Champagne D'Orient

Champagne and Cantonese cuisine? Not the first thing you'll think of having together. But with the success of Duval Leroy Champagne's pairing with delicious Chinese fare, I wouldn't be surprised if I actually see more and more of this East-meets-West inspired combination everywhere, in the near future. Wine Depot and New World Hotel's joint event - Champagne D'Orient gave guests a serendipitous taste of this match made in heaven.

 

Magnum bottles on display are to be raffled off to lucky buyers of Duval Leroy bottles.

 Four buffet stations were created in the theme of the elements to complement the four varietals of Duval Leroy Champagne. First stop, Brut gets harmonized with appetizers in the WIND buffet.

 Long spring rolls

Green lotus root with chili

 Pang Pang Chicken

For the second station, Earth, Chardonnay was poured to harmonized with a sumptuous dim sum spread under a lush tree.

Barbecued pork roll

Bean curd rolls with shrimp

FIRE brought together various preparations for duck that lent itself well to the Rose de Saignee.

Duck carving station

In the element of WATER, desserts were made more mouthwatering with a glass of the sweet Demi Sec. 

Sticky and sweet pumpkin tarts

Refreshing melon bits in watermelon

Jasmine's specialty, chocolate dumplings toasted with nuts

The Chef taking pride in his creations

Our guests...Selina Gecolea and Robert Suntay

Miguel Aboitiz with wife Barbara show off their Duval Leroy cookbook- a token for guests

The man of Duval Leroy, Thomas Begault, here with New World's General Manager Farid Schoucair

Regina Guanco and Dolor Cortez flank Thomas

Johnson and Joy Ongking with Hazel Tolhurst

Lia Bernardo with Elias Guerrero and Judith Juntilla of High Life

Lalay Atilano and Jojie Atienza

Wine Depot's Anne Tibayan and Grace Miranda

SIPS & STILETTOS WITH DUVAL LEROY

We recently gathered 20 "well-heeled" and very curious females in an intimate ladies-only Champagne tasting at Wine Depot, Alabang. Thomas Begault of the house of Duval Leroy, one of the only few remaining family owned Champagne makers in France came for a visit and poured the Champagne famous the world over for being the choice of Michelin Star Chefs and restaurants. 

  Thomas and the ladies. (Clockwise L-R) Sylvia Alejandro, Mongsie Wulff,Tina Fiedler, Angie Laborte, Natalie Chifton, Butch Lopez and Sonia Rodriguez. 

The Champagne: Duval Leroy Brut, Chardonnay, Rose de Saignee, and Demi Sec

The winemaker tells the interesting story of each bottle poured

 Of course, nothing less than delicious pairings for the bubblies known for its gastronomic qualities. Foie Gras and sweet onion pate to complement the Demi Sec.

 Salmon lemon and caviar crespelle

 Vegetable Salad Roll

Stuffed mushroom with stilton and dark chocolate

 Margaret Davies and Natalie Chifton enjoy the sweet Demi Sec

 Natalie Buijs, Dina Hourihan and Wakanyi Hoffman

 Josephine Melrose, Stephanie Linguist, Marilyn Duncan Webb and Sarah Benerle share a toast

Til the next ladies event, we're going to keep these bottles nice and chilled.

Will this Duval Leroy Magnum Bottle Be Yours?

Raffle Draw on May 8. Visit the Wine Depot Branch nearest your neighborhood.

MEAT THE BUTCHER

Because knowing how to buy premium, good quality meat (with all the options available today) can feel like rocket science to people like me, I'm excited to attend this workshop! There's going to be a cooking workshop as well so don't miss it. Best of all, it's FREE!

Why Arzuaga Wines Are In the Inquirer

 Arzuaga goes Club Punta Fuego

I recently blogged about the Arzuaga Dinner we had at Red, Makati Shangri-La, where I talked about Arzuaga's Pago Florentino. Since my first taste of it, I can seriously, honestly say that if there was only one wine I had to drink with the most succulent Wagyu beef or Iberian Porkloin, it would be the Pago. It's not the winery's most expensive wine but during the dinner, we had so many requests for boxes and boxes of it to be signed by the winemaker.

I'm not going to elaborate why here but you have to try it for yourself -- especially those who are NOT wine experts like me. It makes you understand why some wine and food really pair well together. Get it exclusively at Wine Depot.

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!