Wine-savvy

[bods1000]

[ thanks Bods! naku..ikaw talaga..you are thinking of something else..hmmmm.. well..it is not Greg Norman .... I had it in a restaurant in Clark.

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yeah you're right - I was thinking nga of Greg Norman. There's another label nga pala called Normans which was the one you had hehehe

[bods1000]

i love microbrews! i can't stand the taste of beer unless it's freshely brewed. we used to go to brewery in glorietta. now, we enjoy freshly brewed san mig beers at fiesta san mig in dusit.

 

but i can drink a bottle of chimay. it's available in le souffle.

 

speaking of specialty beers, does anyone here know where we can get aventinus?

 

as for alcoholic content, the only thing i remember from my forensic medicine classes (20 million years ago) was that it is faster for the stomach to absorb drinks which have 8 - 14% alcohol content. so it is faster to get drunk with wine than with beer (which, the prof said usually has 6-8% alcohol, i don't think light beers were already available in manila at that time) or with hard liquor. hmm. i'd like to think that wine drinkers get to appreciate the alcohol faster.

since i can't smoke and i don't have the money to gamble, the only vices left for me are eating and drinking.

 

as for the time i spend on posting, it's really nothing compared to the info i get from these threads. i've already leeched off the dishes and restos that were mentioned in the spanish food thread and i'm planning to take note of the wines mentioned here as well. 

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Even in the US, aventinus is apparently also difficult to obtain...

we didn't take any forensics class but we're also in the 20-million year age-range

...and we are also incurably addicted to drinking and eating so you should be in good company

 

cheers!

[agxo3]

i think true rum is really overproofed since it was pressed from sugarcane that has been allowed to dry then distilled.  thus there is hardly any moisture nor water left in it.  i enjoy sipping the stuff, as well.

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Actually, ALL distilled spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, etc) are overproofed when they are first distilled - they tend to be 180 proof at that point. Pure alcohol is hygrophilic so it absorbs water from the air and is only stable at no more than 90% (180 proof). But when sold, they tend to be diluted to somehwere in the range of 80-90 proof (40%-50%). Most are 80 proof (40%). Talisker is available in Cask Strength (straight out of the aging barrel), which is 180 proof (90%). I tried tasting it straight and found that it was undrinkable at that strength. And you shouldn't - it will do bad things to your body.

[agxo3]

I used to think microbrews were bland stuff....

 

That Bacardi sure looks like it's on fire! I think that's what masi was talking about..

 

And surely that Talisker can't be legal

 

pare what's the strongest wine in terms of alco content you've ever had? Still, dry wines lang ha, not the dessert wines....

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The Talisker is legal! My friend bought it at Heathrow airport as we wre on our way back to the US from a business trip to lovely Helstinki. We had a stopover in London and a few hours to wander the aisles. He's very much a scotch drinker so he couldn't resist it.

 

The highest alcohol content DRY wine I've had was the 1997 Retzlaff/Noah's Lodi Zinfandel. 15.8% as labeled but I swear it's more like 17%!! Made from super-ripe grapes loaded with sugar. Wow! What a kick! Great fruit, lots of white pepper on the finish, soft tannins, great body, supple texture. Lots of red berries, a touch of smoke. Nice.......

[bods1000]

The Talisker is legal! My friend bought it at Heathrow airport as we wre on our way back to the US from a business trip to lovely Helstinki. We had a stopover in London and a few hours to wander the aisles. He's very much a scotch drinker so he couldn't resist it.

 

The highest alcohol content DRY wine I've had was the 1997 Retzlaff/Noah's Lodi Zinfandel. 15.8% as labeled but I swear it's more like 17%!! Made from super-ripe grapes loaded with sugar. Wow! What a kick! Great fruit, lots of white pepper on the finish, soft tannins, great body, supple texture. Lots of red berries, a touch of smoke. Nice.......

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in the US it's legal to have a +1 or +2% deviation from the alcohol content written on the label so it's possible that the Retzlaff you had was really a 17% :boo:

 

Never had one like that. The highest I had was probably a 15% Aussie shiraz.

 

I wonder how much was the Talisker...

[agxo3]

"question for the week" -- who has  experienced ordering a bottle of wine and after tasting it; you didn't like it and had it returned?

 

how did you do it?  was your relationship with the resto/bar strained while your were dining?  did you order a different bottle?

