A Date with d'Arenberg

Wine Depot had more food and wine moments with one of Australia's more humorous wineries - d'Arenberg. The dinner event featured 6 wines paired with 5 dishes prepared by the adventurous chefs at purple feet.

We were seated somewhere between tables named after d'Arenberg fun facts like "Footbolt" (the race horse that Joseph d'Arenberg sold to start his winery) and "Mclaren Vale" (where d’Arenberg vines are grown. Among the first wine regions in South Australia.)

Some snapshots of the evening...

Special prices for the Money Spider, d'Arry's Original Shiraz Grenache and Stump Jump GSM

The Galvo Garage, Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay and the Dead Arm Shiraz were also on sale!

 

All ready for a dinner feast... Alex, Lia, Grace and myself

Gian and Kalin

 Brett and Andy

Alex with Toby

  Apple melon mesclun salad topped with Atlantic Salmon Trout, chopped pistachios and drizzled with a green tea dressing. This first course was harmonized with a refreshing white - The Money Spider Roussane. It has fruity hits of melon and an influence of green tea.

Next was the Iberian pork loin on a bed of crispy arugula leaves with rhubarb cherry plum sauce, paired with the Stump Jump - an aromatic red filled with notes of peppercorn, dark cherries and plum.

 Lamb medallion drizzled with licorice coffee and plum jus, complemented by a glass of d'Arry's Original Grenache.

 Toasting to good eats!

  Gourmands, Lalay and Jojie

More satisfied guests, Marly Laraya and Beng Abella

A duet of grain fed beef and Wagyu medallion smoked in tobacco leaves. Chocolate, wild mushroom and mint, and truffle sauce top this succulent dish. The Galvo Garage Cabernet Sauvignon and the award-winning Dead Arm Shiraz bring out the smoky, meaty taste perfectly.

the finale - buttered peach, green apple and orange rind crepe with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and butterscotch glaze. It's made even more sinful by the Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay which is packed bold, sweet flavors of marmalade, cumquat, ripe peach and orange butter.

 Good job, Chef Marco!

Looking forward to the next Garden Party with wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State!

THE COLD, SPARKLING TRUTH ABOUT CHAMPAGNE...

European Union law, as well as laws in different parts of the globe, states that only sparkling white wine produced from the actual Champagne region in France can legally be called “Champagne.” Rightly so, the next time you’re scouring the aisles for a good bottle of bubbly, remember that there may just be a reason for this. Within the viticultural boundaries of this historic province are sparkling wines made so exceptional, they just had to name it differently.

Duval-Leroy, a Champagne carried by the Philippines’ biggest wine distributor – Wine Depot, is one of the few remaining 100% family-owned Champagne firms. It is located in the heart of “La Cote des Blancs” – one of only five districts that make up the region. This Champagne house is ranked in the 15 top Champagne houses of the world and is the only Champagne to be included in the top 100 wines of Wine Spectator in 2008.

But perhaps the most powerful testament to its quality is its presence in most Michelin Star restaurants, as well as its status as the preferred Champagne of Michelin Star Chefs. Even some thousands of feet above ground, airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa, Aeroflot, Austrian Airlines, Eva Airways, Singapore Airline and Air Mauritius fancy Duval-Leroy in-flight.

Any takers? Join Wine Depot as it embarks on a Champagne pairing of a different sort. Champagne D’Orient extols the virtues of Cantonese specialties with Duval-Leroy at the New World Hotel’s Jasmine Restaurant this April. For more details, got to www.winedepot.com.ph

Hunter Valley Wines, Tapas Nights and Sunset Cruises... Good times!

Jock Tulloch of the family-owned Tulloch Winery of Australia, joined us at Wine Depot last weekend for some Cellar Door-style tasting at the Mandarin Hotel - One-on-One with Jock. The next day, it was all aboard the Rogue Summer Lifestyle Expo at the bay for the sunset cruise. 

