Homages for Chico

Today's column is on a cheerful note – marking the Christian festivities with a journey into wine discovery. This is said to be "in sinc with the worldwide trend that's coming to be known as the wine Lifestyle."

The Wine Library and Lounge is on the mezzanine floor of the Enterprise Building in Makati, its treasure chest is its 1,500-bottle cellar worth over P20 million.

Friends who have been there speak glowingly of maturity being the theme of the collection – the wine being accorded "ample time to age and show off its full potential in maturity before they are served".

Vintages of the red wines of Bordeaux are from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. For red and even white Burgundy, hardly a bottle is younger than a 1995 with plenty of fine vintages from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Vintage champagne, vintage port and luscious sweet wines from Sauternes and Loire complete the spectrum of the wine menu.

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The place consists of six cozy and private tables, separated from each other by thick glass cubicles. There is a sense of privacy about the arrangement, for executives clinching a deal, or couples in love partaking of exquisite vintage wine. Ever table has individual control over the light intensity and music volume, and patrons can terminate pipe-in music in favor of their own collection of MP3 music, without infringing on the domains of others. By requesting for a private TV, they can watch their favorite lifestyle channels, or select a DVD of Casablanca to flavor the evening in the privacy of their tables.

In between sips of great vintage wine, there is gourmet food prepared by the partner fine dining restaurant at the entrance of the wine library and lounge.

We asked the general manager why the place is called Wine Library. "Wine books everywhere for sure, but it is more of a take-off from the old custom of ‘retiring to the library‚ to continue the evening after dinner. With the advent of the Wine Lifestyle, corporate raiders and defenders no longer need to put up with doing business in gladiator arenas. Now they wine and dine in comfort and luxury, under the appreciative reflection of a Le Montrachet."

By the way, Wine Library and Lounge in Makati belongs to the same family as the Yats International wine Club in Mimosa/Clark, which has an awesome 15,000-bottle wine cellar.

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The loss of a beloved child is something hard to bear, but the grieving parent finds solace in remembering how good and loving the child was, and in the sharing of remembrances by friends. My good friend Ruby Palma lost her son, Chico, just last week. She wrote me that Chico, according to his friends, "was everywhere, walking, with his knapsack and bass, and camera. As the priest said in one of the day masses during his wake, this artist did not ride. Instead he walked to enjoy and document the beauty he saw around him, and talk to people. He even walked from Megamall to UP in bare feet. Bits, an education graduate from UP, approached me and said, "Ma'am, you don't know me but Chico was my idol. He taught me the bass, and now I'm a band player. He taught me Robert Frost, and he said, "Bits, as an educator, when you teach, you touch and transform lives." Every time they went out of the room, Chico enjoined him to touch even one person they met outside. The two friends he taught bass played for him one night in the wake, playing what they called ‘Chico tunes.’ Two played the sax for him."

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Chico was humble and secretive, and his relatives were surprised when friends came to the wake to give their tributes. Co-artist Kris Dalena and her sister said Chico was with them in Mindoro and Cavite, documenting events, and was loved by the Mangyan a friend thanked him for taking the place of a person who stood her up as her Valentine date; a artist-classmate said Chico gave him money for transportation fare, and fed him in his house during his lean months. Chico's siblings described him as funny, weird. Kat Misa wrote Ruby, saying, "Chico was such a good person, I never heard him say anything bad about anyone."

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Writes Ruby: "Yes, my son was strange to usual people and relatives who were busy with day-to-day living. But I and his siblings knew him well. I tuned into his waking and sleeping; hours, heating his food and waiting for his return every dawn when he came home from all sorts of gigs and rackets, or walks with friend, to check if he was OK, who he was with, what was the latest free film showing, which film was good and recommended, and we talked about heartaches.

Chico died because of sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest. Ruby is stricken by guilt over not being able to save him. "I feel the rage of being betrayed because there was hope for at least two weeks, and we planned to get out of that hospital together. We were partners and best friends, my children and I."

To Ruby, our deepest condolences.

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My email address: [email protected]