Recommended Wines for Beginners

a friendly recommendation from Renzie Baluyut.

There are a lot of good reasons to start drinking wine. But for someone like me who hasn't been raised in a culture that isn't inherently into wines (Filipinos are more into beer than anything else), getting into the whole culture of wine appreciation can be a tad bit challenging.

But not if you know where to start. I've recently attended a leisurely lunch and wine-tasting event at Cav in Bonifacio High Street, and I liked it that they've put together a four-course meal and paired each course with a particular kind of wine.

With that event in mind, here are a few wines you might want to start with: Fleur Du Cap, Nederburg, and Two Oceans. All fine South African wine labels, which I had the pleasure of sampling recently. I've also been able to gather some notes on these three labels, thanks to this very useful website on South African wines.

Fleur Du Cap

The Fleur Du Cap label has two wines excellent wines you should try: the Fleur Du Cap Chardonnay, and the Fleur Du Cap Merlot Unfiltered.

The Fleur Du Cap Chardonnay

On the nose, this Chardonnay displays apricot, melon and citrus fruit with a hint of vanilla oak in the background. The palate is dry but packed with apricot and citrus fruit flavours, supported by lovely nut and vanilla oak

The continued success of the Fleur du Cap range of wines is the result of a team approach at the The Bergkelder that starts with meticulous vineyard selection and is driven by an overriding passion for winemaking and constant experimentation to create new generation of superior quality wines. The wines are shaped in perfect harmony with nature to capture the highly sought after qualities of varietal character and terroir.

This wine pairs excellent with sushi, oysters and full-flavoured fish such as tuna and salmon. It also goes well with white meat dishes or pasta in rich, creamy sauces.

The Fleur Du Cap Merlot Unfiltered

The wine has an intense and concentrated ruby red colour. On the nose the wine shows rich plum and blackcurrant flavours infused with gentle vanilla whiffs. On the palate this medium-bodied wine displays fresh lively berry fruit flavours with hints of vanilla and a distinctive aftertaste.

Made from superior grapes meticulously selected from prized vineyard blocks in the Cape Coastal region, Fleur du Cap Unfiltered wines are shaped in perfect harmony with nature. Handpicked in the vineyard and handcrafted in the cellar, these new generation wines capture the highly sought-after qualities of varietal character and terroir. Sedimentation, racking and fining as opposed to filtration maximise the preservation of colour and flavour elements resulting in wines that abound with fruit and flavour. This succulent Merlot is perfect with Parma ham, roast lamb kebabs and a hearty oxtail meal. An ideal accompaniment to robust Italian dishes.

Nederburg

The Nederburg label has three wines that beginner wine aficionados can easily appreciate: the Nederburg Pinotage, the Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc, and the Nederburg Special Late Harvest.

Nederburg Pinotage

Concentrated ruby crimson in colour, this wine has the aroma of overripe berries, rich plum and blackcurrant with an earthy undertone. It is an elegant medium-bodied, smooth entry wine with flavours picked up on the nose and follow through to a slight tannic finish.

The grapes were sourced from vineyards in and around the Western Cape. Planted between 1990 and 1998 the vines grow on southern to south-eastern slopes situated at between 80 m and 150 m above sea level, in soils originating from decomposed granite and Kroonstad and Swartland. The vines, grafted onto nematode resistant rootstock Richter 99, 110 and 101-14, received supplementary irrigation from an overhead sprinkler system, yielding an average of 8 to 10 tons per hectare.

The winemaker suggests serving this wine with pasta, pizza, roast leg, bobotie or even chocolate.

Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc

This particular wine is brilliant green with golden specks, and herbaceous varietal aromas. It has flavours of gooseberry, passion fruit and peach, with an elegantly dry finish. Its generous palate is refined by a well harmonised fruit/acid balance.

Grapes were sourced from vineyards in the Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Darling areas. The grapes grow in Clovelly, Hutton, Tukulu and Oakleaf soils at between 100 m and 150 m above sea level. The vineyards were planted between 1980 and 1999. Grafted onto nematode resistant rootstock Richter 99 and 101 – 14, the vines received supplementary irrigation from a micro irrigation system while some vineyards grow under dryland conditions.

