with caramel truffle and Fish and Tobiko Caviar on Toast with Egg Parfait;

3.GN Limestone Coast Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia 2010 with double truffle with oil and Baked Oysters Kilpatrick with Crispy Bacon and Lemon.

The invitation for the tastings of the Wine Flights Premium was set at four p.m. and immediately, your favorite food reviewer had a handicap because of the self-imposed restrictions of alcohol before six p.m. and nearly all my beloved readers know about this. It all began in 1988, right after the elections of the Cebu City Mayor and because I was with the winning team, I was a frequent companion to many victory parties and celebrations, including barangay fiestas and birthday parties of the barangay officials in the city.

It was nearly a daily event for both lunch and dinner and hard liquor and beer were  available during lunch time and by two p.m., I usually had four doubles of whiskey or six bottles of beer. After six months of excessive alcohol consumption, I had enough. Since 1988, very rare are the times that I have breached this regulation.

I ordered a glass of fresh green mango juice and went ahead with those delicious appetizers with prayers, excuse me, that all the wines will still be available at six p.m. I consoled myself happily tasting the Fish and Tobiko Caviar on Toast with Egg Parfait and the Seared Tuna with Lemon and Garlic Aioli and Beetroot Salt and left it to my imagination that I had wine with it. It was not an easy task to be standing for about two hours watching friends satisfy their cravings of these wonderful wines while I was just drinking plain water.

At the appointed hour, I had a glass of Greg Norman Sparkling Pinot Noir NV, Australia followed by a bite of Tete de Moine Cheese with Dried Grapes and some caramel truffle, and I felt really good. Like in the movie "The Empire Strikes Back," I wasted no time and immediately ordered the next pairing, the Greg Norman Limestone Coast Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia 2010 with double truffle with oil and, fresh from the kitchen, the Beef Bocadillo, Olive Tapenade and Provolone Flakes and I felt much better.

It took much time and effort to prepare this list of wine sets since there were actually three elements involved in the "pairings" - the type of wine, the chocolate to imbibe, and finally the appetizer, and for these three elements to complement each other. It would take a seasoned culinary team and wine sommelier to formulate these combinations, and the personnel at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu did their jobs exceeding well. (FREEMAN)