Unexpected pairings & other surprises

“Wine is one of the agreeable and essential ingredients of life.” - Julia Child

Great wines are authentic reflections of the vineyard from which they come. This best represents Lagarde, one of the oldest wineries in Argentina, which was founded in 1897.

High school classmates Carlo Lorenzana and Bobby Tenchavez, the exclusive importers and distributors of Lagarde premier wines in the Philippines, partnered with The Tivoli of the Mandarin Oriental, Manila to host a special evening of wine tasting with the fourth-generation owner of Lagarde Vineyards, Lucila Pescarmona and Argentine Ambassador Joaquin Daniel Otero. It was a night of impeccable pairings. Served that night were pan-fried foie gras with creamy polenta and port reduction; beef tartar cannelloni with beetroot carpaccio, arugula, summer truffle and balsamico di Modena; roasted Australian rack of lamb with herb crust, potato chevrefeuille and calamata olive jus; and The Tivoli surprise passion fruit mousse, lychee jelly and chocolate sauce (a magnificent dessert by chef Remi Vercelli). The sumptuous dinner was paired off with Lagarde’s finest high-end wines: Lagarde Cabernet Franc 2009, Henry Gran Guarda Blend No. 1 2007 and Henry Late Harvest Muscato Viognier 2010. 

Capping the exceptional evening was Smart Infinity’s raffle of two units of the most sought-after smartphone today, the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Once again, the Mandarin Hotel, Manila, under the stewardship of GM Mark Bradford, lived up to its reputation as a choice for delectable five-star hotel menu offerings and exquisite food presentation.

(For a taste of Lagarde, call Carlo at 0918-999-0917 or Bobby at 0917-891-3080.)

Greetings

Happy birthday to our celebrators today, STAR’s Tanya Lara, businessman Jose Antonio Gonzalez, Pitang Tiongson and Ben Farrales.

Advanced birthday greetings to wonderful lady Aida Cobankiat, and China Bank chair Gilbert Dee, July 2; Louie Ablaza, Vicky Veloso-Barrera, Viring Ongkeko, Tommy Manotoc and Edgardo Tordesillas, July 3; The Bellevue Hotels & Resorts managing director Patrick Chan, former Vice President Teofisto “Tito” Guingona, Peter Go Pailan and Johnny Velasquez, July 4; and Ramon Atayde, Kitty Jacinto and Antonio Roxas-Chua Jr., July 7.

So, how was your week?

(For comments or inquiries, please e-mail me at jjlitton@indanet.com.)