The wines and wherefores of Bacchus
Wine connoisseur Alexander Lichaytoo once drove all over Italy, scouring small towns and old villages, running out of roads, ending up in piggeries while looking for vineyards. Sometimes, the old Italian winemakers do not even understand English, leaving Lichaytoo to communicate with them in coded grunts: “Yes” for “good wine”; “No” for “I’ll try my luck in the next village.” Does he ever think twice about hunting for vino in strange, remote parts of Europe like that again?
“No, it’s all right. Wine people are kind because they are always happy,” he observes, adding that his suppliers of prosciutto ham, cheese and sausages are also laid-back peeps.
Lichaytoo’s latest storehouse of fine wines is Bacchus Epicerie at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Ortigas. He started his business in ’96 when he came back from San Francisco, California. And there are currently four outlets around the metropolis: the first one is in Makati Shangri-La Hotel called Bacchus Wines (which serves wine exclusively); the second one is in Rockwell called Bacchus Epicerie (an epicerie is a fine food store that sells wine, preserves, meats, chocolates, cookware, etc.); the third one is Bacchus Epicerie Alabang. The outlet in Ortigas offers the same — and then some.
“We have a wine dispenser here. Every month, we pick six wines that are on sale — with 20 percent off — and customers are allowed to try them for free. We also have Riedel wine glasses and crystal here.”
And then Alex invites us to the wine room where premium chocolates are also stored.
“It’s temperature-controlled, at 15 to 18 degrees Celsius, 24 hours a day. Wine is like a fresh food item: if you don’t store it properly, it becomes vinegar. Our wines are categorized as well — sweet wines, champagnes, red and white wines. Wines from France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Portugal.”
French and Italian wines are his favorites because his flavor profile is old world. “Their wines are more subtle, conservative. Unlike Californian and Australian wines, which are more upfront. I prefer it soft on my palate.”
Lichaytoo can talk wine all day. About how Hungary produces interesting wines, how Argentina is the king of the Malbec (purple grapes), how Austria makes wines that are hard to pronounce (is it “Trockenbeerenauslese”?), and how each country has its own specialty.
“People have this misconception that everything about wine is complicated,” Lichaytoo explains. “The key is to enjoy wine with the right food. Simple wines go with white meats, and complex wines go with heavier, richer foods.”
He adds how a lot of people are afraid of exploring vintages because they get intimidated by the entire enterprise. But actually, the only way to enjoy wine is to keep trying different kinds until you find a particular style that you like.
“It should not be a snobbish thing. Wine is just a casual beverage. I don’t worship wines. Some people like to do research, some people like to visit vineyards, some people just like to drink, some people like to drink and collect — and that’s me (laughs).”
Lichaytoo shares, “In one sitting, try to stick with one grape variety, keep it simple. If it’s Cabernet Sauvignon, you can drink many kinds of Cabernet Sauvignons. If it’s Merlot, do the same. It’s different when you do technical tasting.”
When it comes to hunting for good vino, he notices how prevalent lousy wines are, even in a Dionysian paradise like France or Italy. “Choosing good wines is hard, especially with unknown (labels). It’s like picking a painting before the artist becomes famous. It’s a gamble.”
And price is no indication that it’s good (even if Bacchus offers expensive wines [P60,000!] that are kept under lock and key).
He guarantees, “We have something for everybody. I could pick you a bottle of wine for P500 that would knock your socks off.” He motions to several bottles of Italian wine from Rubicone (Umberto Cesari’s 2013 Moma at P650), Tuscany (Carpineto’s 2014 Dogajolo also at P650). “These are fantastic flavors. What we focus on here at Bacchus is choosing wines for you, so that when you come here, the selection has already been curated.”
We find out from Lichaytoo that wine appreciation is an exploration in itself.
“Other people conquer mountains, dive underwater, or go on expeditions to Alaska and other faraway places,” he concludes. “My adventure is discovering good wine.”
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Bacchus Epicerie is at 1 Garden Way, Shangri-La Hotel, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. For information, call 532-8038 and 650-8916, visit /BacchusEpicerie on Facebook, @bacchusepicerie on Instagram, and www.bacchusworld.com.
