Days of wine... and more wine

WITH the country's humid weather, it would seem natural for people to prefer the refreshing white wines over more robust reds. Surprisingly, however, more Filipino wine drinkers seem to prefer cabernets to chardonnays.

"A growing number of Filipinos are now drinking wine," said John Cu-Unjieng, corporate chef of the Bistro Group of Restaurants, the company which manages such chains as Outback, TGIFriday's and Italianni's. "Whites are generally lighter and more refreshing than reds, but there are more Filipinos who still go for reds because our palate has grown accustomed to rich dishes."

The one basic principle that remained when choosing wines, he said, was: Light-bodied wines were best savored with light or delicately flavored dishes, while full-bodied wines were ideal for more flavorful and richer fare. Wine and food should complement, not overpower, each other's taste.

"A signature dish like Chicken Italianni's goes well with a mild red wine," said Cu-Unjieng. "Because of its strong flavor, the dish would overpower a white wine."

In this case, the red wine of choice is the Viña Albali Gran Reserva 1995. Aside from its "soft" character, it has the flavors of summery red fruits.

During a recent media conference at Italianni's Greenbelt to launch the restaurant's "Wine All You Can" promo, Cu-Unjieng gave several tips on choosing the right wine. The promo allows guests to drink all they can from a fairly decent wine list that includes two whites and five reds from Spain and Australia at P295 per person.

Cu-Unjieng said, with Italianni's Smoked Salmon Pizza or the Seafood Risotto, the wine should be Mirrool Creek Chardonnay 1998. The dishes, he explained, would go well with the Australian chardonnay because of its vanilla oak flavor and creamy butterscotch texture.

And don't bother asking for lemon or calamansi since the wine's crisp, lemony acidity is a perfect foil to any seafood dish.

Being fruitier and lighter than the classic cabernet sauvignon, said Cu-Unjieng, the Viña Albali Cabernet Tempranillo 1997 was perfect with Italianni's Grilled Pork Chops au Poivre. The white wine from Spain enhances the dish's spicy peppercorn crust as it brings out the Marsala wine sauce's flavor.

Cu-Unjieng has added a number of items to Italianni's signature dishes since he joined Bistro several years ago. Tuscan Lamb Chops went well, he said, with Miranda Somerton-Shiraz Cabernet 2001.

"None of the items I've recommended are pasta dishes," said Cu-Unjieng. "I want to focus on our new dishes since Italianni's is more than just a pasta place."