“Well? How’s the wine?” my dad asked as he watched me take a sip of a 2009 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling. “Well, it’s a bit sweet,” I replied.
He then looked at me as if I had spilled the wine all over the dinner table, and said, “No, it is not sweet, it is fruity!”
Thus began my complicated love affair with wine. I say complicated, because unfortunately, I am actually allergic to alcohol (more endearingly called the “Asian flush”), something I inherited from my mom. Depending on the wine and its acidity, I immediately turn as red as a tomato after just a few sips, and would be embarrassed by it. Nevertheless, I’ve learned that as with most things in life, wine is all about going back to the basics. In this case, this involves making use of some of the basic senses of every human being: sight, smell, touch, and of course, taste.
Freddie Pio de Roda III meticulously studying a wine list at Morton’s Steakhouse in 2018.
I would often hear people ask my dad (Alfredo Pio de Roda III, leading wine connoisseur and former wine columnist—Editor) how he started out as a wine connoisseur or if he went to school for it, and he would always say, “By drinking, of course! Drinking wine is the only way you will learn.”
Another thing most people ask him is, “How would you know which years or producers to invest in?” The answer again, of course, was that you would never really know unless you try it.
He would tell me stories of his travels with my lolo, and about his time as a student in upstate New York. He was already interested in wine and other liquor back then, and from there, he would just collect, select, and take note of the bottles he liked and didn’t like. Of course, there are some exceptions, such as the fabled Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (often wistfully abbreviated to just DRC) that every oenophile aspires to have in their collection.
As for picking out flavors in wine, you must also have a penchant for all kinds of food, to know if what you are tasting is spicy, floral, or yes, fruity.
Collecting and drinking wine should be a personal, unique experience; these days, however, we have apps like Vivino, which most people use as guide for picking out bottles based on their ratings. But one thing that these apps and vlogs take away is the intangible value of making a personal choice based on what you like—do you like a certain bottle of Chablis because of its mélange of flavors, or because a bunch of strangers on Vivino rated it 4.5 out of 5?
In our country, I find that among all the alcoholic drinks, most Filipinos find wine quite intimidating. They have fully embraced other niche drinks such as Japanese sake, Korean soju, and the like; wine, however, is something that seems untouchable, especially for the younger generation. Perhaps it’s our culture to blame, what with the likes of glorified punch from local brands claiming to be wine being the drink and often gift of choice over the holidays. Or the fact that we have events called “Tita Wine Nights” that cater to, well, titas.
Do you like a certain bottle of Chablis because of its mélange of flavors, or because a bunch of strangers on Vivino rated it 4.5 out of 5?
Finally, good wine does not come cheap; prices are either heavily marked up in restaurants, or too expensive for an average consumer to consider as an impulse purchase at the grocery. In all honesty, it was a mix of all these factors that took me years to embrace fully the beauty of wine. On my 18th birthday, my dad had to force me to try the Lynch-Bages and Gruaud-Larose he had saved for the occasion, both made the year I was born, 1990. According to him and other wine connoisseurs, 1990 was an exceptional year for winemakers, making it one of the most sought-after vintages today. Boy, did I regret it!
Everything I know about wine—which at this point it still inconsequential compared to others—is all based on experience. And this is how it should be. I am lucky enough to have been able to taste some notable wines by attending dinners with my dad and his friends, such as a 2003 Mouton Rothschild (a wonderful bottle which marked their 150th year in the business), or an Insignia by Joseph Phelps, while overlooking their vineyard in Napa Valley. I’ve learned that Chardonnay is too dry for my liking; I prefer the more delicate Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. I prefer Old World (those coming from the traditional, wine-producing regions in Europe) to New World (basically countries not part of the aforementioned regions) wines. I’ve learned never to eat anything sweet (unless it’s paired with Moscato, but still, it depends on the kind of dessert you’re having) with wine, as it alters the overall taste.
Freddie Pio de Roda III enjoying the view at Joseph Phelps’ vineyards in Napa Valley in 2017.
Come to think of it, just like all good vintages, learning to appreciate it probably does come with age. With this, here are some tips for beginners:
-
Drink and take note of what you like, and don’t like;
-
Enjoy! Don’t let anyone’s opinion or online ratings cloud your judgment;
-
And for the love of God, never add ice, as it will dilute and kill all the flavor. Properly store your bottles at moderate temperature; if you leave it out in the open, you might just end up drinking expensive vinegar.
And now, allow me to sit back with a glass of moderately dry and yes, fruity Grüner Veltliner!
Read more:
How Mr. Cochinillo Tinee de Guzman finds his inner hero today
