I’m no connoisseur, but I do like drinking wine and I try to appreciate the story behind each brand I drink. Whenever the Cupcake and I go on dates, wine is almost always a staple in our dinners that we even have our go-to places for good wine. My dad and I share the same love, which is why we always have a bottle of red (and a box of Camembert to munch) at home—it sort of became our ritual to have a glass each after dinner.
It’s this appreciation for wine that got me to agree to attend the wine tasting event and launch of Arrogant Frog Wines in Le Jardin, BGC.
Pardon the little photos I took—getting to BGC from Makati literally took me an hour and thirty minutes, so when I arrived, the program was halfway done and I barely had time to go around.
The story of Arrogant Frog started in Pezenas, Languedoc. Known as The Humble Winemaker, Jean-Claude Mas was a fourth generation wine grower who grew up with a genuine interest and passion in wine. In fact, at the age of 3, he once escaped his mother’s arms and walked 2.5 kilometers to meet his grandfather in their cellar!
Growing wine became his hobby and even though he had a passion for other things like cars and motorcycle racing, he always came back to his first love: wine.
He worked 4 years in Bordeaux, where he honed his craft further. He even learned the art of blending and to create wine with style from famous Italian winemaker, Giorgio Grai. Today, Jean-Claude Mas manages 1,200 acres of vineyards and two wineries because he strongly believes that vineyards come first and should be perfect in order to produce the best possible grapes for the best possible wine.
During the launch, we were made to taste seven kinds of wine. Three were whites, and four were reds. The whites included Tutti Frutti Blanc, Sauvnignon Blanc, and Viognier while the reds were Tutti Frutti Rouge, Cabernet Merlot, Syrah Croak Baronne, and Cabernet Sauvnignon.
Tutti Frutti Blanc (my favorite of the whites) is a bright gold yellow with an elegant quintessence of passion fruit, white peach, white currants, and some herbaceous notes. It’s very fresh and vivid, rich on the palate, and has a good fruity length. Sauvignon Blanc is a very bright gold with green tints, and has a fruity flavor with a little bit of acidity. It’s best served with shell-fish, poached or grilled seafood, asparagus dishes, and cold lemon dressing salads. The Viognier has a rich and elegant aroma with a hint of vanilla and honey. It tastes fresh and mellow, and has a satisfying balance between richness and freshness. Of the three whites, this has a very good ageing potential. It’s best paired with seafood dishes, white meat, blue cheese, and fruit desserts. On its own, it can be a very relaxing and enjoyable drink.
On to the reds, the Tutti Frutti Rouge is a medium to deep purple that is well-balanced, soft, and lively. It’s great with pasta, barbecue, and poultry. The Merlot is an intense ruby with spicy notes of licorice and vanilla. It’s a balanced wine with smooth tannins and a long finish, perfect for red meat. The Syrah (my favorite of the reds) is a deep purple color with garnet red tints—it has a velvety taste that’s ripe and floral and goes well with grilled red meat, beef stew, and hard-flavored cheese. The last of the reds is the Sauvignon, which has a full body with soft tannins and ripe fruit flavors perfect for baked beef and rich chocolate desserts.
“Luxe Rural” or Everyday Luxury is the culture and philosophy of Arrogant Frog. Every bottle is the result of their mission to inspire real emotions, which you can taste in every sip. Arrogant Frog is now available in the Philippines, and is exclusively distributed by Forth & Tay.