Our days of wine and posse

Traveling to a faraway country such as Australia can sometimes be exhausting and arduous, but my recent trip to the Land Down Under confirms my belief that traveling can be fun and relaxing too. This is mostly because of the gracious treatment I received from the staff of Singapore Airlines, undoubtedly among the best, if not the best, for air travel. Starting with check-in amenities, the staff is friendly, warm, courteous. They anticipate the passengers’ needs and rather than a tense, stressful experience, you end up with a pleasant mood. This efficient service continues even in the lounge, the cuisine and in-flight service.

Upon my arrival in Australia, I realized that I was in for a great adventure. The Hunter Valley Wine Society led by the tireless couple Arnold and Ruth Co and their partner Greg Walls, the chief executive officer of Australian Wine Selectors, were the generous hosts to a group of Filipino media personalities, wine lovers and restaurateurs to a short but thoroughly educational and enlightening visit to the world-famous Hunter Valley – the home of some of the world’s great wines.

I was among those invited to this interesting tour, being in the company of wine aficionados such as Mons and Alexander Tantoco, Lynette Corporal and Pepper Teehankee of the Philippine STAR, Hunter Valley Wine Society Phils. Director Mayo Alcon and the knowledgeable Graeme Bashford who helped us during the entire trip.

Also in the party were Singapore Airlines’ marketing and communications director Rita Dy, Le Souffle’s Josefina Sincioco and Florabel Co, Gaita Fores, CEO and president of Pepato, Metropolitan Museum’s Beatriz Zobel de Ayala, Karen Santos and Joel Floro Uichico, Margaret Enriquez, Maurice Arcache, Tim Yap and Pauline Suaco Juan.

I am positive that many of my colleagues and traveling companions will write volumes about the exquisite wines and the unique experience we all shared during our visit to Sydney as well as to Hunter Valley. Let me instead focus on something that I found totally exciting – and that is the venture of the Hunter Valley Wine Society into the Philippines by way of a unique wine membership club.

Members of this organization will have the great and unique privilege of sampling and yes, even buying at substantial discounts pre-selected wines coming from Hunter Valley! The method of pre-selection is rigid, as many wines are evaluated in a "blind tasting" by six of the most respectable and experienced wine critics of Australia, including one of Australia’s wine icons, Karl Stockhausen. His words, comment and judgment on outstanding, excellent and even mediocre wines, are automatically accepted because of his indisputable reputation. Other members of the expert "Tasting Panel" include connoisseurs Rob Jones, Trent Mannell, Christian Gaffey, Keith Tulloch and Sally Fisk.

Other benefits include access to boutique wines that are usually not available outside Australia. A continuity program entitles members to six new wines every quarter, which includes tasting and education notes indicating distinctive qualities of the wines, as well as which food can be best enjoyed with the spirits. Another advantage is that members have access to special wine-tasting sessions conducted by wine experts that will be flying into Manila. Most of all, wines not available for retail will be given exclusively to members, delivered right at their doorstep. If you are just starting your wine collection, joining the club is best because you couldn’t possibly go wrong with their skillfully-chosen spirits.

The trip proved to be a pleasant success, as we all had a chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of Sydney, partake of some of Australia’s most impeccable wines and meet the country’s wine authorities who imparted valuable knowledge on appreciating the fruits of the vines. On our first night, we were feted to a welcome dinner at Café Sydney by Gary O’Riordan and Anne Holt of the Tourism New South Wales. Our second day, we went to Newcastle to visit AWS Wine Centre for an orientation and panel tasting, after which we went to Hunter Valley for some more wine tastings, dinner at Robert’s and finally, some rest at the luxurious Cypress Lakes Resort.

The third day brought us to a choice of leisure activities before heading to Tyrrell’s for a vineyard and winery visit. We also visited the Rothbury Estate and Bimbadgen for wine tasting, and a little shopping at the Hunter Valley Gardens. An action-packed itinerary was scheduled for the third day, where we were able to travel to Port Stephens, go on a dolphin tour at Nelson Bay, and shop at D’ Albora Marina. Then we headed back to Sydney for some more sightseeing and last-minute shopping. It really was a very busy yet educational and rewarding tour!

I feel so fortunate to have been part of this journey and further my interest and love of wines! Many thanks especially to Arnold and Ruth, to all my traveling companions who made the trip all the more memorable, and to the Australian hosts for giving a part of them for us to bring back home. For all my dear readers who are interested in this special club, more details will follow!

See you all again very soon!