The winemaker suggests serving this wine with seafood, creamy fish, chicken or veal.

Nederburg Special Late Harvest

Lemony yellow with green specks, the Nederburg Special Late Harvest has a complex honeyed character with rich aromas of dried fruit. It is delicious, with apricot and raisin character supported by fresh acidity.

Grapes were sourced from trellised vineyards in Stellenbosch and Paarl. The grapes grow in soils originating from Clovelly, Hutton and Glenrosa soils at between 50m and 100m above sea level. The vineyards were planted between 1984 and 1988. Grafted onto nematode resistant rootstock Richter 99, the vines, yielding an average of five tons per hectare, received supplementary irrigation from a micro irrigation system.

Enjoy as an aperitif or with mild spicy dishes, dried fruit and baked puddings.

Two Oceans

Two Oceans has two recommended wines for those just starting to appreciate the nuances of wine culture: the Two Oceans Semillon Chardonnay, and the Two Oceans Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.

The Two Oceans Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

A medium-bodied wine with ripe fruit flavours and soft tannins, this Merlot is ruby red, with an aroma which can be best described as an abundance of ripe strawberries and cherries.

This Distell label takes its name from the two great oceans that converge near the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian and the Atlantic. Two Oceans is an easy-drinking and very versatile range of food-friendly varietal and blended red and white wines. Accessibly styled, the brand exemplifies South Africa’s friendly, relaxed and café orientated lifestyle.

Two Oceans’ winemakers work closely with a team of viticulturists who ensure vineyards are ideally located to produce concentrated fruit flavours. To ensure the finest quality, all grapes are sourced from premier vineyards within the Cape’s Coastal region, where a temperate climate prevails. Vineyards are cooled in summer by day-time maritime breezes from both oceans and a drop in night-time temperatures, allowing grapes to ripen slowly, which promote flavour intensity.

This wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) and Merlot (45%).

An ideal companion to most red meat dishes.

The Two Oceans Semillon Chardonnay

Winemaker Kobus Gerber says the crisp, lemony notes and creamy flavours of the semillon are beautifully balanced by the citrus character of the chardonnay to make for a full-bodied, mouth-filling wine.

This Distell label takes its name from the two great oceans that converge at the Cape, the Indian and the Atlantic. The Cape’s Coastal region enjoys a temperate climate, cooled by day-time maritime breezes from both oceans and a drop in night-time temperatures to allow grapes to ripen slowly. In addition, the moderate humidity means vines are far less prone to disease than in areas with higher moisture levels.

To ensure the finest quality, grapes are sourced from vineyards in cool growing areas. The winemaker works very closely with a team of viticulturists and he closely supervises pruning, suckering and canopy management practices for optimal crop yield. During the ripening season the grapes are tasted daily for ripeness and also chemically analysed to ensure they are picked when varietal flavours are most concentrated, tannins are ripe and there is a good balance between fruit and acid.

This wine is made from a blend of 57% Semillon, 43% Chardonnay

Pictures and notes from www.wine.co.za-- the virtual home of South African wine. Visit the website, and read more about our featured wines for this post.

If you'd like to have your own wine-tasting party at home, you can go right ahead and check out the wines from Future Trade International's portfolio. You can go ahead and get yourselves some wines from the Two Oceans, Nederburg and Fleur du Cap labels. FTI has a wide range of wines that can sell as low as P175 per bottle to as much as P17,500 per bottle. You may call them up at (+632) 671.8694 or 671.8434, or you can check out their website for more information.

Cheers, everyone!

Lunch at Bamboo Beach

Me and a whole bunch of bloggers had the pleasure of checking out Kawayan Cove- this sweet little exclusive seaside community being developed by Edge Properties on a forested shoreline down in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Before I get down to the delicious details of the amazing lunch they had prepared for us down in Kawayan Cove's very own Bamboo Beach, allow me to just fill you in on what was in store for us for our visit that day.

