We're sensing that you're about to attend a lot of parties in the upcoming months. We're going to skip the niceties and tell you to forget the casserole and just bring a bottle of wine. Wine is painless, effortless, and a bottle of three will get everyone in a holiday mood.
But what's the best wine to bring to a party? Read on.
Aside from being the perfect venue to get properly smashed and subliminally educated, the 19th Grand Wine Experience acts as an elaborate showcase of the best bottles for the holidays. There's really no better place to sniff out your next holiday potluck offering. (By the way, make sure you know how to pair wines with your food like a pro.)
For this year's staging of Philippine Wine Merchants’ The Grand Wine Experience at Marriott Manila on November 15, attendees are expecting bigger and better. And every year, the family-run chain of Ralph’s Wines and Spirits delivers with an evening of unadulterated merrymaking.
“We don’t really want to use the word ‘debauchery,’” says Robi Joseph, Experience Director of Philippine Wine Merchants, but it truly is just that. This year, attendees should brace themselves for 700 different bottles of wines, premium
This nod toward family and tradition blends nicely into this year’s theme, “generations.” From the rich history of the winemaking families in both the Old and New Worlds to the Joseph family’s dedication to the company and each other, we raise our glasses to the ties that bind.
And since we’re talking about the coming together of loved ones in the spirit of camaraderie, we want to ensure that your good times with family and friends are not tainted by bad drink. I mean, these once-a-year family gatherings and office party dance numbers are painful enough, correct?
We sampled a handful of Philippine Wine Merchants’ fine selection, along with second-generation libations purveyor Jorge Joseph’s personal recommendations for bottles that you can confidently bring to your holiday celebrations. This way you can be sure that the only poor choices you will make involve breaking your intermittent fasting with a drunken food delivery order.
1| Frexeinet Ellysia Pinot Noir Rosado Brut
Made of 85 percent Pinot noir grape, this dry cava is definitely both beauty and substance. The dusky dark berry notes are highlighted by bright citrus and a crisp, mouth-watering finish. We imagine it would go well with fancy seafood canapés or just enjoyed on its own to smoothen out tensions at family affairs.
2| Weingut Reinhold Haart “Haart to Heart” Mosel Riesling
The label alone—a gold band trimmed with pretty flowers and a dainty heart—is enough to earn this riesling a place on any holiday table. The pleasant minerality that is characteristic of dry rieslings is gently rounded out by golden honey notes at its tail end. This lovely white wine holds its ground with rich, eggy pasta dishes and provides a nice contrast to the earthiness of mushrooms. Also suitable for just getting completely smashed.
3| Montes Alpha Special Cuvée Pinot Noir
Heftier than your typical Burgundy, this Chilean Pinot Noir comes with an endearing bite. The fragrant nose of cherries, raspberries, and dark plum are reinforced by smooth tannins and a distinctly long finish. It’s a beautiful wine that will impress your boss or hopefully calm down a hysterical aunt who was offended by your adamant refusal to try her lumpia.
4| Disznoko Tokaji Late Harvest Furmint
From the Tokaj region of Hungary (well-known and respected for its dessert wines), this affordable wine from Disznoko is just as lush and lovely as its pricier counterparts. Those sweet peach flavors are balanced out by a mild, fruity acidity that belies its honey aromas. We imagine that this wine will go perfectly with your mom’s famous rum cake or as an effective palate-cleanser after a satisfying backbiting session about 80 percent of your relatives.
