A Wine to Remember

Martin Luther once said that beers were made by men, but wines were made from gods. As in?

After devouring too much food at Mactan Alfresco, we went to Dolce Casa Cebu's branch at Parkmall Mandaue to drink something made by the deities above. Drinking wine isn't really my thing to be honest that's why I got really happy when I learned that we're going to have a wine tasting activity in Cebu Food Crawl 2015.

Dolce Casa Cebu is one of the leading authorities in Italian Wine & Products, with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Not only they house 300+ varieties of wines from Lombardia to Sicily, they also serve gummies, candies, gelato, liquors, coffee varieties, and other products.

While they served us some red and white wines, olives, and cheese, we had a 30-minute seminar about what else? Wine, of course! I never thought that the wine industry would be that complicated. Truth be told, I got overwhelmed by the information I gathered during the seminar. Wines are named after their wine region, grape variety, vineyard, and the year it was produced. Yes, in that order. Wine glasses have tall stem and you should hold it there rather than cupping your hand at the base of the wine glass while drinking. The warm temperature of your palm greatly affects the taste of wine. Amazing, di ba?

There are 5 S's to remember when tasting wine.

1. See - Hold your glass against a white background in a well lit room to admire the color and clarity. A wine's color is mostly influenced by its age and grape variety. As they age, white wines gain color, while red wines lose color.
2. Swirl - Hold the wine in front of you and gently rotate it. This actually aerates the wine, releasing its natural aroma.
3. Smell - Stick your nose down inside the glass, and take a quick, deep inhalation. Much of wine's pleasure comes from its aroma.
4. Sip - Take a small sip and roll it around your mouth (like a swishing mouthwash) and breathe in a little air to releasing the aroma while tasting.
5. Swallow or Spit - Spitting may sound impolite but it's not. It's actually a very good way to taste if you are sampling many wines, and it can be done very discreetly. Just don't give it to others after you spat out the wine. Lol.

If you're in Cebu, don't forget to visit their three branches (Ayala Center Cebu, Parkmall, and Gaisano Grand Malls). We truly had a great time at Dolce Casa Cebu.

Photo courtesy of Dolce Casa Cebu's official website

Nope, we weren't drunk when this photo was taken. ;)