An evening of tapas and Hardys’ wines

With chilled  glasses of sparkling Hardys Chardonay wine in hand, gracious hosts Jill Bollozos of Future Trade International Inc. and Ed Tongco, general manager of the Casino Español de Cebu, warmly welcomed club members and their guests to a memorable evening of fellowship.

Acknowledging the Philippines as one of the major markets for their wines, guest of honor Bill Hardy made brief remarks of gratitude and promised more information on the wines being served.

Along with the discussion of the characteristics of each wine, Hardy shared some interesting trivia about his family. He said that the founder, Thomas Hardy, upon his arrival in South Australia from Devon, England, first found work at a ranch as a cattle herder. After losing part of his herd, he was transferred to the vineyard where the vines were less likely to run away.

As we all know now, fortune often comes disguised as misfortune, and so it was with Hardy. His apparent failure as a cattle herder led to valuable training and experience in the vineyards and eventually the establishment of the first Hardys winery.

Cebu’s wine connoisseurs and prominent hoteliers enjoyed the club’s specialties such as tortillas, croquetas and a selection of cured Spanish meat for starters. The main course was paella marinera, blackened hammour fillet with baby clams and roasted US Angus prime chuck roll of beef. The excellent wines served that evening, which perfectly complemented the dishes, included Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay Brut, Nottage Hill Shiraz, and the top-of-the-list Hardys’ Oomoo Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre. Nottage Hill was named in honor of Thomas Nottage, who managed Hardys vineyards and cellars at McLaren Vale in South Australia for over 60 years. Today, Nottage Hill is one of the continent’s leading brands, with a reputation built over many years for consistently producing high quality, flavorsome, and reliable wines.

The name Oomoo was taken from an aboriginal word meaning “pleasant” or “pleasing to the eye.” It represents the great characteristics of McLaren Vale wines — abundance of ripe, juicy fruit flavors and soft tannins.

Oomoo seemed to be the favorite wine of the evening as the name developed into a cheer of praise: “Oooo-mooo, Oooo-mooo,” instead of the usual applause.

The gourmet dinner and wine pairing as promised by the hosts proved to be educational and truly enjoyable.