HALF an hour had gone by and still no luck with a taxi or a Grab. It didn’t help that it was raining hard and cars were piling up in the ensuing traffic. There was no way I was going to make it in time for a scheduled 6:30 pm tasting session. I decided to wait it out until I got my ride in the restaurant just down the street. And that was when serendipity struck.
I walked into Café 1771 in El Pueblo—and there was the person I was to meet, having a cup of coffee. It turned out that he too was frantically trying to book a ride and had decided to wait it out in the very same restaurant. Shall we stay put here instead? What followed was a most interesting evening and my discovery of Handpicked Wines through Sandy Morales, sales director of Grand Cru, the exclusive importer of the wines in Manila; and Jessline Lee, Handpicked Wines’ Southeast Asia commercial manager who was visiting from Singapore.
The winery follows a unique business model in that it brings together under the “Handpicked” label wines made from its own vineyards in Australia and from its vigneron partners in France, Italy, Chile and New Zealand.
That’s wine from 21 wine regions in five countries under just one label, Jessline explained. Handpicked’s team of winemakers regularly travel across the globe to work with their local counterparts to ensure the crafting of the highest quality wines that reflect the sense of place of each region.
The Handpicked Wines portfolio covers a wide range of wine styles and grape varieties in three tiers: Regional Selections for everyday drinking and exploration; Collection, the premium range; and Single Vineyard Collection, the limited release wines made only in the finest vintages and meant for cellaring. The bottle labels are stunning, veritable works of art. The Regional Selections labels feature a splayed hand, an abstract handprint illustration meant to evoke the distinctness of the country where the wine comes from. The labels of the Collection range feature photographed objects singular to the region where the wine originates, each one depicting the region’s unique characteristics. For the Single Vineyard Collection, the labels bear photographs of the objects found only in the vineyard where the wine was grown. (Yes, Handpicked Wines has won awards for its label designs.)
For the tasting, Jessline had brought four wines: Handpicked Regional Selections Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Handpicked Regional Selections Pinot Noir
2016, Two Eights Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2016, Two Eights Classic Series Merlot 2017. The Two Eights Classic Series is also a made by the same winemaking team of Handpicked Wines, Jessline explained.
These are entry-level but small-batch wines made from grapes grown in premium vineyards across Australia. The bottle label design is again striking in its simplicity—just two huge number eights on a stark background—but loaded with meaning. While the double eight is widely known as the auspicious Mandarin symbol of wealth and good fortune, the name “Two Eights,” likewise, makes a reference to the balance and harmony in well-made wines.
Balance and harmony are indeed the keywords for the Handpicked Regional Selections wines. The Sauvignon Blanc 2016 from Marlborough was all green ripe guava, juicy passionfruit and a hint of arugula wrapped up with bright acidity. The Pinot Noir 2016 from the Yarra Valley was like silk in the glass, with ripe black cherry and dark plum aromas over sweet spice and floral notes.
The Two Eights wines mirrored the same vibrant aromas and bold fruit flavors, albeit in a more youthful, simpler style.
The Two Eights Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon was excellent with the raclette. The Handpicked Sauvignon Blanc was amazing with the spicy-fatty Pig’s Ears Pepperoncino. With the Orange Pork Spareribs, the Handpicked Pinot Noir absolutely sang. There was no doubt the wines made brilliant food partners, as well.
While the rain continued to pour, we were pouring beautiful wines, as well. The rain that had threatened to be a spoilsport had instead become an unexpected ally, a willing accomplice in discovering new wines, reconnecting with old favorites and meeting new friends.