An exquisite wine adventure
Brothers Jacob and Frederik Beringer first saw America in the 1850s as a land brimming with potential. Upon arriving in Napa, California, the brothers were reminded of the wine regions of their native Germany. By 1876, they established Beringer Vineyards with a dream of making wines that would rival the finest in Europe. They laid down roots and put in the time and hard work to turn a dream into something more meaningful.
Today, Jacob’s great-greatgrandson, chief winemaker
Mark Beringer, guides what is California’s longest continually operating winery and one of Napa’s finest producers. With over 1,600 acres farmed across Napa’s best appellations, as well as Sonoma County and Paso Robles, Beringer today is recognized as one of the region’s preeminent producers with a rich portfolio of wines.
Guided by the same vision and legacy of his forebears, Mark recently came to Manila to share the brand’s provenance by holding a series of exciting wine events highlighting the excellence that has made Beringer a global brand. Mark was chief winemaker of two other Californian vineyards before joining the company that bears his name but was sold by his grandfather in the 1970s.
M Café in Greenbelt 4, Makati City was a fitting venue to showcase some of the most outstanding wines from the extensive Beringer portfolio. Mark also conducted a Beringer Master Class at the same venue before the night’s big party.
The festivities continued as guests were treated to live music and al fresco cocktails that feat u red Be r i nge r Sparkling White Zinfandel pai red with k esong put i (carabao cheese), sea urchin
aburi on coconut crispy rice with soy calamansi and a Plaza Ham carving station.
A short program hosted by Stephanie Zubiri- Crespi commenced while Kathy Yao
Santos, president of Happy Living Wines, welcomed the guests. Opening remarks were delivered by USDA agricultural counselor Ralph
Bean followed by Ma rk Beringer as keynote speaker.
Dur ing the event, the Beringer # BetterBeckons social media promo grand winner Rey Johnino was awarded a free trip to the Beringer Napa Valley Winery in California.
After the ceremonial toast, wine-and-food pairing ensued that featured seven Filipino haute- cuisine.
Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014 was paired with a seafood kilawin ( c ev iche) ba r ; Be r i nge r Founders’ Estate Chardonnay 2014 and Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 was paired with frog sisig ( hash) with sous vide quail egg, and grilled
bagaybay (tuna milt); and Beringer Founders’ Estate Pinot Noir 2014 was paired with duck dinuguan (stew) with puto (sticky rice cake).
Also paired that night were Ber inger Founders’ Estate Zinfandel 2014 and grilled Alaminos, Lucban and Vigan longganisa skewers; Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot 2014 and Beringer Napa Valley Merlot 2014 and bistek ( Filipino spice marina ted) tenderloin; Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 and
kambing (goat) kaldereta foie gras pot pie; and Beringer Quantum Red Blend 2013 and spiced Davao- style lechon (roast pork) belly.
The wine-pairing dinner at the M Cafe was great. But that was not the end of Beringer happenings as the next day, another wine-pairing dinner was set at Ruby Jacks at the City of Dreams Manila. This time, it was a sit- down affair with VIP guests jointly invited by Happy Living Wine’s Kathy Yao-Santos and City of Dreams’ Willy Ocier.
The dinner started with house-smoked salmon tartare with brie fondue, cashew
dukkah and calamansi paired with Ber inger Luminous Oak Knoll Chardonnay 2014. This was followed by teppan-grilled scallops with hummus and bacon dust paired with Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2013; and chargrilled Yellowfin tuna with black olive and semi- dried tomato tapenade that went well with the Beringer Napa Valley Merlot 2014.
The main course was the amazing char-grilled premium A3 Saga Wagyu sirloin served with mashed potato, sauteed
shime ji mush rooms a nd horseradish sauce paired with my favorite Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. Dessert was a dark chocolate Jaffa dome with sour cherry glaçage and Port wine gelato.
I left the dinner early as I had a f light to Singapore the following day (where I would see Mark again at a Beringer barbecue dinner). Before I left the event, I had the privilege of receiving a bottle of the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon signed by Mark.
Capping off the evening’s wine- and- food adventure was a final toast and salute to the chief winemaker Mark Beringer’s exquisite wine adventure with rousing cheers to Beringer.