For both events, though very different from each other, it seemed like the perfect hand accessory was an ice-cold glass of the very drinkable Tulloch Verdelho wine - fast becoming my favorite summer swig.

At the Tapas Night at the Mandarin Deli. 

Laid back vibe, superb food and overflowing drinks (care of Jock who went around pouring wine).
  

 The menu... a mouthwatering cornucopia of the best cold cuts, cheeses and deli items from Gourmet Depot, prepared by the talented chefs of the Mandarin.

One whole pata negra was the star of the buffet. Known as Jamon Iberico, it's the most premium Spanish ham you'll ever find - comes from the elusive black-hooved boars that have fed only on acorns.

also from the Iberian pig breed - Chorizo, Lomo, Morcon and Salcichon Iberico

 the tomahawk... a kilo of meat in one bone.

cheese...

and more cheese

some dessert... melt-in-your-mouth creme brulee

mini brazos

  Dry Red Shiraz and Cab Sauvignon from Tulloch

acoustics 

 Francis, Marie, Jock and Jaime Ugarte

Brett Tolhurst and Hazel (third from left) with Mr. and Mrs. Brett Marshall

Jock, myself, Alex, Grace, Joy, Lia and Anne

Although we had a late night, we still made it to the SEA EXPO the next day:)
destination: One Esplanade near Mall of Asia

at the entrance, a bevvy of boats and other water sporting equipment 

 We watched pro wakeboarders do stunts outside

but mostly we stayed at the Executive Lounge - a cool respite from the heat... It was open bar on wines, Santa Vittoria sodas and iced tea, sponsored by Wine Depot.

We also served gourmet coffee from Vittoria all day. I learned how to make real Capuccino and Latte!

Tulloch wines for tasting

other bottles we drank...

Then it was off to the boat for the sunset cruise with Rogue!

Just in time for the magic hour

Rogue's Katz Tuason-Cruz and Jock

then here with Olivier of BluInc and Jimmy Tarnate of BDO

More snapshots of our ride...

we didn't mind drinking from plastic cups... 

smile!

the afterparty

'Til next year for the SEA EXPO! And see you on October, Jock, for Toast!
Here's a little video of Jock inviting everyone to the biggest WINE FESTIVAL in the country...

A Good Year for De Bortoli Wines

We recently had a member's tasting for De Bortoli Wines because it's been nabbing accolades left and right - most impressively the QUAFF 2010 recognition of WINERY OF THE YEAR!

The brand carries the Windy Peak Variety which we showcased in all 3 stores, as well as the notoriously famous Noble One!

The Prime Minister of Australia actually gave 6 of these little bottles to the Pope last year when he visited. It's amazingly sweet, almost sticky... but definitely something to try. As I write this, I even just received an email saying that the Noble One Semillon 2006 won the Premium Gold Title at The Berlin Wine Trophy - the highest honor. This has been held for the fourth time under the patronage of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). A competition that's known to subject competing wines to the highest quality standards.

Maker of Wild Wine Decanter likes our blog!

Cheers! We've officially gone international! Guess who's reading this blog in the far reaches of the globe? My officemate in Wine Depot, Alex, came across a site which actually features a link to THE CORNER DEPOT blog! We thought we could return the favor and share with you the cool creations of this French Sculptor - Etienne Meneau. He has been designing some cool carafes for wines.

http://the-strange-decanter.blogspot.com/

A carafe, by definition, is a container for serving hot or cold beverages, while a decanter is one that's strictly for wine and other alcoholic beverages. The reason for the existence of a decanter is that it was used to separate a small amount of wine from the original container which contained sediments - thus its name. But because bottlers are now producing filtered, clear wines, these vessels are now just useful for letting wine BREATHE. Aerating wine lets you get a good whiff of its aromas and softens its tannins... the same concept behind the swirling of the glass.

Serve your favorite Wine Depot Wine in one of these babies!

This one's called Big Heart.

Leave Etienne a message if you want to avail of one of these limited edition designs.