No wine, no sunshine

Something Patrick Lachapelle, Skalli brand ambassador for Asia, said put me at ease with the glass of merlot rosé in my hand. “Tasting wine is very personal,” he remarked. “Go for your own perception.”

“We want to make it easy for people, to make our wines more accessible,” Skalli international sales director, Etienne Godard, shared. The event, which was held at  Discovery Suite’s 22 Prime restaurant, featured Robert Skalli and Fortant wines, “matched with the excellent gastronomic creations of chef David Pardo de Ayala and his team,” Kathy Yao Santos, marketing director of Happy Living Philippines, noted.

Happy Living is the Philippine importer and distributor of Robert Skalli and Fortant de France varietals. The term “varietal” refers to wines made primarily from a single grape variety, and the label on the bottle usually displays the name of that variety such as Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The practice is more common in America than in Europe where the finest wines are named after its region of origin such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chablis and Chianti.

Skalli is a family-owned winery based in the largest wine-growing region in the southern part of France. “Robert Skalli brought his knowledge of varietal wines, which he discovered on a trip to Napa Valley in California, back to France where Skalli pioneered in producing varietally labeled wines,” Godard relates. Skalli wines are marketed under the brands “Fortant,” “Robert Skalli,” and top of the line “F,” named in honor of  Robert Skalli’s father, Francis. Colombian chef, David Pardo de Ayala prepared five drafts before finalizing the special menu for the evening, pairing Skalli wines with the best selections from the different Discovery Suites outlets. Chef David is the corporate chef of Discovery Suites in Ortigas, Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay and Discovery Shores in Boracay.

Skalli’s Fortant de France Sauvignon Blanc 2007, for example, was paired with melt-in-your-mouth seared Chilean Sea Bass with saffron-ginger glaze; miso gindara with edamame and mushrooms ajilio; and lychees with liver-champagne fondant. “The lychee is stuffed with foie gras cream infused with champagne,” chef David explained. The most unusual combination wakened my taste buds, priming it for more. Verbena’s bouillabaisse with shrimps, scallops and octopus was paired with Fortant de France Merlot Rosé 2007. “Rosés are light pink wines made from the same red wine grape variety,” Lachapelle explained earlier. “They get their color from contact with the grape skins for a short period, about one to two days, during the wine-making process.” Rosés are light, with some sweetness, and for these reasons, I like it best.

The assorted sushi and sashimi went well with Fortant de France Chardonnay 2006 and Robert Skalli Reserve Chardonnay 2006.

The old rule that“white wine goes well with fish and white meat dishes” while “red wine goes well with red meat dishes” no longer necessarily applies. “You can have white wine with your red meat if you want,” Chef David remarked.

I like anything that has foie gras in it, so the duck and foie gras meatballs with cherry mostarda was very much appreciated, paired with a Fortant de France Shiraz 2005. The Robert Skalli Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 went well with the braised beef short ribs bourguignon as well as the US Angus prime rib roast carving.

Lachapelle summed it best when he said, “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.”

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Happy Living Wines are served in major hotels and restaurants. Retail partners include SM Supermarket, Unimart, S&R, Arellano Wines Depot, The Tinderbox in Cebu, 145 Fahrenheit Prime Steaks and Seafood, Dinelli Gourmet and Petra & Pilar. Visit their website at www.hlpcwines.com.ph