Wine Tasting at "Marks and Spencer"

I'm neither a wine critic nor a wine connoisseur, but I do love me a glass of red wine with a side of cheese, finger food or trinkets.

Wine being one of the indulgences that I splurge on once in a while, I attended the Wine Tasting Event held by Nuffnang with Marks and Spencer at the Greenbelt 5, Makati City last Feb.7. And due to the workload at the office I came in late where I just missed the lecture about the intricacies of wine from Wine and Spirit Education Trust Awardee, Chie Gatchalian. But that didn’t stop me from sampling the wide variety of wine, from white to sparkling to dessert wine, to broaden my taste and choices.

First up are some dessert wines. With their strong, sweet flavor…almost ‘brandy’-like, they earn their name as stand alone selections. A glass of Rich Cream Olorosso Sherry, from the Marks and Spencer selection, is like drinking liquefied Christmas fruit cake. It’s a bit too strong for my taste…along with its 20% alcohol content. Want to tone the strength without loosing a robust flavoring? Then take a sip of Fine Reserve Port from Portugal instead.

I finally got to sample the famous Chardonnay, a Barossa from Australia, but I was disappointed with the flavor, and was more inclined to the full fruity texture and flavor of Erdener Treppchen Riesling from Germany. And among the Sparkling wines, The Sparkling Lambrusco with its smooth texture and full flavor with a refreshing sweetness to it that even got me into sampling more.

It was really a good experience trying out these flavors from the Marks and Spencer selection. Now I now what could complement the menu on some of the parties I’m planning for.