 

i never had this experience.  the closest i can relate was perhaps sampling 4 different labels from the wine trolly and only picking 1.  (but i also picked a label for the wifey from the same trolley and didnt have to soil 4 glasses anymore!)

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I had dinner at this restaurant called Nuvo in GB earlier this year (January???) and ordered a bottle of Bordeaux. Even before the waiter popped the cork, I had a bad feeling about the wine and said so. There was leakage all around the neck of the bottle under the capsule, and you could clearly see that the leakage around the cork. Even as he pulled the cork out, the first odor you got was that of caramel - not good. The cork was soaked, soggy and not in great shape. The wine was a brick-brown color instead of the deep red/almost purple-ish I would have expected. And it had been "cooked' - that is, it had reached over 35 deg C some time in its stored life, and it had stayed there for quite a while. Almost no fruit left, some rancid alcoholic flavors, and lots of caramel (which I'm not fond of even in candy - which I no longer consume). Overall, a sadly mis-treated wine. I sent it back with a clear explanation of what was wrong with the wine. Instead of taking another bottle of the same I opted for an Aussie shiraz (can't remember which one now) instead and was much more pleased with that choice. The restaurant had no problems exchanging the wine, and neither the service nor the food suffered.

 

One thing to remember - when sending wine back, you should have a good reason for returning it. There has to be something truly/technically wrong with the wine - you can't send it back "just because". Is the wine corked? Or was it mis-stored, as my bottle was? Is it spoiled, yeasty, vinegary? If so, send it back. Is it just plain "bad" wine in your estimation - IOW, not wine you would enjoy? Well, chalk that up to experience, make a note of it and move on. Generally, the restaurant has no responsibility for knowing your personal tastes and what you would (or would not) enjoy. Now, if you are a regular diner at the restaurant and the somellier knows what your likes and dislikes are, and recommends a wine that is just plain distasteful to you, I would hope that he had offered you a taste first, or take back the bottle if you hate it. But that should be something they offer, not that you demand.

[agxo3]

hi bods...been away for a week. was at the Holiday Inn Clark Field for one long week. Didnt manage to open my emails and surf mtc coz my laptop crashed!!! now I am back with my old laptop but new HDD.

 

Masi - here is my post... hope i'll do well...here it goes..

 

last Wednesday I tried my skill on tasting shiraz. It was a Norman Lone Gum Cabernet Shiraz 2000.I took a sip of it and sad to say ... didnt like it much..I guess I need to train myself to appreciate wine more coz I am no wine drinker. So the wine was oaky and bitter..it taste like wood or soil to that effect ... it was spicy and dry..the scent was strong, you can smell the amount of alcohol and it was bit peppery I can say. Color wise it was dark purple and the traces of alcohol is very much high as you can see the traces of the liquid as it flows in the glass. hmmmmm .... good enough for a first timer?

 

that's it for now....thanks to my good coach MASI.

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HGBC - good review. Sorry to hear you didn't like it - bitter? Oaky? May I suggest a merlot that's made in a "drink now" style - it should be rounder and much less oaky than the cab/shiraz you tasted.

 

Keep at it! Appreciation comes wiht time, as as I noted, we all have our "conversion moment" wehn we see the light and finally comprehend what the wine experience is all about. I hope you find that magic wine soon!

 

hi! pwede makigulo?

 

hubby and i enjoy a glass of wine every night. yun nga lang, we don't have the same taste in wines - he loves merlots and i go for shiraz. plus, since we consume a bottle every 2 or 3 days, we stick with the more affordable wines. so far, the cheapest wine that we both like is the chez samantha. it's a french table wine that has a fruity taste and is really easy on the palate. wholesale it costs less than P200 (we bought cases directly from happy living corporation. you can also get bottles from arellano's wine depot). hubby loves the 2002 merlot from stimson estate (available in shopwise at around P530 per bottle, or per glass in lily at the hyatt at around P200 per glass). i find it a bit too strong, though. i love the jacob's creek 2002 shiraz (available everywhere at around P450 per bottle). it tastes a bit heavier than the chez samantha and has a stronger kick.

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Welcome to the thread! Post your faves (and the ones you hate as well!) Better for us to learn from others' experiences when possible!

 

in the US it's legal to have a +1 or +2% deviation from the alcohol content written on the label so it's possible that the Retzlaff you had was really a 17% :boo:

 

Never had one like that. The highest I had was probably a 15% Aussie shiraz.

 

I wonder how much was the Talisker...

