The man with a plan and his Planet

In our age of junk food, pre-packaged meals, processed products and cheap instant gratification, it is quite rare to find someone who has been driven by quality, not quantity, fueled by passion and anchored in patience — and yet still successful.

Every generation has a couple of these visionaries, those who strive to be the best at what they do, even if they only do a few niche things. Romy Sia is one such person. With his partner Christian Tan, they started Healthy Options in 1995, inspired by his son’s constant battle with food allergies. They began with one store in Shangri-La Plaza Mall and slowly expanded. It was a steady ascent _ one store here, another store there, rather than the usual blatant mushrooming. They accounted for the slow development in awareness of natural and organic foods and have matured themselves hand in hand with the market in perfect symbiosis.

I first met Sia at Wine Story in Shangri-La Mall, as I was asked to cater a pocket art event by a common friend. I had just started my career in the food industry, running my tiny little operation from my home kitchen. I remembering coming in for the ocular, amazed by all the impressive bottles. It was like a candy store for grown-ups. The glossy sheen off the glass panes, housing precious vials of bacchanalian nectar… The beautiful labels like a synopsis of exotic wondrous stories lying beyond the cork, waiting to be told… The quiet dark feel, with soft light and the faint smell of wood from the display crates, reminded you of an old library.

As I write this I realize foolishly that it was so aptly named Wine Story. It made sense: each bottle holding its own unique narrative. I stood in front of a dusty old Chateau Yquem 1932. It glittered like a jewel, like the golden egg nestled in hay. It looked rich, grandiose and so deliciously historic. With wines like these I like to think beyond the bottle and to the moment it was made. Hitler was not quite at his peak, the great depression was creeping across the world and for it to survive the Second World War and all the succeeding events after that to travel time and miles and seas to end up right here in front of me at that very moment. One of the sommelier salespeople came to me and discreetly said, “I’ve tried it.” I learned, without even meeting their boss, that he did things right: that every bottle on sale had been tasted by their staff. “How can you sell a product you do not know?” was what Sia once told me. Of course. At this level, you can’t fool potential clients. They know when they’re being duped.

“If I’m going to get involved in something, I want to be the absolute best in it.” He casually told me this on that first evening we met and it stuck with me, in this world full of jacks-of-all-trades. His interest in wine was sparked when he read Benjamin Wallace’s The Billionaire’s Vinegar. The captivating book, written almost like a murder mystery, tracks the world’s most expensive bottle of wine that was sold at auction to Malcolm Forbes and some lingering doubt that it was actually an authentic Lafitte owned by Thomas Jefferson. I have to say, I owe Romy my pivotal wine moment. He invited me as one of two journalists to a vertical Chateau Angelus tasting that sincerely rocked my world. There is good wine and there is great wine. And as Thibault Pontallier of Chateau Margaux once shared, “Good wines make you feel pleasure and great wines make you feel emotion.” And that Chateau Angelus 1990 has to this day been at the top of my list. And while I love the inexpensive, deliriously cold rosé, or a great value-for-money Argentinian Malbec, the world of wine is empirical and exponential: it’s hard to go backwards.

Sitting in Planet Grapes, his latest venture which he likes to call the “Starbucks of Wine,” holding a glass of Californian Merlot, he gingerly takes a sip and looks at me. “Let’s face it. I really can’t drink this stuff anymore.” We have a laugh and I agree: a cheap red can be hard to digest once you’ve moved forward but we both decided that a cheap and cheerful white or rosé is still fun and can be extremely pleasant.

There is no doubt that Wine Story is one of the best collections in the country and unlike other local cavistes who offer fantastic stuff as well, Wine Story is accessible. You don’t have to be in the know or part of the elusive high-level wine society; you could theoretically walk right in, armed with a budget and indulge. Okay, wait. So why open Planet Grapes? If you want to be the best at something, why open something that’s so far away from that legendary Chateau Angelus Imperial?

“Because we all have to start from somewhere.” Planet Grapes, or “Planet G” as he’d like it to be affectionately known, is by far the easiest way to brush up on your wine. Friendly, well-trained staff can guide you through the common varietals so you can slowly build your knowledge even starting from zero. No tests, no entrance fees, no judgment. It’s a great way to discover what you like and move from there. Wines are not organized by region but by varietals, and with tasting portions starting as low as P60, you can explore and compare as many as you wish. With the same vending machine and debit card system, guests can taste and choose without ever having to commit to a bottle or even a full glass. “What do people have as options when they go out? Coffee shops and bars. It’s not nice to see a pretty girl all dolled-up, holding a bottle of beer or getting drunk on tasteless vodka. People are ready for a place like this. Even for your career, it’s becoming increasingly important to be wine savvy in the business world. Deals aren’t made in boardrooms but beyond it. It’s all about the wine and dine.”

They serve street food such as balut and penoy (which I’m not quite convinced to try) and are developing a menu of things like chicken wings and French fries. “I want people to drink wine with everything. Not just to see it as a match to fancy meals.” Thank goodness for the brie (I’m old fashioned). But I can definitely see the disarming appeal. “Most people are put off by all the pomp that goes into wines. All the swirling and smelling. There’s none of that here.” Oh, please, after being made fun of by my friends at a dinner when I was fresh from Oenology classes, I gave up the swirly stuff ages ago unless I’m at a real wine tasting. Nowadays it’s about taking the time to choose wisely and pour away. If it’s not to your liking, choose another. Easy peasy.  At Planet Grapes you don’t even have to be wise, with such low prices and a really great selection from New World to Old World, whites, reds, rosés and even dessert wines. You just go for it. “We want to remove the anxiety of enjoying wine. It’s wine without the drama.”

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Planet Grapes, which is on soft opening, is at Tuscany McKinley Hill, Upper Mckinley Road Bonifacio Global City.