agxo3 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 One tulog na lang! Let's have a party at Galerie Hans Brumann in 3F Greenbelt 5. Cocktails will be served at 6pm Sorry I had to miss yet another opening! Still working on getting that 2 week trip!!!! Don't think it will be this month - not enough weeks left to set up the trip. Quotes for the new project coming in from Taiwan at the end of next week, then at least 2 weeks to sort them out. It'll be July by the time I get out that way again! Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Happy Father's Day to all you fathers! It's the one day of the year when we get our way - well, at least we think we do! My wife and daughter too me out to the Napa Valley for the day. And what a day! Lots of good food and good wine - just my kind of celebration. We started with lunch in the town of Napa - a relatively new restaurant called Barber's Q. What's the specialty of the house? Why, barbeque, of course!!! I had the brisket and baby back ribs combo plate. Wow - I'm pretty good with teh grill and the smoker (as Storm can attest0, but these guys are GOOD! That brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender, nice beefy flavor not overwhelmed by the seasoning. Great spicy, slightly sweet, slightly vinegary sauce. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, with a really nice subtle chili-based sauce. no wine - it was a bit early in the day and we had Rubicon Estates all lined up. So the next stop was the Oxbow market in Napa, just to see what's there. It's a new place and we'd never been there before. Small, but some really nice shops and small food counters. Just the place for what my daughter called a food marathon. And, this being Napa, the wines was not to be forgotten. The Mondavi family has a wine/food shop there that has a really interesting selection of wines, not just their own wines. AND there's a wine and cheese place that has an amazing selection of French, Italian, Australian and California wines. And then there's the ice cream shop - it has the world's most expensive ice cream sundae - a mere $3,333.33 for a spectacular sundae. A large part of the proceeds go to a nature conservancy group, all for a good cause. And then the MORE EXPENSIVE, most expensive ice cream sunde. Served at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and a measly $60,000 ($85,000 for two), it includes first calss round trip airfare and accommodations in 5-star hotels all the way. Not for me! On to Rubicon Estates (formerly Niebaum-Coppola). Still owned by Francis Fod Coppola of Apocalypse Now, the Godfather movies, Dracula, etc, fame but dedicated solely to estate wines - that is, wines that come from grapes grown on the estate, and crushed, fermented, aged and bottled completely on the premises. Great tasting (free for members, and that's me!!!) - 2004 Blancaneaux (roussanne, mersault and viognier blend), great for a white, but I'm a red wine kinda guy. Then a 2004 Cask Cabernet - 100% cab. All I can say is - WOW! Great violet perfume on the nose, dark fruit with some plum, raisin and fig. Aggressive but smooth tannins. This will age another 10 years at least. But wait, there's more! A 2004 Cuvee Rutherford - also 100% cab, 28 months in the barrel. I thought the Cask was a wow - this was a DOUBLE wow! Round, smooth tannins, great fruit - dark red cherries and raspberries. A hint of earthiness. And for good measure, let's add the 2003 Rubicon. What a way to top off the tasting!!!! Silky, velvety, full bodied, well-integrated fruit and tannins. REady to drink, but will age a long, long time. But of course, I could not resist the library wines, so we had a 2003 Cab Franc (smooth, bright cherries, a hint of smoke and some some vanilla lurking in the back. AND - a 1988 Rubicon! Everything a Rubicon should be, but taken to the next level. Something to sit back, sip and enjoy. On to Turnbull to view the Edward and Brett Weston photo exhibit. For those of you who are photographers, you will know that Edward Weston is one of the pioneers of the craft, on a par with Ansel Adams. Great portraits. His son Brett is nto bad, but not as good as the father. Both are gond new, sadly, but their work lives on. But thw Turnbull wines are not too shabby! I tried the 2003 Sangiovese. Great barbeque wine - I think I'll open this during my annual July 4th burnt meat extravaganza. And then I also tried the Black Label cab - this will go down for another two years at least. I picked up two more wines with my wine shipment and how good they are remains to be seen. Finally, dinner at Terra in St. Helena. A Michelin one-star restaurant - and it really deserves it. My wife had the tempura shrimp and veggies with an ebi dashi sauce for a starter (the chef is Hiro Sono - a Japanese chef - so this was not surprising) and thesea bass with shrimp ravioli in a soy-based sauce. My daughter had a salad with fresh burrata to start and a medium-rare wagyu beef filet for dinner. I had pork, pork, and more pork. Started with a terrine of "pigs trotters" - aka pata, but not crispy. Hard to describe but it was heavenly! Dinner was a trio of pork - pork loin breaded and deep fried medium, seven-spice riblets, and a braised pork belly. Mmmmmmm. Wine was something I'd never had before - and it was a good choice! a 2001 Teroldego Rotoliano. A derivative of a Nero Amarone from Italy. A lot like a Sangiovese, but tending towards a syrah in heft and character. I have a bit more that I brought home and I will taste it again tomorrow night. A detailed tasting note tomorrow. For now - it's late, and I am tired. My belly is full. I gotta go sleep off this food and wine coma! Quote Link to comment