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IIRC the Talisker was $40 for the bottle. Next time you are in Heathrow, pick youself up a bottle. I now regret not picking one up for myself!

[bods1000]

IIRC the Talisker was $40 for the bottle. Next time you are in Heathrow, pick youself up a bottle. I now regret not picking one up for myself!

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why only in Heathrow? Isn't it available anywhere else?

 

God knows when ako mapadpad dun

masi has a better chance of being there hehehe....

 

saka delikado pumunta ng London ngayon

[agxo3]

why only in Heathrow? Isn't it available anywhere else?

 

God knows when ako mapadpad dun

masi has a better chance of being there hehehe....

 

saka delikado pumunta ng London ngayon

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Haven't seen it here in this area - but I haven't really gone looking too hard. There are some specialty places that might have it. I'll keep an eye out for it - do you want a bottle?

[bods1000]

Haven't seen it here in this area - but I haven't really gone looking too hard. There are some specialty places that might have it. I'll keep an eye out for it - do you want a bottle?

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wow!

it's like asking do I wanna drink on Friday?

 

For sure pare, if you have one in September I'm sure all of the regulars here will enjoy it

They might have a website or something - if there is, there should be a listing of distributors here and there...I'll check it out - baka meron nun dito! :boo:

[masi]

I had dinner at this restaurant called Nuvo in GB earlier this year (January???) and ordered a bottle of Bordeaux. Even before the waiter popped the cork, I had a bad feeling about the wine and said so. There was leakage all around the neck of the bottle under the capsule, and you could clearly see that the leakage around the cork. Even as he pulled the cork out, the first odor you got was that of caramel - not good. The cork was soaked, soggy and not in great shape. The wine was a brick-brown color instead of the deep red/almost purple-ish I would have expected. And it had been "cooked' - that is, it had reached over 35 deg C some time in its stored life, and it had stayed there for quite a while. Almost no fruit left, some rancid alcoholic flavors, and lots of caramel (which I'm not fond of even in candy - which I no longer consume). Overall, a sadly mis-treated wine. I sent it back with a clear explanation of what was wrong with the wine. Instead of taking another bottle of the same I opted for an Aussie shiraz (can't remember which one now) instead and was much more pleased with that choice. The restaurant had no problems exchanging the wine, and neither the service nor the food suffered.

 

One thing to remember - when sending wine back, you should have a good reason for returning it. There has to be something truly/technically wrong with the wine - you can't send it back "just because". Is the wine corked? Or was it mis-stored, as my bottle was? Is it spoiled, yeasty, vinegary? If so, send it back. Is it just plain "bad" wine in your estimation - IOW, not wine you would enjoy? Well, chalk that up to experience, make a note of it and move on. Generally, the restaurant has no responsibility for knowing your personal tastes and what you would (or would not) enjoy. Now, if you are a regular diner at the restaurant and the somellier knows what your likes and dislikes are, and recommends a wine that is just plain distasteful to you, I would hope that he had offered you a taste first, or take back the bottle if you hate it. But that should be something they offer, not that you demand.

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well noted, agxo and thanks for this. i had a few incidents where the restaurant manager (i really dont know if he is a trained sommelier) recommended a wine which he said was a personal choice. but not having an open bottle which i could sample, a new one was popped and served. when i tried it, i should have trusted my intuition and stuck to the familiar labels, so to speak. but, since i'm usually with the wife when i go out to drink, she would tell me to take the bottle than return it. so i really never got to return the bottle!

 

much as nuvo is an "in" place, with a pretty pricey menu, i remain cynical on paying good money for wine and food in such places for a few other reasons.

Edited July 28, 2005 by masi

[masi]

as for alcoholic content, the only thing i remember from my forensic medicine classes (20 million years ago) was that it is faster for the stomach to absorb drinks which have 8 - 14% alcohol content. so it is faster to get drunk with wine than with beer (which, the prof said usually has 6-8% alcohol, i don't think light beers were already available in manila at that time) or with hard liquor. hmm. i'd like to think that wine drinkers get to appreciate the alcohol faster.

since i can't smoke and i don't have the money to gamble, the only vices left for me are eating and drinking.

 

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whether its wine or whiskey, after the 4th glass... it's sure all the same to me!

 

same here!! i dont gamble and my lipid profile has blown off the roof that i cant eat much of the food i like without a guilt trip after... i simply resort to drinking wine and having a good laugh.

