The Blessing of Wines

This is not about the wedding at Cana where water was miraculously changed into wine. I wager that since then, no wine made by man can match the one produced at Cana; nevertheless wine growers haven’t stopped from attempting to come up with the perfect wine.

Recently, Fr. John Cordero blessed the world-renowned brands such as Robert Mondavi, Penfolds, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Pierre Dourthe and Bollinger–their quality absolutely guaranteed!–at the formal opening of The Wine Shop on the second floor of the Duty Free Fiesta Mall. The ceremonial ribbon was cut by the personable DOT Secretary Dick Gordon with the assistance of Anthony’s Wines president Tita Trillo and founder-chairman Anthony Trillo.

Fr. Cordero also gave his benediction to all guests present who relished the following "gastronomical delights" prepared by Chef Mariano Anos of Beluga Bistro and Pravda Wine Bar: spicy Spanish shrimps, slivers of marinated tenderloin tips, Mexican quesadillas and a startling array of canapés topped with caviar, camembert cheese, olives and paté, ending with Beluga’s mouth-watering Blueberry Cheesecake.

Matching the gourmet cuisine were two kinds of wine, one from the old world, another from the new: a soft, medium-bodied Chilean wine with intense aromas of ripe fruits, the Caliterra Merlot, and a lively, fruity and fresh Bordeau, namely, Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s Agneau Blanc.

The best news that night was that The Wine Shop is affordable. This will doubtless make avid converts of non-drinkers–myself included.

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Behind the grand diner amical of the Chaine des Rotisseurs (local chapter) was the idea of Fred Frank Fricke to "dazzle" the guests while incorporating the Bastille theme because the dinner would coincide with the French national day. The suggestion was quickly relayed to the Peninsula Manila’s GM, the enterprising T. Markland Blaiklock, F&B Director Larry Cowle and Executive Chef Gordon Landy. The "Big Three" then put their heads together. The Bastille theme, as you already suspect, was merely a ploy because the imprisoned and chained aristocrats–the Rotisseur members and their guests, among them French Ambassador Gilles Chouraqui and Belgian Ambassador Roland van Remoortele–looked just as happy as the costumed inquisitors, the gendarmes, the peasants and the royalist symphatizers. Thus was concocted the "most divine cuisine that would feed all the senses to bursting point."

Against a grand setting that included exquisite pieces by sculptor Impy Pilapil, the "aristocrats" sat down to a far-from-prison fare that kept them perfecting "the art of indulgence".

At the Inter-Con, the ambiance of the new Cafe Jeepney and Deli Shop is heightened by jeepney spare parts (by Sarao) as well as by Manny Baldemor’s jeepney paintings and old sepia pictures of our jeepneys being driven around Paris and Dusseldorf.

Although known as the media’s haven, the Cafe is frequented by tycoons, financiers and their families–don’t let the word "jeepney" mislead you–for the menu and the heavenly dessert crepe sumarai.