Dining with wine

Today, most Filipino foodies are wine connoisseurs and would feel a meal is incomplete without the accompanying red or white.

Our maternal lolo (grandfather) would sometimes take wine with his meals, but the young ones were not allowed to partake of it. We became aware of the aroma of red wine only through the Mompo that priests would sip during consecration in Holy Mass.

Our formal introduction to food with wine came in the earlier years of the international hotel chains here in Manila, specifically the Manila Hilton. We were then “old enough” to indulge in the so-called spirits. With our friend, the late Chiqui, we would sit down at the old Port Orient and savor teriyaki steak with a bottle of German Riesling, a sweetish white. We would, shamelessly, finish the bottle. We didn’t know then how to match food with wine. We took the Riesling because it did not have the tartness of the more robust wines.  

That initiated us to the culture of having wine with our meals, especially when the food is of international flavor, like a good steak, a perfectly done roast beef or even the succulent Filipino lechon. Today, most Filipino foodies are wine connoisseurs and would feel a meal is incomplete without the accompanying red or white.

Those living in the Ortigas area will be pleased to know that Yats, that place in Clark that offers memorable moments in their enclave in Pampanga, has brought their wine selection to the Lobby of the Oakwood Premier Hotel, located across the Asian Development Bank, in Pasig.

They carry a selection of some 300 vintage wines, from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Spain, Italy and the New World Regions, with mid-range prices from P800 a bottle to P3,000. There are also celebrative bottles. They are open Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. There is ample parking and customers can order by phone, 637-5019 and 540-3626. Deliveries can be arranged within the Metro Manila area. Match your dishes with wine, it is most satisfying.

Now for the leftover wines. Keep them for they can be used in cooking. We have this recipe for roast chicken which we always make whenever there is a portion of wine left. Clean the chicken (get the heftier one that weighs 1.5 kilos), drain and set aside. Mix red wine with olive oil, ground pepper, light soy sauce and lots of crushed native garlic. Spoon part of the mixture into the cavity of the chicken before immersing the whole bird into the marinade. Be sure the garlic is evenly distributed. Leave for at least an hour, or even overnight, before roasting. Chicken and marinade must be cooked together, basting occasionally. With a teaspoon of flour, thicken the marinade to serve as sauce. Perfect for a special dinner, served with green salad and your favorite red wine, either a full bodied Chardonnay or the milder Merlot. Great!

Cooking gas has gone a few pesos cheaper. We got a tank for P626 against the more than P700 we used to pay. Garcia’s in Quezon City is the best source for tender sirloin steak, sold at P280 a kilo. We bought malaman pata (pork leg) as well from there. It was really meaty, we even had enough to make paksiw the next day.

Another supermarket is opening this week. That is the one of SM, in that huge building seen from C-5. The  blurb says it will offer a new shopping experience. We will see. Doors open on May 17, Friday.

Have a good, enjoyable Sunday with family.

E-mail comments and questions to [email protected].