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!

The Party Continues at Salvatore Cuomo & Bar Philippines

Joined a few friends in the blogging scape a few days ago at Salvatore Cuomo and Bar in GF Uptown Parade in BGC. It sits at the corner of 9th Avenue and 38th Street and is frequented by party goers this side of town. On Saturdays, DJ David Ardiente takes the lead and plays awesome songs that could be enjoyed by Millennials, Gen XYZ's and just about anyone who just wants to have fun.

Moscow Mule

Sangria

Espresso Martini

Aperol Spritz

Aside from the usual fare (of beer, wine and hard drinks), they've got really mean cocktails like Espresso Martini, Moscow Mule, Sangria, Aperol Spritz which you should definitely try.

I could picture this place as a launch pad for other bars around the area but I'm pretty sure after a few rounds of cocktails in this joint. you'll never want to leave and just enjoy the night with friends and family here.

Brushchetta Porchetta

Carpaccio

Now to make sure you don't drink with an empty stomach, they've got several pizzas and antipasti you can enjoy while you hold your cocktail on your other hand. It's a great conversation starter, there are several single people right across the bar for that. This place gets pretty packed on the weekends so make sure you get here a bit early if you have dining plans. They also have a really mean Truffle Pasta, I didn't get to see it on the table anymore because it was that good.

Don't be sad as it'll all be a blur when you get home (don't drink and drive of course!). This place has good food, good drinks, just bring the companions or see people there. Take the trip to one of the hottest spots in BGC, and make that night an epic one at Salvatore Cuomo and Bar.

Wine Love with Casillero del Diablo

I have always loved chilling a good ol bottle of wine and downing it with friends and family. Filipinos often love the sweet fruity type whilst I prefer the mildly stronger reds with notes and whites that have really good spice content on them. Now this was gifted to me a couple days ago and probably the first time I’m having Casillero del Diablo. I have had it during a post New Years Eve dinner and enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc much that when there were a few leftover wines, I thought of probably cooking with it.

If you’ve got good wine, cooking with it intensifies the flavors so I’ve decided to do a Coq Au Vin. Coq Au Vin simply means Chicken in Wine (it’s just a french fancy way of calling it) I have learned to cook this in a workshop I attended years ago and was surprised how relatively easy it was to do it.

In a pan simply put olive oil and about 3 table spoons of butter. Be careful not to burn the butter because it will taste weird in the dish. You put in a whole chicken or chop it in quarters, then brown all the sides until it turns golden. Don’t worry if you don’t cook it all the way because you’ll do it later. Take it off the pan and set it aside.

Put the chopped onions, carrots and celery in the same pan and saute it. If you’ve seen it cooked a bit and caramelized the onions, then pour the whole bottle of Casillero del Diablo and deglaze that pan. Make sure you take those brown things and scrape it because that’s where the flavor lies. Add a sprig of thyme and parsley then wait for the wine to reduce. A good Chef told me you should only use wine that YOU love to drink because what you will get in the end is a stronger version of it. When reduction occurs, put in the Chicken. If you see the chicken is not simmering, add chicken stock if you have some, else, just pour more water until it’s completely covered. Add potatoes and pearl onions (I have some bottled ones from France) then add the can of Tomato paste. Boil it again until the liquid reduces.

In a separate pot, blanch vegetables like carrots, brocolli, cauliflower. In a separate pan, put about half a stick of butter and melt it. Put fresh garlic, brown it a little then put in the veggies. Stir fry the vegetables and then place it on one side of the plate. Go back to your other pan and taste the sauce, adjust with salt and pepper if you see the need to do so. Arrange the chicken on the other side of the plate and season well (freshly cracked pepper will do wonders!) then pour the wine reduction on top of the chicken. This is your Coq Au Vin! Serve and enjoy!

For those who would have more Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc, Chef Sharwin Tee has his Spicy Mussel and Clam Binakol. Saute ginger, lemon grass in a pot with Olive Oil then add in Gochujang (chili paste). After a minute add in the mussels and clams plus a cup of Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc. Cover the pot until it cooks, it usually takes 2 minutes. Add enough coconut water and young coconut meat, when it boils turn off the heat. Garnish with basil and serve.

Red or White you’ll have to make sure your wine is good for drinking or cooking. Casillero del Diablo proves our point, it’s one of the wines distributed by http://www.flyacecorp.com so if you need some, you know where to go.

Cheers!

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!