350zspec Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 merlot. ayaw ko mga novelinos ba yun? parang pang bata na wine Quote Link to comment
storm Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 (edited) Pareng Storm, CONGRATULATIONS! Sorry I could not be there much earlier to share in the wines! Nevertheless, your sculptures were truly pieces to behold! Thanks pareng Masi. I think Montes from Chile was served that night. Cheers for the next eb. Really regret not having made it to storm's exhibit opening night. I am sure it was a success and congrats pare. Barring any glitches, I will be there Wednesday night. Drinking this crappy wine tonight. Won't say its name because it used to have some miniscule lofty rep before. Dapat nag Yellow Tail na lang ulit ako, mas mura pa! cheers everyone! Hehehe. I saw your name on the guest book. Sorry I had to miss yet another opening! Still working on getting that 2 week trip!!!! Don't think it will be this month - not enough weeks left to set up the trip. Quotes for the new project coming in from Taiwan at the end of next week, then at least 2 weeks to sort them out. It'll be July by the time I get out that way again! Looking forward to seeing you again bro. Happy Father's Day to all you fathers! It's the one day of the year when we get our way - well, at least we think we do! My wife and daughter too me out to the Napa Valley for the day. And what a day! Lots of good food and good wine - just my kind of celebration. We started with lunch in the town of Napa - a relatively new restaurant called Barber's Q. What's the specialty of the house? Why, barbeque, of course!!! I had the brisket and baby back ribs combo plate. Wow - I'm pretty good with teh grill and the smoker (as Storm can attest0, but these guys are GOOD! That brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender, nice beefy flavor not overwhelmed by the seasoning. Great spicy, slightly sweet, slightly vinegary sauce. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, with a really nice subtle chili-based sauce. no wine - it was a bit early in the day and we had Rubicon Estates all lined up. So the next stop was the Oxbow market in Napa, just to see what's there. It's a new place and we'd never been there before. Small, but some really nice shops and small food counters. Just the place for what my daughter called a food marathon. And, this being Napa, the wines was not to be forgotten. The Mondavi family has a wine/food shop there that has a really interesting selection of wines, not just their own wines. AND there's a wine and cheese place that has an amazing selection of French, Italian, Australian and California wines. And then there's the ice cream shop - it has the world's most expensive ice cream sundae - a mere $3,333.33 for a spectacular sundae. A large part of the proceeds go to a nature conservancy group, all for a good cause. And then the MORE EXPENSIVE, most expensive ice cream sunde. Served at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and a measly $60,000 ($85,000 for two), it includes first calss round trip airfare and accommodations in 5-star hotels all the way. Not for me! On to Rubicon Estates (formerly Niebaum-Coppola). Still owned by Francis Fod Coppola of Apocalypse Now, the Godfather movies, Dracula, etc, fame but dedicated solely to estate wines - that is, wines that come from grapes grown on the estate, and crushed, fermented, aged and bottled completely on the premises. Great tasting (free for members, and that's me!!!) - 2004 Blancaneaux (roussanne, mersault and viognier blend), great for a white, but I'm a red wine kinda guy. Then a 2004 Cask Cabernet - 100% cab. All I can say is - WOW! Great violet perfume on the nose, dark fruit with some plum, raisin and fig. Aggressive but smooth tannins. This will age another 10 years at least. But wait, there's more! A 2004 Cuvee Rutherford - also 100% cab, 28 months in the barrel. I thought the Cask was a wow - this was a DOUBLE wow! Round, smooth tannins, great fruit - dark red cherries and raspberries. A hint of earthiness. And for good measure, let's add the 2003 Rubicon. What a way to top off the tasting!!!! Silky, velvety, full bodied, well-integrated fruit and tannins. REady to drink, but will age a long, long time. But of course, I could not resist the library wines, so we had a 2003 Cab Franc (smooth, bright cherries, a hint of smoke and some some vanilla lurking in the back. AND - a 1988 Rubicon! Everything a Rubicon should be, but taken to the next level. Something to sit back, sip and enjoy. On to Turnbull to view the Edward and Brett Weston photo exhibit. For those of you who are photographers, you will know that Edward Weston is one of the pioneers of the craft, on a par with Ansel Adams. Great portraits. His son Brett is nto bad, but not as good as the father. Both are gond new, sadly, but their