Sumptuous Sundays: Wine Appreciation Night With Nuffnang at Enderun

I just had a lecture on Class last Thursday at Enderun Colleges in Nuffnang's Country Manager's dinner. Abe Olandres, Country Manager for Nuffnang Philippines and blogger at Yugatech, and the awesome gang of Nuffnang had invited their talents to a night overflowing with fun and of course, wine.

This is a nice informational post and I hope you'll enjoy learning as much as I did. :)

 Our appetizer for the night wasn't the usual salad, bread, or croquettes but instead, we had Wine and Cheese which to me, was great. Mom and I would always indulge in wine and cheese every weekend as a treat simply because we love this food and drink. 

 The rule of thumb in wine and cheese combination is: Light Cheese is to Light Wine, and Strong Cheese is to Strong Wine. It will let you appreciate both flavors of the wine and cheese, and you won't go wondering what the other tastes like.

I went for the Light Wine and Light Cheese combination: I had Gruyere, a semi- hard cheese with a light, milky flavor and Terra Vega, a mellow Merlot. FYI, Merlot is a medium- bodied wine in terms of acidity and flavor. Terra Vega Merlot also happened to be my most favorite wine of the night!

 Our menu for the night. The buffet of wine was provided by Ralph's Wine and Spirit. 

Click READ MORE and learn more about wine and food combinations!

 Right at our tables are goblets placed atop a paper with the kinds of wine to be served written all over it. I have never tasted some of these wines before, and it just made the experience all the more exciting.

 First off, we had Tanigue Tartare paired with Bolla Soave Classico '11 and Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc '12. Fish goes great with White Wine, by the way. However, I'm not really into White Wines but I had no choice because after all, it was Wine Appreciation Night! Between the two wines, I prefer Bolla Soave Classico more because it has a refreshing citrusy taste and the right touch of alcohol, whereas Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc is a full- bodied wine with a strong Passionfruit-Grape smell and taste. Not a fan of Passionfruit though. :p

Here's an interesting fact: The recipe of Bolla Soave is the same as the wines during Jesus Christ's time!

 Next on our table was Potato Soup with Mushroom Foam and Bacon Bits paired with Terra Vega Merlot '11 and Bolla Soave Classico '11. Both wines were repeatedly served, as I already had them in the Wine and Cheese and Tanigue Tartare portions. The soup was light and what better way to eat it than with light wines. As I said, Terra Vega Merlot was my favorite and you know now which of the two wines I liked best. :)

The Bacon Bits were served separately, and we were asked to drink white wine with the soup first, then red wine with the soup plus bacon bits after. I like the second combination best because the saltiness of the Bacon Bits and Terra Vega Merlot have balanced each other out, and gave the soup a smoky flavor.

 For our main course, we had Salmon with Leek and Citrus Butter paired with Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc '12 and Terra Vega Sauvignon Blanc '09. If you may recall, I said at the top part of this post that I didn't like the Passionfruit-y taste of Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc. Terra Vega won my heart once again with its ultra light, watery taste with a hint of citrus.

 To cap off our meal, we had this decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake paired with Mont Gras Cabernet Sauvignon '10/''11 and Bolla Valpolicella Soave- Classico '10/'11. Ah, chocolate and red wine--a match made in heaven! Mont Gras Cabernet Sauvignon was a little too strong and alcoholic for my liking, and Bolla Valpolicella Soave-Classico's smoky taste and aroma went so well with this cake. Every time I'd eat the cake and sip the Bolla wine, I was having a beautiful explosion of flavors on my tongue!

There you have it! I hope you've learned a thing or two about pairing wine with food, and the types of wines. If you're interested with my favorites, Terra Vega and Bolla Soave or any of the wines I've listed above, please visit a Ralph's Wine and Spirit branch near you.

Remember, expensive wines don't necessarily taste good in the same way as cheap wines don't necessarily taste bad! Proof? My favorite, Terra Vega Merlot, is only P285.00!

The best part of the night? I got drunk! I don't drink alcoholic beverages on a weekly basis--not even monthly, and it was just so nice to experience that feeling of being drunk again. What's even better is that I got drunk with a good company, made so much new friends, (thank you alcohol, for making me sociable) finally talked with a couple of bloggers whom I know but didn't really have a chance to talk with, and I was finally drafted into Nuffnang's Talent Program!

Photo credits: Arjohn Yabut

Thank you so much Nuffnang for this wonderful night and for the opportunity! I am so happy to be with this group of achievers in the world of blogging!