Yalumba Wine Dinner is a 6-course dinner that paired Yalumba wines from Australia’s oldest family-owned winery to Executive Chef James Williams’ delectable dishes.
The special guest of the evening was Tim Hermann, a wine connoisseur. Having experience in sales and marketing, and vineyard work, he was knowledgeable in many stages of wine production. His talks really made us appreciate the pairings of each dish to each bottle of wine.
THE FIREPLACE
New World Manila Bay Hotel, 1588 Pedro Gil cor. M.H. Del Pilar Manila
Website: www.newworldhotels.com
E-mail: dining.manilabay@newworldhotels.com
Phone: + 63 2 252 6888
Facebook: New-World-Hotels-Resorts
Twitter: @NewWorldManila
The dinner was held at New World Manila Bay Hotel’s The Fireplace prepared by Executive Chef James Williams. This warm and inviting restaurant features a copper-plated ceiling and a 10-foot wood-fired beech oven. The Philippine Tatler has even recognized it to be one of 2016’s best restaurants.
The first course was seared scallops, squid ink risotto and puffed rice paired with Angras Brut NV. The sparkling wine was a fun, fruity and fizzy pair to the tender and soft scallops.
The puffed rice offered a nice variation in texture, since both the scallops and risotto were soft.
For the second course, we had octopus, almond milk and crispy shallot paired with Eden Valley, Viognier 2014. This tangy wine cut the heaviness of the octopus and the creaminess of the almond milk very well.
During the third course, they started to bring out the red wines. The Shiraz Viognier 2010 was paired with a nice duck plate which had Assiette of duck, slow cooked breast, confit terrine, cracker, cherry jus. The best way to eat this dish is to let the small egg’s yolk run over the trio of duck. It adds a creaminess to it. The vintage Shiraz was nice and mellow to let the tender duck shine.
We had slow-roasted beef, fondant potato, confit cep, spinach oil for the fourth course.
It was paired with The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2012. This red wine had a deeper and richer flavor than the one that preceded it. It was earthy, but also had fruity hints. We recommend putting the bone marrow on top of the slow roasted beef to add fattiness and creaminess to it.
The fifth course had one of the strongest wines of the night, The Octavius Barossa Old Vine Shiraz. It has a 14.5% alcohol content, a strong perfume-like scent, and a dark oaky flavor.
This wine was paired with red wine braised beef cheek, pumpkin puree, pine-nut salsa. The savory soft braised beef cheek works very well with its crunchy exterior.
Finally for dessert, the chefs prepared strawberries, white chocolate and meringue. The sweet and fresh strawberry sorbet was the star of the plate.
Paired with this dessert is the Yalumba Botrytis Viognier 2012. This tangy wine goes perfectly with the luscious white chocolate.
Congratulations Chef Williams of the New World Manila Bay Hotel and the Yalumba Winery for a successful wine pairing experience. Cheers!
THE FIREPLACE
New World Manila Bay Hotel, 1588 Pedro Gil cor. M.H. Del Pilar Manila
Website: www.newworldhotels.com
E-mail: dining.manilabay@newworldhotels.com
Phone: + 63 2 252 6888
Facebook: New-World-Hotels-Resorts
Twitter: @NewWorldManila
About YALUMBA WINE DINNER
Wine enthusiasts and gourmands came together for a special Yalumba wine pairing dinner on 3 March 2016, 7pm at the iconic & award-winning The Fireplace situated at New World Manila Bay Hotel.
The 6-course menu paired with a selection of classic to contemporary Yalumba wines from Australia’s oldest family-owned winery.
The Yalumba Wine pairing dinner is at PhP 3,500 per person. The wine dinner is presented by New World Manila Bay Hotel and supported by Philippine Wine Merchants.
For inquiries and reservations, please call + 63 2 252 6888 or
e-mail dining.manilabay@newworldhotels.com or visit newworldhotels.com.
ABOUT YALUMBA WINES
Yalumba wines have a style all of their own and each have been influenced by a diverse range of elements. Elements Yalumba likes to call ‘the controllables’, such as the Yalumba Vine Nursery and on-site cooperage – as well as other factors that cannot be emulated by any other winery. Yalumba’s history and tradition combined with a reputation for innovation.
“Yalumba has been at the forefront of introducing new wine styles to Australian drinkers over the past decade; perfumed white viognier and slinky, supple red tempranillo.
Soon, look out for crisp, dry whites made from other Mediterranean grapes, such as vermentino and fiano, and in a few years – if (winemaker Louisa) Rose gets her way – sauvignon blanc-like whites made from drought-tolerant verdejo.
Yalumba also leads the industry in environmental performance; reducing carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity and exploring organic viticulture. As well as looking to the future, it has been celebrating its 160-year-old Barossa heritage by developing an Old Vine charter, and releasing reds from ancient shiraz and grenache plants.
This inspirational formula works because Yalumba is a family-owned business. “We’re not trying to keep shareholders happy,” says Rose. “We have the freedom to play with new wine styles because we are creating out own future.”
Live an Awesome Life,
Abi and Justine of Our Awesome Planet Team
Disclosure: Our experience was courtesy of New World Hotel. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