It's a property worth checking out, particularly if you're seriously into real estate, and even more so if you're looking to get a piece of tranquil beachfront property for yourself. Check out Kawayan Cove's official website here.

It was a fun visit with fellow bloggers; the Puyat family was there to give us the grand tour of the place, joined by food and travel blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet who was also there to give us useful tips and pointers on taking better pictures for our blogs.

Despite the light rains, we managed to get a good look at Kawayan Cove, and were able to take quite a lot of pictures. As for me, well, I took a lot of pics of one of the most awesome lunches I've had in a while.

The Bamboo Beach Beachside Banquet

Well, at least that's what I thought I'd call it- even as Anton was doing his talk on Food & Travel Photography, the staff of Kawayan Cove were already whipping up a storm. Right behind us, they were roasting seafood and chicken over some hot coals. Fortunately, it wasn't long until we had lunch going on.

There was plenty for everybody- so much food that you didn't know where to start. It's hard to miss the lechon- pig roasted Philippine-style- ready for carving right next to the grill.

And even as we were going around taking pictures of the food (bloggers that we all were!), the Kawayan Cove staff was serving us these crabs in garlic and coconut right next to our individual plates.

Right after taking a lot of these sweet pics, a lot of us started off at the grill, where there were skewers of shrimp and squid, as well as some grilled tilapia and these huge fish they were serving up as they came out of the coals. I took a few of the skewers and a tilapia for myself before hopping on to the next table, where some bloggers were helping themselves to some tinola- a chicken ginger stew with vegetables.

This particular tinola had a special twist, as it some coconut juice and fruit mixed instead of the usual green papaya or chayote. Needless to say, it tasted great, and made for a good start for our hearty lunch.

It seems everyone had some of the roasted chicken- I had two pieces myself. And on the serving table right next to it, were a variety of side-dishes that go well with either the chicken, roast pig or the crabs.

We had these green mango slices, which you usually eat with bagoong- a potent salty-sweet shrimp paste Filipinos use on a lot of dishes. There was also a pot of achara- Philippine pickled vegetables, and a salad of salted eggs and tomatoes.

There were a couple of kangkong (Philippine water spinach) dishes, one served as a salad with sliced onions and tomatoes, and then there was my favorite- kangkong stalks stir-fried in a light coconut milk sauce.

Naturally, there was lots of rice to go with all that food- but I skipped on it, opting to go low-carb for the day. I also skipped out on most of this huge roasted fish that graced the table- only getting a small slice from its side.

While there was dessert served after the meal, I was so stuffed that I decided to pass on it. Also, my fingers had crab-juice all over them, so I couldn't take any more pictures until I washed my hands. I helped myself to this very welcoming bowl of fruit right after that heavy lunch.

Now that was a good lunch, made even better as we were bonding with fellow bloggers, as well as with the Puyat family, who were even showing us old pictures of them when they were young and hanging out at this very same beach.

Needless to say, the food was great. The staff of Kawayan Cove were on hand to clear out the plates, keep the drinks coming, and hand out warm towels right after we were done with the fish and crabs. Excellent service on their end, and you have to give them props for that.

Special thanks to Mr. Joey Puyat and everyone in the Puyat family who joined us that day for being such gracious hosts; they were all there to welcome us, show us around Kawayan Cove, and pretty much made us feel right at home.

Also, thanks and shout-out to fellow blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet- for giving us some tips on how to be better photo-bloggers. Last but not least, thanks to our friends from Geiser-Maclang for making it all happen.

Cheers, everyone!

Secret Passion Apple Pie: All I Need Now is Some Vanilla Ice Cream

There's some Apple Crumble Pie in my fridge- and I can't wait to have me some of that. Doesn't that baby look gorgeous? Mmm-mm!

I dropped by Rockwell Powerplant last Sunday- nothing special, just the usual Sunday dinner and groceries- and I was delightfully surprised to find a cake fair going on downstairs. There were maybe ten or twelve cake and pastry merchants set up right in the middle of the busy concourse level, with people crowding around the stalls, helping themselves to some free samples, then taking away whatever baked goodies they fancied.

