The wines at the winesandspiritsclub-philippines.com dinner

Talking of on-line membership clubs, the members of winesandspiritsclub-philippines.com would not give up their pioneer status because of all of the fun dining expeditions that have already been shared. As a member, I’ve never had a bad drink, much less a bad dish, due to the care and attention to detail of each and every event organizer.

Closing the year with this article is truly apt column as the pleasures have escalated to a high degree of brotherhood on and off the table. Our year-end dinner was well organized by Aaron Palileo’s group called ADP. This is the same group that offers medium-priced specialty products on the supermarket shelf such as Rene Barbier, Freixenet, and the Cidacos line of sundries. They are now going into French and Argentinian wines aside from a solid Spanish line.

Before dinner, we had a vibrant and cheery Freixenet primer cuvee, which had fragrant custard and cologne notes with subtle apple and citrus hints. I literally had thirds of this luscious cava, which I preferred to the more pomegranate-tasting Freixenet Rosado Reserva that seemed to be the favorite of the other members. We nibbled on creamy croquettes, flaky pastry bocaditos filled with chorizo Pamplona, and sliced aged gouda.

Pushing the tapas theme as everyone was seated, a flight of small dishes was served. We started with large stalks of Cidacos white asparagus gratin that went well with the acidity and green sour apple notes of the Vionta Albariño 2008. This also softened the traditional fried olives and almonds with a hint of citrus. With the mejillones con tigre or mussels in spiced tomato puree, we found that the sauce had a rounder flavor. The light gaminess of the tripe in the callos and lengua con cetas were tempered by the greenness of this Albariño.

The meats also went very well with our second wine in between pieces of crusty, hand-torn, and freshly-baked, wood-fired pan de sal. This second wine was a Rene Barbier Gran Reserva 1999, a leafy, milk chocolate tempranillo (I recommend this as a buy now wine especially for Valentines) that delivers a soft, medium-bodied style at its very peak. There is a whimsical or maybe mysterious note of liquorice and sarsaparilla beneath the red and dark forest berries.

For the soup of simmered bacalao and tender Cidacos white beans that are buttery and meltingly soft was a Chateau Trimoulet Saint-Emilion Gran Cru 2005, which in the last minute was suitable as the second to the last wine. It was a great judgement call because the soft, woody, spicy, tart red had pomegranate and other red fruits that seem to connote a new world style and stood up to the bacalao. It also went well with the salinity of the seafood in the fideua of Gallo Meccheroni in sauce romesco. ADP’s Spanish pasta, the Gallo, was cooked paella style and the complexity of tomato, saffron, pepper and olive oil needed some sturdiness in the wine.

For the main course, a Chateau Preuillac Medoc 2005, newly imported by Aaron, seemed to soften with its tannins when combined with the charred lamb and lentil salad sauced with fresh green peppercorns and demi glace. The wine’s oakiness already hints of peach skins but it needs a little more time to soften.

For dessert, a creatively made Orion ice cream bombe made from Korean Orion chocolate covered marsmallow biscuits  presented flowing with a toasted Italian meringue exterior was served with a spicy Chateau Romer Grand Cru Classe Sauternes 2005.  The wine had lots of saffron on the nose and some burnt rubber. This wine also needs little time, maybe to get it to the golden side to develop fruits and some caramel or toffee notes.

You can email me at  cafeysabel@mydestiny.net.