The Manila Chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs held a tasting at very new Cru Restaurant in the Marriott hotel near the airport. I was tasked to bring the wines to pair with the food.
Freixenet Cava Elyssia NV - One of my favorite cavas. I recall reading it has only 2 of the 3 Spanish grapes for cava, Macabeo and Parellada. It does not contain Xarel-lo. It does, however, use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Good fruit on the palate. Medium-bodied. Slightly oxidative style. Some orange notes. Quite dry. An excellent Champagne substitute and a good match for the lobster tail tart.
Astrolabe Voyage Pinot Gris 2008 - From Marlborough, New Zealand. Light, citrus rind, surprisingly long finish. Although by itself, the wine was pleasant but nothing special, with the soup of cauliflower velvet, creamed eggs and truffle, it was very good, with the wine gaining sweetness.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 14 2007 - Lovely sweet fruit aromas. Ripe strawberries and red berries on the palate. A little smoky. Soft, forward and easy. A very charming wine. Excellent.
Montes Alpha Carmenere 2007 - The latest addition to the Montes Alpha range. Decanted for one hour. Rich, ripe, rounded, plums, deep aromas. Perfectly balanced wine. Not a lot of complexity but who cares? I loved this. One of the best Carmeneres I've tried. I'm sure the decanting helped it along, though. Both reds paired very well with the veal chop but we decided to go with the heftier Carmenere.
Michele Chiarlo Moscato d'Asti Nivole 2008 - Really a no-brainer match for the blue cheese and muscat jelly sandwich. Light, sweet grapey, refreshing. A real crowd pleaser. Very good. Available at Bacchus.
Seppeltsfield Para Port - Christmas and plum pudding, walnuts, bittersweet chocolate. A little goes a long way. Excellent Oz Port and a very good match for the chocolate cake with coffee ice cream.