One of these stalls had among other things, this impressive-looking Apple Crumble Pie (as you can see), as well as other baked goodies. They said they used to be known as Tiny Blessings, mainly because they started out with small, home-made goodies like cookies, cheesecakes and other sweet treats. But with the massive apple pie that turned out to be a surprise best-seller for them, they decided to rename themselves as Secret Passion.

Secret Passion cakes are baked using only the finest and purest natural ingredients- much better than your regular mass-produced, mass-market cakes. I might come back for their Quezo de Bola Taisan. Or any of their cheesecakes. Or cookies. So many goodies, so little tummy space.

In any case, I recommend you get in touch with Tin of Secret Passion, and ask for a menu of their cakes, pies and other baked goodies, right here on their Multiply site. They also have other dishes you might want to try out if you're not into sweets- try their Beef Caldereta, the Penne Shrimp in Olive Oil, or the Lemon Roast Chicken, among others.

Go give em a call at (+632) 571.2384 or (+63917) 700.5659.

As for me, I gotta get me a tub of vanilla ice cream to go with my Apple Crumble Pie!

Cheers, everyone!

So Long, and Thanks for all the Buttercake!

I had the chance to check out this exclusive residential community in Nasugbu, Batangas just last week. Kawayan Cove is definitely a place worth checking out, particularly more so if you're seriously shopping around for some Philippine real estate.

Read up on some of the highlights of my visit (along with other bloggers)- you could check out my other blog, "The Life & Times of the Renzie Man" for my stories on Kawayan Cove. Of course there are other related blog posts to that article as well, which you might want to read up on as well.

In a nutshell though, our little field excursion to Nasugbu, Batangas was quite an experience. Kawayan Cove is absolutely breathtaking, and the Puyat family was on site to not just welcome us, but also to show us around- so they gave us a tour, shared stories about the place and some insights on how they chose to develop this forested beachfront property in a certain way. All that over a hearty lunch (which I'll be writing about in a bit), while leisurely lounging on the serene, white-sanded comfort of Bamboo Beach.

Anyway, I'm actually writing this post to rave about the little parting gift the Puyats sent us home with at the end of the fun tour they put together for us that day: the Kawayan Cove Buttercakes.

Well, at least that's what I thought I'd call them. These quaint little buttercakes, as it turned out, were made from an old Puyat family poundcake recipe, which they give out during Christmas time to share with family and friends.

They're light, fluffy, and incredibly delicious. On the way home, I've already noticed some of my fellow bloggers wolfing them down on the bus. I didn't realize how good they tasted until I got home to take my first buttercake out of the cute wicker packaging.

My girlfriend actually liked them so much better than my pasalubongs. You guessed it- we had really gone to town on those buttercakes. Fortunately, Mr. Puyat gave me a second box of those delicious poundcakes. That box is already marked for termination- I'm going to have them for snacks right after I publish this blog entry.

Special thanks to Mr. Joey Puyat and everyone in the Puyat family who joined us that day for being such gracious hosts; they were all there to welcome us, show us around Kawayan Cove, and pretty much made us feel right at home. I particularly have to also mention what excellent service we got from the Kawayan Cove staff- everyone who was there was well-looked after.

Also, thanks and shout-out to fellow blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet- for giving us some tips on how to be better photo-bloggers. Last but not least, thanks to our friends from Geiser-Maclang for making it all happen.

Cheers, everyone!

A Leisurely Lunch at Linden Suites

Having been a radio executive for several years, laid-back leisurely lunches weren't a common thing at all. In fact, you usually would want to have your lunch (or any meal for that matter) as quickly as possible since you're chasing deadlines, media buyers and account executives most of the time.

As some of you already know from reading my blogs, I'm more of a work-at-home advocate and online entrepreneur these days. Which means a great deal of flexibility- so when a good friend of mine, Kristine, called for a lunch meeting to toss a few ideas around, I was pretty much good to go.

We had lunch at the Azzurro Bistro and Bar, at the second level of The Linden Suites in Ortigas Center. It isn't my first time at Azzurro. Whenever I'd come to Linden Suites, whether for meetings, or for business, or when I'm checked in, I always make it a point to visit Azzurro.

