NOTES FROM WINE COLLECTORS:
JOEL DEL PRADO
A former restaurateur, this Cebu based wine connoisseur has been a collector for 25 years. This Bordeaux fan believes buying them straight from the Chateau is the ultimate experience, especially if you get handpicked them before bottling.
The only Filipino who is a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux and Ordre Coteaux de Champagne Hong Kong Chapter, his affiliations with these wine societies has opened doors for him to attend some of the most unforgettable dining experiences. He shared that last New Year's Eve, a friend hosted a Michellin star dinner where their champagne bill for 10 persons rang up to more than HK$1M.
CHARLES TIU
Sports Analyst, Coach, and host Charles Tiu started collecting because of value. After being gifted several high-value bottles, he decided to keep them. Enchanted with the discovery of flavors and curious about how a wine evolves with age, his end goal is to sample as much as he can and enjoy those he like 10-15 years from now.
Charles, who has been collecting for 5 years now, believes that provenance is key and sticks to trusted wine suppliers. He collects mostly French wines. His most recent acquisition is a Salon 2002 whose bottle price is listed close to a US$1000 on online wine auction sites to celebrate his wedding to designer Sari Lazaro last July.
MAYNARD NGU
This tech entrepreneur and CEO of Cherry Mobile took his wine collecting to the next level by opening wine shop and bar Cork in BGC along with Real Estate genius David Leechiu and Globe's Ernest Cu. What started as souvenirs from his travels in Europe, Maynard's vast collection consists of vintages from Bordeaux and old world wine since he prefers a more complex taste.
Maynard is now in the process of collecting wines from his birth year and is incredibly proud to find a collection of Château Mouton De Rothschild from the year 1970-2015, which took him 8 years to complete.
RICKY ANDRES
This entrepreneur and wine, beer, and whisky enthusiast started his love affair with wine when he began visiting Napa Valley in early 2000, and this affair continued for 15 years more. He collects to consume and opens a bottle of wine to unwind or reward himself.
He shares that some of his most memorable life stories revolved around wine, such as getting a free bottle of 2003 Chateau Laffite Rothschild (price range US$800-1000) from a family friend and when his wine buddies decided to split the cost of a bottle of DRC Échézeaux (price range US$900-1000). Each got a generous pour and enjoyed this elegant wine over dinner. One of his friends made a mistake of refilling his wine glass with water instead of the water goblet and diluted his USD$300 share.