Wine, women and so on

Where there are good wines, there are wine lovers. And good food and good music as well. Such was the case when Cellar & Cellar hosted an evening of wine tasting at the Makati Shangri-La featuring 31 wines from the four most famous wine-producing regions of Italy – Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany and Abruzzo.

Cellar & Cellar president Jennifer Yap and somellier-founder Pasquale Binetti made sure no guest was left dry. Truth is, there were so many choices, so little time to sample all the wines!

It took Pasquale eight months of scrupulous research and various degustations in Italy before he was able to choose the most vanguard wineries from different regions.

"Our wines are shipped in refrigerated containers which preserve their quality and prevent bruising of the wine," explains Pasquale.

The guests enjoyed sipping the wines, and may as well have drunk to their health. The popularity of wine in the Philippines has soared tremendously these past few years after medical surveys revealed that red wine is actually good for the heart.

But then wine should first of all be savored for its intrinsic qualities.

What is it about wine that drinking it can inspire nice thoughts? To paraphrase Herman Hesse, wine "fills poor human hearts with beautiful and magnificent poems... makes a hermit and peasant, a king, a poet, a saviour... fills the small ships of life empty with new destinies, and brings back the survivors to the darting stream of life. Such is wine."

For people like me who’d rather savor a Martini on nights out, the evening was an educational experience. The favorite wines, with matching descriptions by Cellar & Cellar, were as follows

• Barolo Cannubi DOCG 1996: Red wine made from 100 percent Nebbiolo grapes. In the best vintages, some batches of grapes of the finest quality are vinified separately to obtain a wine that is long-lived. After maturation of 24 to 36 months in traditional oak casks, the wine is allowed to evolve an additional two to three years in the bottle before being put on sale. The Cannubi is truly capable of defying time. If the bottle is properly laid down, the wine can last 20 or 30 years – even longer. During that time, its bouquet will develop greater finesse and complexity. It goes well with roast meals and complements important dinners.

• Cabreo "Il Borgo" Super Tuscan I.G.T. 1998 Tenute Cabreo: Red wine of 70 percent Sangiovese and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which are combined and aged in new French oak barrels. It has a rich ruby red color; a noble bouquet, and a full, aristocratic flavor rounded out by notes of underwood, leather and raspberry.

• Calvano Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 1997 Tenute Fattoria di Graccio: Red wine made from 90 percent Sangiovese and 10 percent other red grape varieties, and aged for 20 months in Slavonian oak casks and six months in the bottle. It has a deep ruby red color with hues tending toward garnet; a bouquet scented with violet and notes of cherry; an even-bodied and lasting flavor. Goes well with roasted and other meats, poultry and game.

• Le Bruniche Chardonnay di Toscana IGT 2000 Tenuta di Nozzole: White wine made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes; it has a straw yellow color with green hues, a bouquet of tropical fruit and citrusy aromas, a persistent flavor with hints of apple and banana. It is the perfect complement to the bold flavors of fish, shellfish and seafood in general.

For details, call Cellar & Cellar at 642-64-64 and 642-44-82.