Kristine and I started off with some appetizers- we had the Mushroom Bruschetta. Creamed shiitake and button mushrooms topped with Serrano ham.

I also had a serving of pumpkin soup. Specifically, this is Azzurro's Cream of Roasted Pumpkin & Root Vegetables. It's a light cream soup of pumpkin, carrots and onion pureed just nicely in chicken stock.

For my main course, I had the Herb-roasted Chicken. A tender roasted spring chicken with olive oil on a bed of mashed potato and contemporary Mediterranean ratatouille.

It was a very hearty, leisurely lunch- the setting was very conducive for tossing a few good ideas around, with lots of good conversation over good food. I'm sure glad we had this meeting.

If you haven't yet, go head on over to Azzurro at the Linden Suites. The restaurant itself is at the second level, and on top of a pretty solid menu, they always have something going on. Check out Azzurro's Multiply page for their menu, special events and ongoing promotions.

As for The Linden Suites, they're located at #37 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center in Pasig City. The Linden Suites are managed and operated by Swiss Belhotel International, which is based in Hong Kong. For inquiries and reservations, you may reach them at (+632) 638.78.78.

Cheers, everyone!

Wine Appreciation 101 with Linley Shultz

from the Food & Wine notes of Renzie Baluyut.

“This place is very innovative,” says Linley Shultz, admiring the interiors of Cav. “What they’ve done with the wine bar is very innovative. I think it’s very good with breaking down barriers. Somebody can take a very small amount of wine and they’ll be confident to order a glass or a bottle. I think that’s fantastic innovation. The interior is quite contemporary. The menu looks wonderful. The wine cellar is beautiful, very elaborate and with lots of very good value for money as well as the most expensive hard to find wine.”

As some of you already know, I've just attended a wine-tasting lunch event at Cav (at the Bonifacio High Street), hosted by our good friends from Future Trade International. Our special guest for the afternoon was Linley Shultz, internationally-renowned winemaker, and general manager of Distell, Africa's leading producer and marketer of fine wines, spirits, ciders, and ready-to-drinks (RTDs).

And no, I didn't have Africa at the top of my list when wine comes to mind.

South Africa, actually. Turns out that some of the better New World wines come from Cape Town in South Africa. “The cold breeze flowing up fom the Antarctic and the Atlantic Ocean help cool down the whole of cape," Shultz explains. "This unique climate is what gives South Africa a much better quality grapes than you might expect from a lot of latitude vineyards. And climate is very important. Cooler climate tends to produce more delicate, more aromatic grapes.”

Shultz brought with him seven different South African wines for us to try out that afternoon: the Fleur Du Cap Chardonnay and the Fleur Du Cap Merlot Unfiltered, the Nederburg Pinotage, the Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc, and the Nederburg Special Late Harvest, and finally, the Two Oceans Semillon Chardonnay, and the Two Oceans Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.

Naturally, we helped ourselves to those fine wines, swishing them about and comparing how each one tastes, and actually putting words to our wine-drinking experience. Much of that note-taking and experimenting continued well into lunch, as the good people of Cav have prepared for us an exquisite four-course meal, which was carefully put together for us to appreciate with our wines.

Schultz had even gone as far as suggesting that you don’t always need to pair your reds with your meats. Indeed, half the fun of wine-tasting is discovering which foods go well with your Chardonnay, or with your Merlot. And yes, as it turns out, there actually is a difference.

"And it's not always about price too", as Stewart Dovey of Future Trade International was quick to point out. He explains that wine is a very personal thing. An expensive bottle worth Php200,000 might taste like piss to one person, who might actually praise a Php175 bottle as the best wine he's ever tasted.

Which is what a place like Cav is all about: you don't need to get an entire bottle for yourself right away. At Cav, you can get a modest sampling portion, just to see if it goes well with your individual taste. Then you can go ahead get more of that wine, or go ahead and sample several others from their innovative wine dispenser (that runs on specially-designed prepaid cards).

