Hunting the best wines Down Under

COSMO Manille has its share of winetasting, wine and cheese parties and wine clubs.

But when you get a ring to go winetasting in the world-renowned Hunter Valley in down-under Australia, you pack your anti-acid pills (if you are acidic) and go-go-go.

A smooth ride, although a bit cramped, in the eco-class of Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and onward to Sydney with our gang of 18 was great fun, loaded with anticipation, palanggas.

Heading the pack was the beautiful couple, mega shakers and achievers, business whiz Arnold Co and his wife, super attractive business entrepreneur Ruth Velasco Co who have delighted us with their A-list Haagen Dazs, Oliver's Sandwiches and, now, the to-die-for Max Brenner Chocolates.

An overnight stay at the swinging Sheraton Hotel smack in downtown Sydney had us rushing out to shop then taking on a spin around Sydney's renowned Dahling, oops, I mean Darling Harbor, for a gorgeous sunset cruise, followed by a gastronomic feast at the picture-perfect, superb Cafe Sydney resto overlooking the beautiful well-lit-at-night Sydney Harbor where the menu will knock your socks off.

Next morning, all rested up and bright and early (except for my pals Pepper Teehankee and on-the-go Tim Yap, who hit the night spots the day before), and after a yummy breakfast at Sheraton's excellent coffee shop, we were all excited to start our Hunter Valley winetasting experience, palanggas. A short two-hour scenic drive from Sydney, we were bent on learning as much as we could as we were whisked off to Newcastle to visit the office of top Australian wine selectors and meet two swell men who would take care of us for the next three days-managing director Greg Wall and marketing and business development manager Graeme Bashford-since Hunter Valley Wine Society has been established in the Philippines by the dynamic duo Ruth and Arnold Co, with the so helpful Mauricio "Mayo" Alcon, as club director.

Meeting the high priest

We were then introduced to a group of wine experts who chose and graded the different wines for distribution to club members. All wines were covered in white cloth to make sure there would be no biases for known brands. The panel was headed by world-class-the high priest of them all-Karl Stockhausen. He has chaired the panel for the past six years.

Karl has been with the famous winemaker Lindemans for 35 years and is responsible for making some of Australia's most highly awarded wines.

We started our first winetasting session at, take note, palanggas, 10 a.m. with a 2000 Riesling from Clare Valley in Adelaide Hills. We were taught how to swirl the glass, how to smell and check the color. The basics of grape varieties grown in Australia were explained.

The expert panel agreed "that the 2002 Shiraz from Riverina would rate a 16 (out of 20) and would merit a bronze medal in the competition."

We were also taught how to savor the flavor of the wine, then spit it out into spittoons. Actually, most, if not all of us, sipped the delicate red and white wines (instead of spitting them out). Drinking all that for two whole hours had most of us giddy and our heads delightfully spinning.

To bring us down a bit, most of the weight watchers and healthful eaters, like wine connoisseurs Karen Santos and Bea Zobel Jr., adorable Mons Tantoco and Singapore Airlines mega secret weapon Rita Dy, had several servings of the super healthy lunch at the lecture and wine hall, prepared by the wine club.