Wine dinner where time stops
The quarterly banquet celebrates the finest wines from around the world — in Anya Resort’s most extensive cellar
Anya general manager Mikel Arriet.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ANYA
Daily TribuneThe quarterly banquet celebrates the finest wines from around the world — in Anya Resort’s most extensive cellar
Anya general manager Mikel Arriet.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ANYA
Charred Pulpo
Gambas and Mushroom Al Ajillo.
Exquisite pairs from Ribera del Duero, Spain’s hallowed ground of Tempranillo-driven reds that brooded with cult fruits and spice.
Lamb Shank Stew.
Samira Bites Salmon and Tapioca Crackers, Bulalo Crispy Tacos, Txistorra Takoyaki.
Torrija and Latik Ice Cream.
If the dinner was a quiet rebellion against the hurried life, it was a story told in slow, deliberate sips.
Because some wines demand attention. Some meals refuse to be rushed. The inaugural installment of this year’s Wine Dinner Series in Tagaytay last Saturday ensured we give in to both.
The quarterly banquet celebrates the finest wines from around the world — in Anya Resort’s most extensive cellar.
Here, Anya’s Samira by Chele made a case for why wine should be an event and no mere accompaniment.
I was noshing on some tacos when the sommelier popped the cork with bottles from Ribera del Duero, Spain’s hallowed ground of Tempranillo-driven reds that brooded with cult fruits and spice.
“Franck Massard Cava Brut,” he bellowed with quiet reverence, the way you might introduce an old friend. “Catalonia’s answer to champagne, but with none of the pretense and all of the soul.”
I have never really understood all the finer details of the wine’s terroir. All I knew was that, while some wines are poured, ours arrived with the weight of history and the certainty of knowing they belong to our table.
I swirled my glass of Arzuaga Rosae without being overly specific about the nose and the palate, but rather a careful reverence to a fading memory: Warm, lingering, slipping through the fingers before I was ready to let go.
A few paces later, the sommelier unleashed a sleeping giant to temper the weather, a semi-vintage Cruz de Alva Fuentelum.
He let it breathe.
I imagine the makers, glass in hand and lost in awe. Even gods, given enough wine, must lose themselves in their own creations.
It was savory, meaty and lush on the palate, with polished tannins and a smooth finish.
The flow was infinite, the sip a conversation, a masterclass in knowing exactly what to say, and when to let spill an imposing libation.
“Fancy another glass?”
If anything, it made me slow down and think about the richness and depth that we sometimes fail to see because we eat too quickly, swallow too mindlessly, and forget too soon.
If our Ribera del Duero dinner was any indication, Tagaytay’s wine scene may be on the verge of something great.
Anya Resort general manager Mikel Arriet asks: “Will you be there when the cork pops?”
The journey continues with “French Discovery” in June; “American Cult Wines,” September; and “Sparkling Discovery,” November.
“France is often top of mind when talking about wine, and we’ve discovered many exciting selections to showcase for our French Discovery. For American Cult Wines, we’ll explore Napa Valley, one of the most renowned wine-producing regions, home to small yet remarkable winemakers,” Arriet said.
“Sparkling Discovery was inspired by the world’s most celebrated bubblies. We challenged ourselves to create an unforgettable food and wine pairing experience worthy of these sparkling wines.”
Anya Resort enlisted the celebrated genius of Pierre and Cyril Addison to curate a selection paired with the creations by Samira by Chele, a paean to inland Spanish cuisine.
Our evening spread was an unspoken understanding between glass and plate, appetite and pleasure, where flavor became a language, and every sip finished the sentence, unpredictable in its chemistry, inevitable in its outcome.
From the amuse bouche (Salmon & Tapioca Crackers, Bulalo Crispy Tacos, Txistorra Takoyaki) to the entree (Fresh Coconut & Snapper Ceviche, Gambas Al Ajillo and Charred Pulpo) to the main (Lamb Shank Stew), the pairings by Samira had that pang of inevitability to it, like the right words in a poem, the right notes in a song.
The right people at the table.
Because the finest wines and most exquisite dishes mean little without laughter between courses and conversation that lingers like a great finish.
They didn’t just sit politely in the glass; they announced themselves, much like the evening’s company: People who know that time at the table is a sacred thing.
No timid souls, no halfhearted drinkers. And definitely not me, planted and wine-drunk, stirring in frantic hurry. For nights like these, where the food is rich and the pour is endless, are meant to be lived.