So, you have planned a wine trip to Tuscany with the Other Half of Your Sky, a BFF, or… whatever: you still have got it right. Chianti is a perfect romantic getaway, not to mention a paradise for wine and food lovers, but if you think you can visit the region in a day trip it's a serious blunder for both first timers and regular visitors as well… On the other hand, if you have two or three days to spare and you are a Sangiovese enthusiast, fall is one of Chianti's best travel seasons, a time when you will be able to enjoy some serious foliage, scenic agritourism, stone farmhouses, wine itiner ..read more

In the classical antiquity, wine was considered a liquid filled with supernatural qualities which eventually turned into religious symbols. By association, wine’s vessels were thought about the same way: bowls, cups and goblets were not only the implements needed for wine’s daily handling and consumption, but also the mystical tools for its diverse ritual representations. In fact, the wine cup became a powerful symbol central to the Greek Dionysian secret cult, Roman Bacchanalia celebrations and Christian Eucharist liturgy. The Eucharist’s chalice – glorified as the holy "Grail", meaning pot ..read more

In the food and wine world, “as long as you like it, you can pair any wine with any food” is a controversial statement, not a basic right. In fact, the appeal of this “like what you like” approach is directly related to the mantra “we are all entitled to our own opinions on wine and food”. While we might agree on the latter, we shall never concede that any wine can be great with any food. Why? Simply because it is objectively impossible to pair - and like - any wine with any food. In fact, even assuming you like a wine so much that you want to drink it with whatever food, you actually can’t ..read more

The Great, the "Bitter" and the Tannic are three Italian iconic red wines needing no introduction to the world, perhaps just a bit more storytelling for the Filipino wine lovers’ sake. The Great: Brunello di Montalcino How much Brunello, the supreme expression of Sangiovese grape at its best, was in Clemente Santi’s mind when in 1842 he started developing a particular grapevine on a steep Montalcino slope called “Il Greppo”, today among Italy’s first grand crus? Red wines were being produced in this area of Tuscany as far back as the 14th Century AC, and Montalcino wine valley, a 2004 UNESCO ..read more

"We drink when we are happy, we drink when we are sad… and we drink for any other reason: inom na!” When I have arrived in this country back in 2009 I was told that Filipinos, despite considering themselves “mild drinkers”, really love hard alcoholics. 11 years later - and 8 years in the local F&B industry - I see that this is still true: the large majority of Filipinos prefer gin, rum and whiskey over wine. Not to mention beer. Curiously, from 1960 to 2015 the percentages of alcohol consumption in the Country have not changed: 71% spirits, 27% beer and 2% of “others” of which 1.5 % Wine ..read more

At the start of 2020 a French employee of a regional development bank walked in at iTrulli Italian wine bar in Makati City. Greeted with a glass of Prosecco by the Owner, the buddy declared that he wouldn't drink it because “there is no better wine than French wine”. As it followed, the Owner sympathised with the French guest inexplicably dropped in the wrong wine bar and while showing him the way out, expressed him condolences on the Judgment of Paris… True story! Wait, aren’t you familiar with the 1976 Paris blind wine tasting known as the Judgment of Paris? The Judgment of Paris, simp ..read more

Some scholars believe that the word wine has only roots in Semitic languages. However, if the Indo European vinum – wine in Latin – borrowed from Arabic wain and Hebrew yayin, the same word definitely owes to Georgian ghvini (or ghvino) while old English win, German wein, French vin, the Italian vino and dozens of other wyn, vyn, wijn alike European words, all descended from the Latin vinum. The Georgian word ghvini goes back to Proto-Kartvelian (South Caucasian) which maybe, in turn, borrowed from the Proto-Armenian gini. Moreover, the ancient Greek word for wine - oinos - probably desc ..read more

A fermented fish sauce called “Bagoóng” is what gives Filipino cuisine a distinctive character. The thing is, Bagoóng has a lot in common with an ancient Roman specialty called “Garum”. Roman Garum, like Filipino and other South East Asian fish sauces, was made by layering fish and salt until it is fermented. There were versions made with whole fish and some other with just the blood and guts. The available historical and archaeological evidence suggests that the Roman sauce was typically made by crushing the innards of such fishes as anchovies, sardines or mackerel and then fermen ..read more

According to a widespread theory, choosing a good wine is a totally subjective matter - that is, everybody should be able, in principle, to select the right wine for them. I personally disagree to some extent. Saying that wine tasting is merely a subjective exercise is an easy but not entirely honest educational approach. There are hundreds of great wines out there, of different quality and price, and thousands more awaiting to be discovered: an endless choice of bottles to select which, for those who are a little familiar with wine, could be a difficult if not an impossible task, no mat ..read more

Through the millennia, viticulture, winemaking and wine appreciation advanced and spread as a consequence of the dedication and passion of all people involved in its production, trade and consumption. Since the classical age, wine typically required knowledgeable persons who could grow, store, transport wine and also guide, advise and educate about it. Passion for wine, in ancient Rome, lead to the selection and appointment of “Haustores” (latin “haustio”: drink, savor) who were wine experts in charge of tasting and separating the wines based on certain features like color, body, structure an ..read more