[masi]

why only in Heathrow? Isn't it available anywhere else?

 

God knows when ako mapadpad dun

masi has a better chance of being there hehehe....

 

saka delikado pumunta ng London ngayon

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mahirap na... pag d ako nagahit ng bigote, i get profiled as a bomber dahil under the influence ako when flying just like any most airline pilots !!!!! mukha daw ako arabo!!! e sabi ko arabo-hok or shaggy as in shaggy-lid lang ang buhok!!!!

 

on a side note... lipstick has been pretty, pretty quiet... must've she turned sober?

[agxo3]

well noted, agxo and thanks for this.  i had a few incidents where the restaurant manager (i really dont know if he is a trained sommelier) recommended a wine which he said was a personal choice.  but not having an open bottle which i could sample, a new one was popped and served.  when i tried it, i should have trusted my intuition and stuck to the familiar labels, so to speak.  but, since i'm usually with the wife when i go out to drink, she would tell me to take the bottle than return it.  so i really never got to return the bottle!

 

much as nuvo is an "in" place, with a pretty pricey menu, i remain cynical on paying good money for wine and food in such places for a few other reasons.

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I guess you won't be trusting him again, huh? I sometimes trust the server's recommendations, but it depends on how knowledgable he/she seems when I ask about the wines. If I'm unsure, I follow my instincts instead.

 

What's with Nuvo and places like that? I tend to look for places with a certain standard of quality in the cooking. Nuvo's food was not bad - average for the price, I would say, although for over there I guess it IS pretty pricey. By Bay Area standards, it's average if not a bit on the less expensive side. I don't mind paying as long as I feel I'm getting my money's worth.

[masi]

I guess you won't be trusting him again, huh? I sometimes trust the server's recommendations, but it depends on how knowledgable he/she seems when I ask about the wines. If I'm unsure, I follow my instincts instead.

 

What's with Nuvo and places like that? I tend to look for places with a certain standard of quality in the cooking. Nuvo's food was not bad - average for the price, I would say, although for over there I guess it IS pretty pricey. By Bay Area standards, it's average if not a bit on the less expensive side. I don't mind paying as long as I feel I'm getting my money's worth.

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not much to be expected from restaurants here. wine, as far as servers are concerned, is still either white or red. some managers would attempt that's why it is best to stick to what you have in mind. but if the restaurant owner or chef would come out and talk to you, then i may heed.

 

honestly, i have nothing personal against nuvo or other similar places but "it" being located in a mall has it's limitations. i guess it begins in the food prep areas and wine storage space competing with other storage and activity areas. being a "to see and be seen" hip resto, there would be too many distractions with your food and wine experience... well it's would be nice is such distraction would always be pretty but often times it would be pretty annoying and loud.

 

i often pick stand alone restaurants especially when i take the wife to a special dinner. For the same amount of cash I would spend in Nuvo, I would go to restos like Tivoli at the Mandarin or Mi Piace at the Pen. in places like these, you could engage the manager in a lively tete-a-tete on wines and what you are looking for!

 

I havent eaten at Nuvo or perhaps I simply refuse. my wife already did with some friends and tried their foie gras (my wife and I, and lately my daughter have some great affection for the dish). when she got home she said that the dish was not done right... over done that there was hardly any rare portion on it and it was quite tough. my take on such is that, if it can't be done right, take it out of the menu!

 

there are other places in gb which my wife and i, and maybe with some friends and guests would go to. if i am in a wine binge, it's magnum (i would not recommend that you eat here); coffee/dessert and casually elegant setting would be segafredo; hue for vietnamese, bubba gump for the ribs, nanbantei for yakitori, cafe havana for the jamon serrano pizza, mojito and its "wildlife" fit for national geographic!

Edited July 28, 2005 by masi

[tentacle]

i really don't have much choice when it comes to greenbelt. our office is a few minutes away and when traffic gets really bad in ayala, it is way better to brave the spaghetti-strap and tight jeans crowd than die of hunger in the middle of edsa. (hehe. obvious bang takot ako magutom?)

 

i like magnum too. they have a wide (in Philippine standards) selection of wine and they used to serve this really good wine cake. it was the wine version of the rhum cake. the cake was moist and not too sweet. a free dessert wine was served with each order. unfortunately, when i passed by a few weeks ago, i learned that they stopped serving it.

