La Rosa Vino: From Pandemic Idea to Wine Haven in Maginhawa
For most of the pandemic, some of us were opening wine bottles and pouring ourselves a glass of red in front of the television. How else can you deal with a global crisis? But for marketing consultant-turned-entrepreneur Rose Abes, the world in paralysis gave her a lot of time to think about what's next: La Rosa Vino, a wine shop in Teachers' Village, Quezon City.
From Pandemic Idea to Wine Haven
"I came up with the idea ng La Rosa Vino during the pandemic. Iniisip ko how to transition my business to something profitable because I was a marketing consultant then. I was thinking [about] what to do with my life next because it's [the] pandemic, I don't know what to do. Then, one day, I was just drinking wine. I realized, okay, why not turn my passion and love for wine into something profitable? So, I started selling wines online. And then in [February] 2023, I started my first wine shop, which is La Rosa Vino," Abes told Esquire Philippines in an interview.
Abes' journey into the wine world began during the pandemic when she started selling wines online. By 2021, she had completed Level 2 of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification, a testament to her commitment to understanding and appreciating wine.
"It came to a point that I drink every day. Not because I'm alcoholic, but I just want to study wine. I want to study the product that I'm serving to every Filipino because I want to give credibility to my business," she explained.
ALSO READ
Why Filipinos Should Embrace the Natural Wine Style
This Is the Real Reason Filipinos Don't Drink Wine
Drinking, Dining, and Learning About Wine at La Rosa Vino
La Rosa Vino, located on the second floor of a low-rise commercial building along Maginhawa Street, is designed to be inviting and unpretentious. Unlike the dim, high-end wine bars typical in upscale areas, La Rosa Vino is well-lit and modern, reminiscent of a cozy nook where friends gather. The façade is nothing fancy, giving customers a hint that you don't really need to be all dressed up to wine and dine at the place. On the veranda are wooden tables and black steel chairs, where you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy a bottle you've chosen at the shop.
"Sometimes kasi, pag sa Makati, maraming wine spaces do'n, 'yung mga naka-coat. Welcome naman sila dito, pero dito, it's more relaxed. [We get] mostly professionals, or 'yung mga [in their] '60s na nagge-get-together."
Inside, there are over 100 brands of wine from different countries across five continents, categorized into Old World Wines and New World Wines. Each bottle is handpicked, ensuring that only the best quality wines are offered. Most of them you can't even find at local supermarkets.
Customers can buy wine at the shop as gifts or to take home for themselves, or to drink with their selection of cheese and cold cuts. And since Maginhawa is a food district, you can also buy your pika-pika at nearby stores and bring them to the La Rosa Vino—no corkage fee required.
Abes encourages customers to try different kinds of food with wine. It doesn't always have to be a charcuterie board, she quipped.
"If you eat something salty, like fried chicken from Jollibee or KFC, you can pair them with red wine. Salty food [goes] with red wine because red wine cuts through the saltiness of that food to balance its flavor. If you eat something sour like kilawin or sinigang, you can pair them with sparkling wines. But if you want to try something like pizza, like pepperoni pizza or cheese pizza, you can go with white wine. If it tastes good to you, just go with it," she says.
Advocating a no-frills appreciation of wine is all part of Abes' vision to make more Filipinos interested in wine.
"We're not just a wine shop, but we're also wine educators. We have staff who are also well-trained on the best wines to recommend. Once you enter here at La Rosa Vino, you can ask our staff. 'Okay, I want something white or something red, whatever.' We can recommend specific wines for you. But for example, if you're intimidated by wine but you just want to start appreciating it, once you go here, we'll ask you, 'What do you want? Do you want something from what country? What particular vintage?' We just want to know the customer first before we recommend a particular wine. Because at the end of the day, we want our customers to enjoy drinking wine, regardless of the price points or regardless of other wine biases," she explained.
Abes and her staff can also recommend wine for gifting, depending on the profile of the recipients. Gifts for bosses and C-suites would likely be from the premium shelves, for example. However, she also clarified the common misconception that the more expensive wine bottles taste better. There are bottles at La Vino that are below P1,000, but have great taste.
"At the end of the day, if masarap 'yung wine, e di go."
La Rosa Vino also holds wine appreciation classes combined with other activities. Abes has organized a Wine and Food Hop in Maginawa, which is basically a bar hop, except participants have eight different wines and food bites from four restaurants to enjoy throughout the afternoon. They also hold book club meet-ups or arts and crafts sessions in partnership with local groups.
"One of the reasons that I put up this shop is for people to have a safe space. Safe space with their friends or even if they just want to drink alone. At the same time, enjoy the company of their friends or whoever they're with. For me, wine is something that brings people together, something that connects people together. Because at the end of the day, it's not just about wine, but it's the connection you make while drinking wine with your friends or even by yourself," she says.
Watch our full interview with Rose Abes of La Rosa Vino here:
La Rosa Vino is at 96 Maginhawa Street, Teacher's Village, Diliman, Quezon City. It is open from Tuesday to Thursday, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and from Friday to Sunday, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
