Cuadril, entraña & wine dinner

La Cabrera in Makati hosted the very first Ricasoli wine dinner in the Philippines with none other than the 32nd Baron of Castello di Brolio, Baron Francesco Ricasoli, as the guest of honor.

Four amazing wines born from precision viticulture were served at the intimate dinner. La Cabrera’s Carlo Calma Lorenzana and Bobby Tenchavez Jr. also announced that they would be distributing Ricasoli 1141 wines in the Philippines.

Chef Agustin Figueroa prepared three starters (grilled provolone cheese; Parma ham with mozzarella, basil, sundried tomatoes and arugula; and a pasta dish with sea bass and olives),  which were served with Brolio Bettino Chianti Classico DOCG 2016. The rib-eye was paired with Castelo di Broglio Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione 2015. Two more cuts of beef (cuadril and entraña) were served with two reds — Colledila Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione 2016 and Casalferro Toscana IGT 2013. A traditional Argentine ice cream infused with whiskey and almonds was a perfect ending for a perfect meal.

Ricasoli is the oldest and most prominent wine producer in the Chianti Classico area. The Brolio Castle is located within the town of Gaiole in Chianti, a province of Siena, in the Tuscan region. The Ricasoli family has been intertwined with wine since 1141; hence the name Ricasoli 1141 for their wines. The Baron’s great grandfather, also known as the Iron Baron, Bettino Ricasoli, was twice Prime Minister of the newly united Italy after the first Prime Minister of Italy, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. He was also responsible for creating the formula for Chianti wine in 1872, now called the Chianti Classico.

Since 1993, Baron Francesco has been guiding the company with even more innovative ideas and concepts in order to render the vineyards sustainable. Aware of the land’s potential, he studied and researched on the cultivation of the soil in order to increase production. He combined old studies with new ones, and focused on clonal selection in order to conserve the most interesting and best biotypes of the Sangiovese grapes.

(La Cabrera is located at 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati City and EDSA Shangri-La Manila in Mandaluyong City. For reservations, call 0905-2900703. For more information, visit www.ricasoli.com and lacabreramanila on Facebook.)