 

but when it comes to food, i like the chilean sea bass of pepato's, the nilasing na hipon of masa's (you should also try their zombie, a liter costs about P200), crab marilyn of seafoof club, lobster balls of good earth and the mushrooms with garlic of merk's.

 

we also love grappa's. they also have a wide selection of wines and they also have freshly-brewed beer. their buffet spread is awful but their pasta and pizza are great.

 

and of course, there's casa armas. their boquerones, cochinillo, iberian chicken and crab with olive oil are just perfect with their sangria.

 

for a cheap bottle of wine, you can also go to uva. they serve a bottle of deakin estate for abotu P450.

 

now, i'm hungry.

[masi]

i really don't have much choice when it comes to greenbelt. our office is a few minutes away and when traffic gets really bad in ayala, it is way better to brave the spaghetti-strap and tight jeans crowd than die of hunger in the middle of edsa. (hehe. obvious bang takot ako magutom?)

 

i like magnum too. they have a wide (in Philippine standards) selection of wine and they used to serve this really good wine cake. it was the wine version of the rhum cake. the cake was moist and not too sweet. a free dessert wine was served with each order. unfortunately, when i passed by a few weeks ago, i learned that they stopped serving it. 

 

but when it comes to food, i like the chilean sea bass of pepato's, the nilasing na hipon of masa's (you should also try their zombie, a liter costs about P200), crab marilyn of seafoof club, lobster balls of good earth and the mushrooms with garlic of merk's.

 

we also love grappa's. they also have a wide selection of wines and they also have freshly-brewed beer. their buffet spread is awful but their pasta and pizza are great.

 

and of course, there's casa armas. their boquerones, cochinillo, iberian chicken and crab with olive oil are just perfect with their sangria.

 

for a cheap bottle of wine, you can also go to uva. they serve a bottle of deakin estate for abotu P450.

 

now, i'm hungry.

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i was being polite by not mentioning grappa's and other restos in the list of places i dont go to in gb. mylk is pretty (the chef i meant! ) going back to its food, it can pass... it value for buck, not just simply "laman tyan!"

 

the gloriamaris (is it still there? ), i would suggest you drive all the way down to greenhills shopping center. pepato's is good but 2 reasons i wont spend my money there (altho i already did!) (1) it's a fancy resto located in a mall (2) i cant seem to crossover the fact that gaita fores, known for her cibo went upscale to fine cuisine. (yeah, you may say i need to lighten up!). albeit i know that she went to italy to pursue her culinary study and so did ed quimson of rastro but he took a different route getting to where he is now! it's usually gourmet chef reaching out to mass appeal, just like wolfgang puck and spago!

[Lipstick]

Ola Winos! Contrary to the rumors going around that I have been abducted by Father Tropa's kampon and the aliens, hahaha I've just been really busy with work, seen canoodling here and there with my favorite man and of course drinking vino so worth the absence from this thread for a couple of days!!!

 

Had a wonderful, no, magical day yesterday. And the bonus was the day spent with a 1998 Brunello di Montalcino in hand. Am just chasing the label to give you a better report but offhand it was dry (ahah! I have learned to appreciate dry vin rouge! ), full bodied (although light with every sip) and warm. I tasted mostly oak (woodsy), vanillin and a wee bit of spice and licorice? Ahhh and the finish ... was just excellent!

 

Of course delightful wine is always best shared with equally delightful company I have been so fortunate in this lifetime to share wine with people who are so very dear to my heart.

 

I stumbled upon this blog and it is such an excellent read -- some affluent man living in Makati and an epicure extraordinaire! Promise it will be worth your time to visit www.marketmanila.com ... from recipes to food to ingredients and FLOWERS! Such a delightful find!

 

Ok uwi na ako .... catch y'all later! Cheers!

[masi]

Ola Winos!  Contrary to the rumors going around that I have been abducted by Father Tropa's kampon and the aliens, hahaha I've just been really busy with work, seen canoodling here and there with my favorite man and of course drinking vino so worth the absence from this thread for a couple of days!!!

 

Had a wonderful, no, magical day yesterday.  And the bonus was the day spent with a 1998 Brunello di Montalcino in hand.  Am just chasing the label to give you a better report but offhand it was dry (ahah!  I have learned to appreciate dry vin rouge! ), full bodied (although light with every sip) and warm.  I tasted mostly oak (woodsy), vanillin and a wee bit of spice and licorice?  Ahhh and the finish ... was just excellent!  

