Noche buena!

Happy holidays!

What are you making for Christmas eve?

I haven't made a list. And the menu is usually taken cared of by the older people in the family. There's buzz, of course, that my cousin and I are in charge this year. Wish us luck!

Ola!

My wine stub, taken moments before I claimed my free glass of choice. There were six bottles lined up and I chose what the server described to be "dry red."

2005 Portal red wine

The back label reads:

"You have selected an exceptional and exclusive wine from an award-winning winery. This wine has a dark dense colour, with aromas of cinnamon and jam. It is full bodied with ripe tannins and a long complex finish, with fruit and oak in perfect harmony. Perfect for serving with dark meat dishes. Please enjoy responsibly."

What I should have chosen... simply because of the lovely color.

Yes, the server is Pinoy!

And no, this dude isn't from Batanes. But this guy from north of Portugal should meet our guys from north of the Philippines, dontcha think?

A Chinese guest takes a look at the wines from Tras-Os-Montes.

From the cellar that says, "Portos Carcavelos Madeira Moscatel Colares." The oldest one in this collection is from 1850.

An earthenware used by the Portuguese to store wine. I'd drown in here. It's probably five feet and five inches or so high.

A touchscreen guide to wines inside the Wine Museum.

Some notes:

- Entrance to the Wine Museum costs MOP15, but they accept an equivalent amount in Hong Kong dollars. It comes with the wine sample stub.

- The Grand Prix Museum is just across the hall. Entrance costs MOP10.

- If you want to go to both, you can get a package ticket at MOP20.

- The girl at the ticket counter is Filipina! At least two guards at the Grand Prix Museum are Filipinos!

- There is a wine shop that sells souvenirs and wines (of course). The most expensive one I saw is a 1963 Quinta do Noval from the Duoro demarcated region that sells for MOP38,000. The oldest one is a 1903 D'Olivieras Reserva at MOP6,800.

- The Portal red wine, which I tried, sells for MOP85.

- There's a shelf of "Very Good" wines. Prices start at MOP148 (Portal Lagrima).

Cheers!!

Bad blogger! Bad!

I had been admittedly lazy over the past few weekends. I haven't really had that much chance to cook - after my mom's surgery, an aunt had to have the same procedure, which meant we had to dine out more; and last weekend, I helped a friend coordinate a wedding, which left me exhausted and sick.

I'm not quite certain if I'd be able to play around the kitchen this weekend since my mom is having some guests over and she's planning a sort-of catered party. I'm not used to cooking for more than eight people or so, so I'll let her handle that.

Anyhoo, I am soooo looking forward to the next weekend, which we'll be spending out of the country. My mom is taking my gramps off to Asia's casino capital. I'm thrilled to learn that our hotel is just a few hops off a wine museum (interest number 1), which in turn is inside or somewhere within the compound of the grand prix museum (interest number 2).

So just to give you a head's up, I shall hopefully be posting some wine-related articles in the next few days or weeks. Bye for now!