Spy games

There’s much to be said about fine wines from down under. Many think young Australian reds when they hear “down under,” but it’s kiwi wines making serious waves, not least of all at a recent wine dinner held at the Winebar of Café 1771 in Ortigas Center.

Young, soft, supple wines were paired with a six-course meal organized by Lester Harvey, managing director of Zen Asia Inc., with the help of his latest find, Spy Valley vineyards of Marlborough, New Zealand.

Harvey, the former co-owner of Le Soufflé, now makes it his mission to import and distribute special wines from the New World to restaurants in Manila, and Tuesday’s dinner — plus a similar rollout the night before at Bonifacio High Street’s Cav Wine Shop — was just a taste of what’s so good about New Zealand wines.

Talking with Peter Rawling, global sales manager of Spy Valley, you start to realize the New World has winemaking down to a science. Set on 380 acres in Waihopai Valley, Spy Valley only began producing grapes a quarter of a century ago, yet some say the winery is among “the planet’s 20 most notable producers.” Chiefly known for its Sauvignon Blanc — which is fresh, crisp, lively and pungent — Spy Valley also offers Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Rieslings, Chardonnays, Merlots and Syrahs.

Grape escape: Spy Valley of New Zealand gets its name from its proximity to an international satellite monitoring station.

Our special menu (prepared by Café 1771 chef Gus Sibayan) was a surprising mix of continental food with Filipino touches. Each dish was paired with a taste of Spy Valley.

We sampled the Echelon Sparking Wine during cocktails, followed by the Gewürztraminer, almost a dessert wine with a rose-petal aroma and a thick, full-bodied palate.

For the fresh Aklan oysters, prepared with a champagne sabayon and sprinkled with tobiko, there was a fine 2009 sauvignon blanc. This prepared us for the excellent shredded romaine salad covered in thin sheets of Davao Malagos blue cheese, Sagada orange slices, jicama, cilantro and citrus vinaigrette. Possibly the most eyebrow-raising wine — an Envoy Sauvignon Blanc — was paired with the salad. The dish had a vinaigrette and orange slices, so the Envoy’s complexity was well balanced with its acidity. The limited-production Envoy is a “Bordeaux clone,” taken from French cuttings planted among Spy Valley’s oldest vines. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, the final product has hints of tangelo, coriander and snow pea, with a long finish. It’s a standout, having won gold at the 2009 New Zealand International Wine Show, and actually quite reasonable (about P990 per bottle).

This was followed by a Pinot Gris from last year, matched with pan-seared red grouper and lady fingers sprinkled with a bok choy aubergine, confit cherry tomatoes amid a pool of spicy coconut curry.

The Pinot Gris is Spy Valley’s answer to the Italian pinot grigio; it’s light and has a mineral acidity that pairs well with the hearty grouper and its wonderfully baked crust. Another winner.

GThe Gewürztraminer Granité to cleanse the palate

There’s a secret to New Zealand’s strong white wines, says Rawling. “White wines flourish there because it’s not too hot, we have sunny days but in the evenings it cools down very quickly.” Spy Valley benefits from the surrounding mountain altitude, plus ocean winds that cool down the grapes. “You need the coolness in the evening to preserve the natural acidity of the grapes; acidity is essential to flavor of the grapes,” he adds.

Between courses, we sampled the Gewürztraminer Granité, cleansing the palate with a slushy ice wine in a glass rimmed with sugar. Very refreshing.

We experienced the Pinot Noir next, served with crispy pork belly, sweet potato mash, pickled green mango and haricot vert with a liver-pork jus. By this time, I was missing the Envoy a bit; the Pinot Noir was a little anti-climactic, but still tasty. No problem: all this was capped off with a 2007 Envoy Riesling served with pineapple beignet in mascarpone and white wine sauce topped with vanilla ice cream. Lip-smacking good.

Spy Valley is making strong waves for such a young producer, but that is the way of New World wines. “We’ve come a long way very quickly. We’re fortunate to have some great landscape. Now we’re getting some real experience, some real vine age. Imagine what we’ll be like in 50 years.”

The special menu at Café 1771 featured crispy pork belly, sweet potato mash, pickled green mango and haricot vert with liver-pork jus matched with a Spy Valley Pinot Noir.

There’s a bit of a laboratory feel to Spy Valley’s literature: “viticultural excellence creates wines that capture the essence of the environment and are classically Marlborough… crafted using modern winemaking techniques.” Building the perfect wine is only partly science, of course. Education is also key. One of our fellow guests said her child’s school teaches wine appreciation, as early as fourth year. “It’s optional,” says Michelle. “I guess, if they’re going out in the world, it’s better to know their wine.”

“People in Asia are learning to appreciate whites,” adds Rawling. “They say, ‘It’s hot out here, I don’t want to be drinking a red; I want a crisp, refreshing sauvignon blanc, take the edge off the heat. Next, he’s off to shop Spy Valley around Vietnam and China — the biggest market of all.

Thanks to Lester Harvey, Café 1771 gave us a chance to unwind, eat well and experience some fine New Zealand wines that might have slipped past our radar. Fitting that Spy Valley got its name due to its proximity to an international satellite communications monitoring station — in other words, a spy headquarters. Also, “Spy” is just a cool name for a winery.

And now the secret is out.

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Spy Valley Wines are imported by Zen Asia, Inc.