 

Of course delightful wine is always best shared with equally delightful company   I have been so fortunate in this lifetime to share wine with people who are so very dear to my heart.

 

I stumbled upon this blog and it is such an excellent read -- some affluent man living in Makati and an epicure extraordinaire!  Promise it will be worth your time to visit www.marketmanila.com    ... from recipes to food to ingredients and FLOWERS!  Such a delightful find!

 

Ok uwi na ako .... catch y'all later!  Cheers!

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AND THIS THREAD IS ALIVE!!!!! :thumbsupsmiley: welcome back senorita!

 

speaking of recipes, we should have an eb where wines and home cooked meals would fit along with good company and conversation!!!

[bods1000]

I had dinner at this restaurant called Nuvo in GB earlier this year (January???) and ordered a bottle of Bordeaux. Even before the waiter popped the cork, I had a bad feeling about the wine and said so. There was leakage all around the neck of the bottle under the capsule, and you could clearly see that the leakage around the cork. Even as he pulled the cork out, the first odor you got was that of caramel - not good. The cork was soaked, soggy and not in great shape. The wine was a brick-brown color instead of the deep red/almost purple-ish I would have expected. And it had been "cooked' - that is, it had reached over 35 deg C some time in its stored life, and it had stayed there for quite a while. Almost no fruit left, some rancid alcoholic flavors, and lots of caramel (which I'm not fond of even in candy - which I no longer consume). Overall, a sadly mis-treated wine. I sent it back with a clear explanation of what was wrong with the wine. Instead of taking another bottle of the same I opted for an Aussie shiraz (can't remember which one now) instead and was much more pleased with that choice. The restaurant had no problems exchanging the wine, and neither the service nor the food suffered.

 

One thing to remember - when sending wine back, you should have a good reason for returning it. There has to be something truly/technically wrong with the wine - you can't send it back "just because". Is the wine corked? Or was it mis-stored, as my bottle was? Is it spoiled, yeasty, vinegary? If so, send it back. Is it just plain "bad" wine in your estimation - IOW, not wine you would enjoy? Well, chalk that up to experience, make a note of it and move on. Generally, the restaurant has no responsibility for knowing your personal tastes and what you would (or would not) enjoy. Now, if you are a regular diner at the restaurant and the somellier knows what your likes and dislikes are, and recommends a wine that is just plain distasteful to you, I would hope that he had offered you a taste first, or take back the bottle if you hate it. But that should be something they offer, not that you demand.

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...and it had to happen here

well frankly, for a place that looks glitzy from the outside - with lots of wine - I'm disappointed to know that they have no idea how to store wine, when to take off wine from the shelves when it begins to look iffy etc..

For such an expensive place they should have some sort of a sommelier or someone knowledgeable about wines to talk wine with customers. This is the reason why I have to read up a lot about wines because I don't trust resto people here to recommend a certain wine. I have to go by what I know before I order wine and usually by the glass only, not by the bottle.

I have doubts about the wines they have in the restos here - aside from the ridiculously inflated price, do they know how to store it? I would assume that when they close off the resto at night and put out the electricity and the airconditioning, the wines will suffer in the intensely humid conditions inside a closed restaurant, especially in summer. How do they deal with that? I wouldn't pay a thousand bucks for something I am dubious about.

And also, for those wines you can order by the glass, how many days do they keep an opened bottle before they throw it away with any excess content? Also doubtful to order by the glass because you never know how long the bottle has been opened. Do they have a policy about opened bottles? By the way they mistreat stored wines, I doubt anybody in the resto knows when to discard opened bottles.

Just my thoughts...

[masi]

...and it had to happen here

well frankly, for a place that looks glitzy from the outside - with lots of wine - I'm disappointed to know that they have no idea how to store wine, when to take off wine from the shelves when it begins to look iffy etc..

For such an expensive place they should have some sort of a sommelier or someone knowledgeable about wines to talk wine with customers. This is the reason why I have to read up a lot about wines because I don't trust resto people here to recommend a certain wine. I have to go by what I know before I order wine and usually by the glass only, not by the bottle.

I have doubts about the wines they have in the restos here - aside from the ridiculously inflated price, do they know how to store it? I would assume that when they close off the resto at night and put out the electricity and the airconditioning, the wines will suffer in the intensely humid conditions inside a closed restaurant, especially in summer. How do they deal with that? I wouldn't pay a thousand bucks for something I am dubious about.

