The Wine Museum - Wine Appreciation with the Breakfast Club

I’m not much of a wine person but still, I keep an open mind about learning some few things about it. Fortunately, Breakfast Magazine organized a wine appreciation event for us to sample The Wine Musuem’s  food and wine offerings. 

The Wine Museum is a family-oriented hotel and restaurant located along Aurora Boulevard (formerly Tramo Road), Pasay. A restaurant that features Colonial & Spanish dishes could be found at the lower level while the Wine Education Center sits at the second floor. The learning center where seminars and wine courses are held was set up by the R. Joseph Wine Museum Foundation Inc. to educate people about wines. It became a learning and training facility not only for students in tourism and hospitality courses, but also for people who are just merely interested in wines. 

Our Wine Appreciation started with Mr. Jorge Joseph presenting a brief history of The Wine Museum and the R. Joseph Wine Museum Foundation Inc. Followed by the Chef and General Manager himself, Mr. John Joseph Jr. who fervently shared to us his inspirational success story. 

Sir Jorge Joseph then continued to his Wine 101 presentation where he demonstrated on how to check the color of wine on a piece of paper.

Appetizers were served during the lecture paired with a chilled glass of Claro (Chilean) Chardonnay. 

The light and refreshing acidity of the white wine paired well with the sampler appetizers especially with the smoky Gambas Al Ajillo (P300).

The Vigan Longganisa (P250) also complemented the wine with its full-flavored taste while the Mushroom Adobo (P120) gave a sharp tang on the palate. 

Our second glass was a red wine of Claro (Chilean) Merlot to go with the Sopa De Calabasa (P100) - A rich and creamy bowl of pumpkin puree that tasted fresh and flavorful.

The Wine Museum's Fish Fillet with Ali Oli (P275) and Chicken Mexicano (P220) were served on our plates for us to sample. 

The Fish Fillet was perfectly encrusted in thin and crisp flavorful coating with tender and flaky texture of the fish inside and served with ali oili dip on the side. 

The Chicken Mexicano on the other hand was very flavorful with a subtle hint of that familiar Mexican taste. 

Our last glass of red wine was a Claro (Chilean) Cabernet Sauvignon- a full-bodied and firm wine with high tannin content.

I found this wine slightly bitter to my liking. I guess I still have a lot to learn on wine appreciation.

The Paella Collonial (P450) is one of the museum's favorites that is actually a fusion of Spanish, American and Filipino flavors. A mix of eastern and western culinary methods, incorporated with a Filipino ingredient to suit the Filipino taste- Beer. 

The huge plate of the Paella Colonial is topped with generous servings of mixed seafood, chorizo de bilbao, olives, bell peppers, beans and peas, making it already good on its own.

Too bad I wasn't able to get the bottom layer of the paella for some soccarat goodness.

The last course was the famous Crispy Toro (P325)- deep fried beef shank that is perfectly crisp and juicy at the same time. 

I enjoyed this Crispy Toro very much especially with the dipping sauce that goes with it. Every bite was full of savory flavors and spices.

A short tour of the museum and hotel was done after our lunch as we head to the second and third floor of the establishment.

After the quick tour, we were served with Hazelnut Crepe ala Mode (P150) and a dessert wine to cap off the event.

I would say that this is my kind of wine- something sweet, light and refreshing. A sparkling wine with very mild flavor and taste. 

The Wine Museum's Menu:

The Wine Museum
2253 Aurora Boulevard (Tramo Road)
Pasay City
Tel Num: 853-5894
Webiste: www.thewinemuseum.org
The Wine Museum Facebook Page