I was fortunate enough to be invited as a guest to a board meeting of the Philippine Branch of the International Wine and Food Society which was held at the Summer Palace of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. Hosting was Oscar Ong who put together the menu and provided nearly all the wine.
During the meeting proper before the dinner, we sipped Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Rose Champagne NV. The color is a very light tinge of old rose. Fresh and bright with a good deal of fruit. As it warmed up, just a little bit of coffee also made an appearance. Very good, easy to drink Champagne.
After disposing of the business at hand, we proceeded to the dinner proper. More whites were served as the menu was mostly seafood.
Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2006 - Quite pale. Mandarin orange on the nose with some well-judged oak to give it depth. Good fruit. A very well-balanced wine with a warm, long finish. This was served with the appetizers of cold fresh scallops in mango boat, fried king prawn ball coated with cornflakes, and fried seafood roll in wasabi sauce. The scallop was a little too spicy for the wine but it went quite well with the other two dishes despite the wasabi. The prawn ball in cornflakes may have looked a little strange as the cornflakes were not crushed and looked like they came straight from the box but I thought the dish was very successful.
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2004 - Lovely, baby powder and cologne nose. Silky with lots of depth. Young but already showing very well. Good length on the dry finish. The silkiness of this wine mirrored the texture of the braised shark's fin soup "Chef Tony Style."
Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Le Clos 1997 - Light yellow. Muted nose. Stony wine with vibrant acidity on the firm finish. Elegant and understated. I did not find it too successful a match with the braised abalone with tofu as the dish had a strong fishy element to it which unfortunately overwhelmed the wine.
Domaine de Chevalier 2002 - Our first red paired with fried pork chop in satay sauce. Light and savory, beautiful, classic nose. Good length, dry and elegant. Stones, earth, mineral. Leather, dried fruit and herbs. Quite complex and very appetizing. Showing very well now.
Domaine Ostertag Grand Cru Muenchberg Pinot Gris 2002 - Back to white for the poached codfish with spinach wich paired successfully with this white. Orange and pineapple flavors. A lean, more high-toned style of Pinot Gris with quite a bit of acidity. There's a bit of sweetness which provides a some weight. Very good and built for pairing with food. Surprisingly, this wine also went very nicely with the last dish - Beef Steak with Fried Udon.
Pavilion Rouge du Chateau Margaux 1995 - Our last wine paired with Beef Steak with Fried Udon. Leather-bound books, classic pencil-shavings nose. Dense fruit. Lots of depth and flavor. Plum, sweet, ripe fruit. Soft tannins on the dry finish. Complex and many-layered, this is a profound wine that has many years ahead of it but is drinking very well now. Excellent.
Many thanks to Oscar for inviting me.