And also, for those wines you can order by the glass, how many days do they keep an opened bottle before they throw it away with any excess content? Also doubtful to order by the glass because you never know how long the bottle has been opened. Do they have a policy about opened bottles? By the way they mistreat stored wines, I doubt anybody in the resto knows when to discard opened bottles.

Just my thoughts...

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exactly my thoughts bods! i had the same issue about the airconditioning and rise and fall of temperature. that is why there are just a few places where i am confident about ordering a bottle of wine! barcino's is one place where the wine is good!!! (i think they ought to give me discounts at the rate i mention their place!). the next best thing perhaps is to get a small wine fridge!

[bods1000]

exactly my thoughts bods!  i had the same issue about the airconditioning and rise and fall of temperature.  that is why there are just a few places where i am confident about ordering a bottle of wine! barcino's is one place where the wine is good!!! (i think they ought to give me discounts at the rate i mention their place!).  the next best thing perhaps is to get a small wine fridge!

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pare expect a lot of people to be at Barcino - it's been posted at the papers yesterday - baka wala tayong mapwestuhan dun. For sure pag madami nang tao - off limits na ang cigars natin

[bods1000]

well noted, agxo and thanks for this.  i had a few incidents where the restaurant manager (i really dont know if he is a trained sommelier) recommended a wine which he said was a personal choice.  but not having an open bottle which i could sample, a new one was popped and served.  when i tried it, i should have trusted my intuition and stuck to the familiar labels, so to speak.  but, since i'm usually with the wife when i go out to drink, she would tell me to take the bottle than return it.  so i really never got to return the bottle!

 

much as nuvo is an "in" place, with a pretty pricey menu, i remain cynical on paying good money for wine and food in such places for a few other reasons.

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now that you mention it - is there any sommelier working in the Philippines?

I thought nuvo had wine flights - so you could sample wine before deciding what you would eventually have?

 

pare kahit bad money dala ko, I would still have second thoughts about buying wine in a resto

[bods1000]

mahirap na... pag d ako nagahit ng bigote, i get profiled as a bomber dahil under the influence ako when flying just like any most airline pilots !!!!!  mukha daw ako arabo!!! e sabi ko arabo-hok or shaggy as in shaggy-lid lang ang buhok!!!!      

 

on a side note... lipstick has been pretty, pretty quiet... must've she turned sober? 

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Your hairstyle should not be grounds for suspicion. But if you have WE CRAVE MARTYRDOM tattoed on your wrist, then most likely you'd be detained at Heathrow

[bods1000]

not much to be expected from restaurants here. wine, as far as servers are concerned, is still either white or red.  some managers would attempt that's why it is best to stick to what you have in mind.  but if the restaurant owner or chef would come out and talk to you, then i may heed.

 

honestly, i have nothing personal against  nuvo or other similar places but "it" being located in a mall has it's limitations. i guess it begins in the food prep areas and wine storage space competing with other storage and activity areas.  being a "to see and be seen" hip resto, there would be too many distractions with  your food and wine experience... well it's would be nice is such distraction would always be pretty but often times it would be pretty annoying and loud.

 

i often pick stand alone restaurants especially when i take the wife to a special dinner.  For the same amount of cash I would spend in Nuvo, I would go to restos like Tivoli at the Mandarin or Mi Piace at the Pen.  in places like these, you could engage the manager in a lively tete-a-tete on wines and what you are looking for!

 

I havent eaten at Nuvo or perhaps I simply refuse.  my wife already did with some friends and tried their foie gras (my wife and I, and lately my daughter have some great affection for the dish).  when  she got home she said that the dish was not done right... over done that there was hardly any rare portion on it and it was quite tough.  my take on such is that, if it can't be done right, take it out of the menu!

 

there are other places in gb which my wife and i, and maybe with some friends and guests would go to.  if i am in a wine binge, it's magnum (i would not recommend that you eat here); coffee/dessert and casually elegant setting would be segafredo; hue for vietnamese, bubba gump for the ribs, nanbantei for yakitori, cafe havana for the jamon serrano pizza, mojito and its "wildlife" fit for national geographic!

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I used to go to Nanbantei when it was still in Polaris and I enjoyed it more maybe because it wasn't in a mall. Ironically, when they relocated to GB, their prices went down (at least for beers as I was told). Haven't been there, though.

pare mahilig din ako sa wild life - ano bang wildlife yung sinasabi mo sa Cafe Havana?