work lives on. But thw Turnbull wines are not too shabby! I tried the 2003 Sangiovese. Great barbeque wine - I think I'll open this during my annual July 4th burnt meat extravaganza. And then I also tried the Black Label cab - this will go down for another two years at least. I picked up two more wines with my wine shipment and how good they are remains to be seen. Finally, dinner at Terra in St. Helena. A Michelin one-star restaurant - and it really deserves it. My wife had the tempura shrimp and veggies with an ebi dashi sauce for a starter (the chef is Hiro Sono - a Japanese chef - so this was not surprising) and thesea bass with shrimp ravioli in a soy-based sauce. My daughter had a salad with fresh burrata to start and a medium-rare wagyu beef filet for dinner. I had pork, pork, and more pork. Started with a terrine of "pigs trotters" - aka pata, but not crispy. Hard to describe but it was heavenly! Dinner was a trio of pork - pork loin breaded and deep fried medium, seven-spice riblets, and a braised pork belly. Mmmmmmm. Wine was something I'd never had before - and it was a good choice! a 2001 Teroldego Rotoliano. A derivative of a Nero Amarone from Italy. A lot like a Sangiovese, but tending towards a syrah in heft and character. I have a bit more that I brought home and I will taste it again tomorrow night. A detailed tasting note tomorrow. For now - it's late, and I am tired. My belly is full. I gotta go sleep off this food and wine coma! Naglaway talaga ako. Napapunta tuloy kami sa Wine Depot in Reposo St., Makati. Ang sarap ng red fingers with Argyle pinot noir (ang mahal, 1 bottle lang kami). Tapos we had another bottle of (Tatacilla 2004 cabernet-shiraz) which we did not finish. We also ordered some meatballs with mushroom and another appetizer which I forgot. I recommend the place for our next eb though medyo maaga mag-close. This place reminds me of Barcinos. I miss your place brother agxo. Edited June 28, 2008 by storm Quote Link to comment
masi Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Naglaway talaga ako. Napapunta tuloy kami sa Wine Depot in Reposo St., Makati. Ang sarap ng red fingers with Argyle pinot noir (ang mahal, 1 bottle lang kami). Tapos we had another bottle of (Tatacilla 2004 cabernet-shiraz) which we did not finish. We also ordered some meatballs with mushroom and another appetizer which I forgot. I recommend the place for our next eb though medyo maaga mag-close. This place reminds me of Barcinos. I miss your place brother agxo. Speaking of which, I got my Wine Depot Card in the mail today.... Funny though, I haven't visited this place in a long time (gone are the days when Bods and I would attend their wine tasting events!). Oh, well, maybe there's no wrong or better time to visit them, but NOW!!!! BTW, I'm expecting a client/friend who's a wine collector base in SoCal. He's my supplier of fabled Pinots just like the one we had in our last EB. I hope he's bringing in a few bottles of my favorite elixir! Quote Link to comment
igol ays Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 So when is our next EB?sometime next week? Quote Link to comment
masi Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 So when is our next EB? sometime next week? late next week looks good for me... albeit, i maybe meeting a client (he told me that he'll be in Manila for 2 weeks but hasn't set a schedule). i'll tell him to join the group... he's a wine collector too! BTW, had a Banrock Station Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir last night - lemon citrus with flavors of granny smith, vanilla and raisins. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) merlot. ayaw ko mga novelinos ba yun? parang pang bata na wine Right! Novellino is the name! Now you would insult kids and earn their eternal ingratitude plus a kick in the shin if you make them drink this plonk. Kids deserve better. In France, they say they start them young - with diluted wine being served to kids as young as 10 at the dinner table. Wish I grew up in France Thanks pareng Masi. I think Montes from Chile was served that night. Cheers for the next eb. Hehehe. I saw your name on the guest book. Looking forward to seeing you again bro. Naglaway talaga ako. Napapunta tuloy kami sa Wine Depot in Reposo St., Makati. Ang sarap ng red fingers with Argyle pinot noir (ang mahal, 1 bottle lang kami). Tapos we had another bottle of (Tatacilla 2004 cabernet-shiraz) which we did not finish. We also ordered some meatballs with mushroom and another appetizer which I forgot. I recommend the place for our next eb though medyo maaga mag-close. This place reminds me of Barcinos. I miss your place brother agxo. hehe I was by my lonesome then. I love your Malabon series - wish I can get one after we renovate.You mentioned Barcinos. Now that's a place I miss. Nagpalit na ba ng owners ito? A friend of mine said he saw some Spanish-looking types running the place when he was there. I remember masi and me chatting with the Pinoy owners two or three years back... Sorry double posts! Yes an EB would be good but my schedule for next week is not yet firmed up.Pareng masi do tell me kung may mga wine tasting dyan sa Wine Depot sa Connecticut St. We can always show up there hehehe Edited July 2, 2008 by bods1000 Quote Link to comment
