Grand wine festival at Sofitel Philippine Plaza

French cooking lore has it that coq au vin, the chicken dish cooked in wine originally, made use of old birds. Tough old roosters and hens that ceased to lay eggs found their way into the cooking pots in provincial French kitchens of yore. There, they simmered and imbibed the flavors of wine and spices, and the tough stringy meat of the mature birds was slowly transformed into tender and delicious morsels. Coq au vin is a hearty and satisfying dish that, when served with good wine, is at home in even the most elegant settings.

Coq au vin was the dish demonstrated by Sofitel Philippine Plaza chef Jojo Borlagdan recently. The hotel is holding the Beaujolais Nouveau French Food and Wine Festival at its Spiral from Nov. 24 to 26.

Traditional French fare such as parfait de foie de volaille (creamed chicken liver pate), rabbit terrine, duck pate Amien, Bayonne ham, saucisson (French salami,) confit rack of lamb, duck a l’orange, snails provençale, Gruyere and truffle oyster gratin are just some of the choices available during the festival. Traditional French desserts included in the menu like tarte au pomme (apple tart) and tarte au fraise (strawberry tart,) apricot frangipan, profiteroles and crème brulee are certain to make those with a sweet tooth swoon with delight. The festival is a prelude to the Grand Soiree Beaujolais of the French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.

Grand Soiree Beaujolais on Nov. 28 is to celebrate the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau, a young wine from the Burgundy region of France. The wine is made from a variety of grape called Gamay grown in the region of Beaujolais, where there are nearly 4,000 grape growers. The grapes are picked by hand and a winemaking process called carbonic maceration or whole berry fermentation is utilized. This results in a light, fruity wine that is best served chilled.

Bernard Flour, president of Le Club, the French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, explains that celebrating the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau has been a tradition of Le Club in the Philippines since 1994. In France, Beaujolais Nouveau wine is always released on the third Thursday of November for a long weekend of merrymaking. The wine has become so popular that more than 70 million bottles are consumed two months after the wine is released.

For Le Club’s Soiree Beaujolais on Nov. 28, more than 2,000 bottles of wine will be flown in to Manila from France for an estimated 1,800 guests. The Hotel Philippine Plaza’s Harbor Garden Tent will be transformed by Jose Mari Hilario of Landseaire Management Resources into a 19th-century winery complete with huge wine barrels, trellises, and grape vineyards.

The event promises to be a feast of French delicacies, cold cuts and cheeses, flowing Beaujolais Nouveau wine, good music, dancing, and first-rate entertainment. The party will be hosted by the inimitable duo of Johnny Litton and Pinky Amador. The traditional raffle will be held, where P800,000 worth of prizes are at stake; the grand prize of which is a Manila-Paris Air France-KLM roundtrip ticket.

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For reservations to the French Food and Wine Festival from Nov. 24 to 26, call Sofitel Philippine Plaza at 551-555, Spiral at local 1086 or 6988.

Tickets at P2,300 to the Grand Soiree Beaujolais on Nov. 28 are available at Le Club FCC, Unit 1503 Medical Plaza Makati Bldg., Amorsolo corner Dela Rosa Sts., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Call 813-9005, fax 892-6114, or e-mail le_club@globelines.com.ph. Attire is formal.