Take Wine Guesswork Out at the Happy Living 30th Anniversary Wine Festival!

 

Have you ever gone into a wine shop and felt a little lost seeing all the kinds of wine on the rack? Me too. It is so complex, each bottle different and even sourced from a certain country, and certain regions. It's like it has its own personality, you get to know it by flavor, aroma, texture and taste. It also comes in various colors, can be mixed into a concoction. If you're up to it, there's a Wine Festival on June 15th at The Tent in Enderun at McKinley Hill, Taguig. With the theme “A Continuing Journey Across the World's Most Famous Wine Regions and Wineries", their goal is for you to learn how to identify the right one is for you.

This is part of Happy Living's celebration of their 30th Anniversary. They are importers and distributors of over 150 kinds of wines and spirits sourced from all over the world. 

Oh it's RED!

When dining, it's always there for a  lot of people. It's got strong, bolder flavors. It's also got tannin that makes it red, and gives it that certain mount feel. The wine festival will feature Arzuaga Reserva 2009 from Ribera del Duero of Spain which has won several awards, and will surely be appreciated at the event!

If you prefer WHITE

Ones I do like, are mostly white, light and bright. This is present in most flavors it gets, some fruity, sweet, a bit acidic especially Sauvignon blanc.

A crisp, elegant, and fresh white wine favorite is  sauvignon blanc, known for its bright acidity with vibrant flavors of fruits such as green apple, lime, and herbs. Sauvignon blanc drinkers are refreshing and expressive, unafraid to express themselves and their preferences. One that will be featured in the Happy Living Wine Festival is Lionel Osmin Villa Côte d'Argent Sauvignon Blanc 2022. It's a region known for being fresh, fruity and aromatic. A bit stronger is the chardonnay, and if you enjoy other flavor profiles, there are a lot of other things you can have on that date.  

Certainly Fun Sangria

There's nothing more fruity than a glass of sangria. Try the featured Lolea No1 on ground made from quality Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. With fruits infused, acids and spice, you'll be talking a lot during the event and love the options. Else, get Lolea No2 or Lolea No3 Brut, your Spanish friends would thank you.

If you're raring to go, get tickets via happylivingph.com today. Again, the event will happen on the 15th of June at The TENT at Enderun Colleges. There will be masterclasses available, but only limited seats (go get them while it's hot!). There are also over 150 wines and spirits to try at the venue, and it runs 4PM to 9PM. Get the tickets HERE. This is only for those 18 and older. See you there!

NOVOTEL Manila Araneta City Starts The Merriest Celebration for All

This Christmas is going to be a little different at Novotel Manila Araneta City as they start festivities and make this "The Merriest Celebration For All". At the lobby of the hotel, they set up one of the nicest trees last week and invited the media and special guests to sing Christmas carols and tell us what they have been doing in the past few years especially during the pandemic.

Hotel GM Maria Manlulu Garcia says "We at Novotel Manila Araneta City are truly excited to have you and your loved ones. This is the opportune time to be together and make lasting memories especially with family and friends. We will make sure Novotel throws the Merriest Celebration for All and become your home away from home."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bueno (@kumagcow)

At Food Exchange Manila, they will be having several specials including Holiday Sunday Brunch, Christmas Eve Dinner, Noche Buena, Christmas Day Brunch and Dinner, a New Years Eve Dinner Buffet and New Year's Day Brunch and Dinner Buffet. At the Monet Grand Ballroom, both Christmas Eve and the New Year's Eve Dinner Countdown (Glitz and Glamour theme) will have live entertainment, something the whole family would enjoy!

The 6th Manila will also offer the Merriest Party package to bring a less fuzz and more enjoyment for your celebrations on these dates. Their crowd favorite Indulge Gelato will also be dishing out new holiday creations like the Zuppa Inglese, Blue Snow and Torrone. For the Italian flair, they've got home made Panettone in Dark Chocolate Raisin and Ube varieties that you can take home, and enjoy with a cup of coffee at home. Don't forget the Macarons, and Bacarons, it'll be a lovely way to end your holiday runs. They do that quite excellently. Novotel Manila Araneta City also offers holiday hampers via Take Me Out by Novotel so you don't have to worry about gifting family or friends as the selections are a sight to behold.

Staying at Novotel Manila Araneta City also have special rates, even better if you are AccorPlus members. Give them a ring or email if you want to be part of that too. If you have kids in tow, they have holiday activities for them while you enjoy the gym or InBalance Spa for a little pampering.  

During the event, they had the executive from J. Amado Araneta Foundation Inc. go in front to talk about their organization. He was also presented with a donation, from all the employees of Novotel Manila Araneta City. He says "More than the monetary value that they shared, it's the gesture and sacrifice they gave for giving their own vacation and leave credits for the benefit of the communities, programs we supervise." which was very touching to do. They also talked about the hardships they went through during the pandemic where the hotel and tourism industry was not spared. Their employees made sacrifices during those times to keep the business running, til they opened regular operations again. It was certainly inspiring to see that it was appreciated much to this day.

For folks that want to celebrate the holidays the Merriest Way for All, get in touch with Novotel Manila Araneta City through their social channels, their official website novotelmanilaaranetacity.com or call + 632 8 990 7888 to book a spot. They have the Merriest Celebration for All, and they do it while seriously inspiring us with these deeds.

Celebrate Pride Month with Globe

There's no other opportune time to celebrate freedom and self expression than this PRIDE month. Just like the colors of the pride flag, each one takes proper representation, so you can be yourself, and express in many ways without judgement of fear from any oppressor. Just like as Globe always says, "Atin ang Mundo!" (the world is ours!)

Make the celebrations worthwhile by getting involved in the community, join volunteer groups and participate in projects initiated by various LGBTQIA+ orgs and causes you believe in. Don't fret if you're single, the GlobeOne app has restaurant vouchers (if you try spinning the wheel) so you can date yourself at Kraver's Canteen, Flowerstore and more!

If all else fails and you don't wanna go out, have a party at home and stream Pride hits from Mother Monster Lady Gaga, Madonna (if you are not married by this time lol), or Cher if you're retired, I'm joking of course! Any track that makes you empowered, proud and eager to spread charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent would do.

If you want to spend the day with bae, go binge watch your favorite BL, GL or LGBTQIA+ series on Netflix, Viu, Amazon Prime or iQIYI. You can subscribe through Globe and watch KDrama series, Hollywood movies all day! Check this for starters https://shop.globe.com.ph/entertainment-subscriptions

Don't forget your LGBTQIA+ content creators on YouTube especially the local ones as they thrive on your support. Be it an ally or part of the community, there's so much love to spread around and it all starts with you!