masi Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 hehe I was by my lonesome then. I love your Malabon series - wish I can get one after we renovate.You mentioned Barcinos. Now that's a place I miss. Nagpalit na ba ng owners ito? A friend of mine said he saw some Spanish-looking types running the place when he was there. I remember masi and me chatting with the Pinoy owners two or three years back... Sorry double posts! Yes an EB would be good but my schedule for next week is not yet firmed up.Pareng masi do tell me kung may mga wine tasting dyan sa Wine Depot sa Connecticut St. We can always show up there hehehe yup, pareng bods, i remember those times!!! a quaint place for ebs! i think my last visit was a year ago. but then it was still owned by the same folks. i was informed by the sales staff that wine tasting events are every friday. no particular schedule na. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 yup, pareng bods, i remember those times!!! a quaint place for ebs! i think my last visit was a year ago. but then it was still owned by the same folks. i was informed by the sales staff that wine tasting events are every friday. no particular schedule na. I'm afraid Barcino's not quaint anymore, ever since it was included in Phil. Tattler's listing of Best Restaurants in the Philippines. (Dear old O was also there - shameless plug hehehe). My friend said he couldn't get a table when he was there - the place was packed and jumping. So gone are the days when only the two or three of us were there (you, me and Ms. Lips - I mention her on the fervent wish she makes an appearance here when she sees her name hehehe), getting drunk on tempranillo, smoking cigars(yes! smoking inside the establishment - I wonder if it's still allowed), getting full on cold cuts and hearing stories from the owners on some of their Iberian wine jaunts. Too good to last.... Quote Link to comment
Magaling Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 @Bods, masi, and storm Geez now I so regret that I never had the chance to share the tempranillos with you at Barcino's from years past. Ngayon, bawal na sa akin uminom kaya't hanggang Diet coke na lang ako! Que barbaridad! Hahaha I still get the chance to pass by the place from time to time...mostly after I hit a few buckets at the range right across. (I live near the area btw.) You are correct in saying that Barcino's management has changed hands. Though they still have the same wide selection of vino español, the place is now less deli and more resto. The menu has also expanded to include more tapas to choose from. As before, the prices have remained quite reasonable. If you don't mind having one pathetically coke-chugging fool hanging around you during your next wine eb in this place, I'd gladly come along just for the chat.... Quote Link to comment
Magaling Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 My friend said he couldn't get a table when he was there - the place was packed and jumping. So gone are the days when only the two or three of us were there (you, me and Ms. Lips - I mention her on the fervent wish she makes an appearance here when she sees her name hehehe), getting drunk on tempranillo, smoking cigars(yes! smoking inside the establishment - I wonder if it's still allowed), getting full on cold cuts and hearing stories from the owners on some of their Iberian wine jaunts. Too good to last.... I guess I should consider myself lucky that my group never had a problem getting seats. But then again, we frequently go there lunch time or early evenings. I do remember having to step out for a cigarette. Unlike before when the owner was herself a smoker, the new señorito there is not.... Quote Link to comment
masi Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) @Bods, masi, and storm Geez now I so regret that I never had the chance to share the tempranillos with you at Barcino's from years past. Ngayon, bawal na sa akin uminom kaya't hanggang Diet coke na lang ako! Que barbaridad! Hahaha I still get the chance to pass by the place from time to time...mostly after I hit a few buckets at the range right across. (I live near the area btw.) You are correct in saying that Barcino's management has changed hands. Though they still have the same wide selection of vino español, the place is now less deli and more resto. The menu has also expanded to include more tapas to choose from. As before, the prices have remained quite reasonable. If you don't mind having one pathetically coke-chugging fool hanging around you during your next wine eb in this place, I'd gladly come along just for the chat.... SURE!!!! It would be a pleasure! Now that everyone's out in the open (just like frogs to the monsoon!!!!), it's ripe for another wine eb. Roll call na!!! Storm (and Mrs. Storm)Igol eyes,BodsMagalingLiberty (I'm counting her in)Masi (of course I'm liberty's chauffeur!) Lipstick ?!Agxo (aren't you scheduled to be here this month?)Boomouse (are you in! or are you in?) Others whom we missed out ... of course you're invited. Simply get in touch with us or post your presence. Date and Venue to follow (labo ata nito, may eb pero walang date and venue?) Edited July 2, 2008 by masi Quote Link to comment
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