Overall, it was a memorable afternoon, very much deserving of praise and appreciation. Special thanks to our hosts for the afternoon: Stewart Dovey, Eric Kahn and Sally Co of Future Trade International. Much thanks to Jeremy Cheah and Linley Shultz of Distell, and Chef Markus Gfeller, and the staff of Cav.

Also gotta thank Maripet L. Poso, whose article on The Daily Tribune has helped me fill the gaps in my own notes.

Cav is located at the Bonifacio High Street, right across Mag:Net Cafe. Not only is it a great place to try all kinds of wine and immerse yourself in wine culture, it's also one of the better restaurants in town, with excellent food, and a comfortable ambience perfect for hanging out with old buddies, or for making new friends.

For the wines we had that afternoon with Linley Schultz, you can go right ahead and get yourselves some wines from the Two Oceans, Nederburg and Fleur du Cap labels from Future Trade International. FTI has a wide range of wines that can sell as low as P175 per bottle to as much as P17,500 per bottle. You may call them up at (+632) 671.8694 or 671.8434, or you can check out their website for more information.

Cheers, everyone!

Renzie Visits Cav at Bonifacio High Street

another fine food adventure with Renzie Baluyut.

I've always wondered what Cav was all about. I've attended quite a few events over at Mag:net Cafe in Bonifacio High Street, and I've always noticed Cav right across the street, but never had the chance to check it out until recently.

I have to thank guys for Future Trade International for inviting me over for lunch a few days ago to check out some of their wines.

Which is what Cav is really all about. Cav is a fairly new restaurant up in Bonifacio High Street, run by Swiss-born Chef Markus Gfeller (the 'G' is silent), that offers some rather sophisticated food, which I suppose is paired up with their wine recommendations.

The establishment also has a cafe area (where you can just hang out with your friends) and a wine bar (with quite an assortment of fine South African wines, just for the occasion). And then you have this interesting wine dispenser which allows you to sample wines with an easy touch of a button- so you can try out several tasting servings until you find the right wine for yourself.

As it turns out, the affair was a little luncheon get-together for Future Trade distributors, partners and clients, and there were only a few media-folk around, as much as I can tell. Nevertheless, we took the opportunity to check out Cav, and check out the wines freely flowing from the dispenser.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to drinking wines- it's something I just got into recently, so yeah, I might know something from what I've read, but I have no idea how to pair wines with food. Fortunately, the good people of Future Trade were on hand to share some tips and pointers, so half of the afternoon was more of an education in wine appreciation for me.

Also present was winemaker Linley Shultz, who welcomed the group and talked about the Two Oceans, Nederburg and Fleur du Cap wines we've been sipping and sampling all afternoon.

Lunch was served presently, and we started off with a Crab Meat & Avocado Tian on Chive Vichyssoise, this one paired with the Two Oceans Semillon Chardonnay.

For the main course, it was a choice between the Grilled Prawn on smokey Orzo with aged Balsamic Baby Harricots verts, which would be paired with the Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc, or the Coffee roasted Rack of Lamb with Pumpkin Puree and Black Olive Essence paired with some of Fleur Du Cap's Unfiltered Merlot.

Next, we were served some Aged Davao Goat Cheese, which was then paired with the Nederburg Special Late Harvest.

Capping off a pleasant lunch was some Orange Cheese Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream, which was also paired with the Nederburg Special Late Harvest.

Shout out to Mulong Torres for comparing notes with me over lunch. Special thanks to our hosts for the afternoon: Stewart Dovey, Eric Kahn and Sally Co of Future Trade International. Also there with us were Jeremy Cheah and Linley Shultz of Distell, and Chef Markus Gfeller of Cav.

If you'd like to have your own wine-tasting party at home, you can go right ahead and check out the wines from Future Trade International's portfolio. You can go ahead and get yourselves some wines from the Two Oceans, Nederburg and Fleur du Cap labels. FTI has a wide range of wines that can sell as low as P175 per bottle to as much as P17,500 per bottle. You may call them up at (+632) 671.8694 or 671.8434, or you can check out their website for more information.

Cheers, everyone!