Life is great when spending it
with your families and friends over the comfort and heartening taste of
different wines only Planet Grapes offers! Yeah, my love for the wines gets
bigger and bigger as I grow older and wiser. Girls’ night out nowadays is
composed of laughter, comfort foods and of course, great-tasting wine perfectly
made for chilling-out and unwinding sessions.
And with that said, let me share
with you guys the wine tasting session I had sometime last month with the
winemaker Etienne Hugel. Boy, it was not just a simple gathering over wine
event because we also learned aside from Etienne Hugel humble beginnings and
gorgeous family, we were also educated on how the wine thoroughly made for us
to enjoy its great taste. So, kindly read on to know more.
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| Cheers! |
Hugel wines
from Alsace took center stage attention at a guided free-flowing wine tasting at Planet Grapes in River Park, Festival Supermall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The special event, which I am lucky to part of,
was graced by French winemaker Etienne
Hugel. Etienne Hugel
is the 12th generation co-proprietor for Hugel & Fils, the wine producer established in Riquewihr, Alsace. The Hugels have been making wine in that
place since 1639. That length of time has given them a huge reservoir of
institutional knowledge.
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| Hugel Wines with Mr. Etienne Hugel |
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| Have a great time! |
Hugel wines from Alsace are a shining example of what true winemaking craftsmanship is. They offer lots of excellent pairing opportunities, from salad greens, to fish, to meat entrées, and dim sum, or even Pinoy street foods. Etienne was in Manila to host Planet Grapes’ winemaker event of the year. The company is marking its brand's second year anniversary.
And since it was a wine tasting,
we have tasted not one but five Hugel wines. Hooray for that! Well, these wines
were:
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| Gentil Hugel |
o Gentil “Hugel” – A refreshingly light wine
with attractive, flattering bouquet; it is quite aromatic, scented, floral and
fruit-driven: cardamom, lemon balm, rose, lime blossom, cherry blossom and
sweet almond.
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| 2011 Hugel Pinot Gris Tradition |
o 2011 Hugel Pinot Gris Tradition – Engagingly fresh, crisp open bouquet of flowers and
fruit, slightly mineral and distinctly Riesling. Notes of white peach, green
apple, lemon balm, lime blossom, wild hop flower, and fresh moss.
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| 2012 Riesling Hugel |
o 2012 Hugel Riesling – Thirst-quenching, dry, lively, fresh and easy to enjoy, with great elegance and drive. Flavors of green apple, gooseberry, citrus, grapefruit, lime, with spring blossom, elderflower and primrose.
o 2008 Hugel Riesling Jubilee – Aromas of yellow peach and apricot with a mineral
touch that leaves no doubt that this is a Riesling from a fine terroir. Hugel Riesling Jubilee is an agreeable
dry white wine that possesses
remarkable finesse and elegance.
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| 2012 Hugel Gewurztraminer |
o 2012 Hugel Gewurztraminer – Harmonious flavors and aromas of flowers and fruit such as rose, mignonette, jasmine, mango, litchi and passion fruit. This refreshing dry wine also has some spice characteristics, such as cardamom, saffron and licorice.
Honestly speaking, I liked them
all but 2012
Hugel Gewurztraminer stands out for me! It’s my new
favorite. The exquisite Rieslings
and Gewurztraminer were paired with
special selections from the Planet Grapes menu. The food was chosen to
highlight the flavors of the wines to show how food and wine can interact and
enhance each other. The food options prepared
by Executive Chef Jonathan Bautista included
fresh mixed salad, quail eggs, squid balls, danggit,
Thai spiced crab cakes, and Planet
Grapes’ turon trilogy, among others. See? I know, I have your attention
right now. Yeah, Filipino dishes and I assure you boy that it really
compliments each other.
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| quail eggs, danggit, squid balls, Thai spiced crab |
More so, Planet Grapes is where the intimidating walls of fine dining and
complicated wine pairings come down, and you can discover just how well wine
goes with the food you already know and love.
By
the way, Planet Grapes River Park branch has a cozy and romantic ambiance.
Plus, a live band plays during weekends. Can't wait for my next visit because
this place is way perfect for a dreamy date or even for just having
a “me-time.” Hope to see you there!
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| hi there, Planet Grapes |
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| with the blogger friends with Ms. Macy Pineda |
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| inside Planet Grapes - River Park, Alabang, Muntinlupa City |
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| yeah, goes well with crackers too! |
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| beautiful pieces inside |
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| OOTD - nothing fancy // dress gift from my sis; shoes bought in Greenhills - Marikina-made |
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| Planet Grapes - Wine Without the Drama |
To have a fun experience and
enjoy `wine without the drama,’
visit Planet Grapes. The modern wine retail store and
restaurant-bar first opened at Tuscany at Mckinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig City. Other stores are located at Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City; and now
at the recently opened branches in Shangri-La Plaza Mall North Wing, EDSA,
Mandaluyong City; and at the River Park, Festival Supermall, Alabang,
Muntinlupa City.
For
more information, log on to www.planetgrapes.com.ph.
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