Wines from the Philippines – Really? Yes. “Light fruit wines”

Mango wine and black plum wine

SHE says: Attending any number of entertainment events, I notice they are generous – even in the midst of a deep recession.   It’s networking and it’s part of the job of an actress/producer.  The job of the meeting planners is to make each one unique and out here they are good. Really good.  Imagine my surprise when at one event I see  “Light Fruit Wines from the Philippines”.  What? Really? Yes.    Fruit wines.   Mango wine and Black Plum wine from brand Haliya.

Haliya Light Fruit Wines is produced by VuQo Inc.  VuQo gave us a bottle of Mango wine and Black Plum wine to bring home and we began to plan a tasting.   (2012 update:  looks like their website is directing all traffic to their Facebook page right now… bummer, the artwork was beautiful!)

HE is begging off of this one.  He is a grape devotee of a few decades and he is a faithful type of man.  Although he tried the Mango wine and Plum wine and he gave a little smile/shrug, I think that means he’s not going to let these light fruit wines join him in his wine scoring club.  Although I’m still learning “man language,” I’m pretty sure that’s what that smile/shrug means.  That’s OK.  I had a great time trying them all by myself.

SHE continues:  Visit Haliya Wines website.  It’s beautiful. It’s a teeny bit of paradise with flowers, birds and fruits.  Really lovely.   You’ll meet the Goddess Haliya and her mythology on one page, and learn to make a wish just before you sip your Haliya wine.   And now on to the tasting.

We paired the Haliya fruit wines with food from Malaysia.  Philippine food tends to be too sweet for us, so we decided on Malaysian.  Curry and chicken, and a cousin of pad thai.  We wanted to give the wine the best possible chance of being itself.

Mango Wine: To smell the aroma is to feel heaven. It smells just like fresh mango

Serve the delightful Mango Wine with after dinner sweets!

with a bit of alcohol behind it.   I tasted it with our light dinner and that’s just not fair to the mango wine.  When I paired the mango wine with actual fresh mango for desert  — I loved it.  It’s a unique experience to taste fresh mango and mango wine at the same time.  Can I confess?  I wanted to pour the mango wine over the fresh mango, dive in and then eat and drink my way out.   My guess is it will also go well with numerous fruits and light appetizers.   This wine is your friend you can have the most fun with,  so do be careful.  The taste does not linger in your mouth and my concern is, like that most fun friend you had in high school, she may not know when to stop.   The taste is exquisite, but again, the taste does not linger in your mouth, so that means you want to taste again.  And again.  Please drink responsibly.   Personally, I would like to have the aroma in an air freshener every morning.   It’s beautiful.  Hope they invent that soon.

Black Plum Wine: Another great aroma, but more forte.  Smells a bit like vermouth.  Even though we paired it with lighter food, again the food seemed to compete with the wine – and who needs competition at dinner time, right?   I took another stab at this wine with chocolate, plain ol’ American red plums and a bit of banana.  Sounds like a strange concoction, but yum.   Again, the taste does not stick around for long (unlike that guy who never takes no for an answer) so I am slightly worried that you’ll keep drinking and drinking even though you have church in the morning…so please try to control yourself.

What do you serve with Mango wine?  Check out this crazy awesome spring roll creation – Mango, Avocado and Crab Spring Roll from Five and Spice

And what was my wish before taking my sips?  You know better than that - wishes stay secret.   Visit Haliya Wines for yourself, make a wish, take a sip and give them a try with appetizers, fruit, chocolate and even light cheeses and let us know your tastes!

Achaval-Ferrer, a boutique winery in Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina

HE SAYS:  We made our first stop in Luján de Cuyo at Achaval-Ferrer, a boutique winery that has

View of the Andes Mountains at Achaval-Ferrer

garnered much acclaim. Argentinians Santiago Achával Becu and Manuel Ferrer Minetti have teamed up with Italian winemaker Robert Cipresso. They strive to craft wines of the highest quality that show off the grapes and terroir of the region. They ferment their wine in giant cement tanks and then age in oak barrels. I highly recommend visiting them if you go to Mendoza as their tour was one of the most informative I’ve ever had and their wines are truly wonderful. The tasting is free with the tour.

Achaval-Ferrer Tasting Line-up.

2008 Achaval Ferrer Quimera (Barrel sample)

–  HE SAYS:A blend of Malbec, Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. The color was a quite pretty purple, but the tannin and oak in the wine mask the fruit right now. The ’08 vintage was marked with lots of rain in February, then nice weather through harvest in March and early April, so it will be interesting to see how the wine develops.  Our guide mentioned the Quimera’s can be stored for up to 15 years.
SHE SAYS:  This is a young and happy wine – pucker up, baby! 

2006 Achaval Ferrer Quimera – HE SAYS:  This blend has very good fruit flavors and medium tannins. The Quimera blend changes each year, depending on the quality of the individual varietals. The winery said it could age for up to 15 years because of it’s solid structure. 15+
SHE SAYS:  Strong, friendly and warm – and if you’re still strong, friendly and warm in 15 years, we’ll talk.

2008 Achaval Ferrer Finca Mirador Malbec (Barrel sample) – HE SAYS:  Achaval Ferrer has three vineyards in Mendoza and thus makes three single vineyard wines to show off the terroir of each one. Mirador is the lowest of the three at 2,400 feet elevation. It lies along the West bank of the Tunuyan River in the Medrano region and has stony clay soil. This wine had only been in the barrel 6 months, and has another year to go. It is 100% Malbec and had an amazing deep purple color and violet nose. The wine was soft and approachable – very delicious. 15+
SHE SAYS:  Simple & friendly.

2008 Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira Malbec (Barrel sample) – HE SAYS:  Altamira is the highest of the three vineyards at 3,400 feet elevation. It’s from a vineyard in the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley, which is maybe 75 miles south of the bodega. The warm days and cool nights of the Uco Valley help the grapes develop thicker skins, which increases the aromas, body and tannins. This barrel sample also had been aging only 6 months and had another year to go. Also 100% Malbec, it was nice and smooth, with a touch of lemony acid to it. “Sexy and sensual” is how they appropriately describe it. 16+
SHE SAYS:  You better be lookin’ at me when you say “sexy and sensual” big guy.  This one is yummy, if a little tight.

2006 Achaval Ferrer Dolce – HE SAYS:   This dessert wine is a Malbec that they harvest and then they let the grapes dry out to concentrate the sugars in raisin form. It was soft and very sensual, but also very intense. Just 16% alcohol, and not too sweet. All seven of us in the tasting room really loved this wine, which can age for 15 years. A truly unique and memorable wine. Unfortunately this wine is only available from the winery for about $40 for 500 ml, so it’s going to be difficult to track down. 17
SHE SAYS:  Mmmmmm… you scrumptious thing, you.  We brought home 2 bottles and if you want a sip, well, I have a long list of house chores for you and when you’re finished, you can have a glass of Dolce.
Visit online at www.achaval-ferrer.com