Wine @ Dampa

Fresh seafood hmmm, Perfectly paired wine hmmm. And this guy as your host for the evening. Indeed who can say no to a night of good food and good company?

It was a delicious evening for the 25 guests of Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ANZCHAM) and Wine by Chris Urbano (WBCU) tie-up event, Wine@Dampa last October 23^rd, 2014 at Seaside Dampa. The event started at 6:00PM but as early as 4:00PM, Aussie entrepreneur Chris Urbano was already hard at work in the kitchen, checking the produce for the evening, and preparing the meals and the food/wine pairing notes for the evenings main event. It was a special night, marking WBCU’s first event featuring his beloved Australian wines which he perfectly pairs with Filipino cuisine.

Guests arrived to a classic Australian spread of fresh shucked oysters, cooked prawns served on ice, and glasses of cold Chrismont Prosecco, Urbano’s preferred sparkling white wine. Urbano believes seafood is at its best with only minimal outside flavours: the oysters were with fresh cracked pepper and squeezed kalamansi, the prawns were served with Urbano’s home made aioli optional on the side. The real sauce was the Prosecco!

Urbano then took guests on a guided tour of the nighttime seafood markets, demonstrating how to identify fresh fish, and explaining the ins and outs of bargaining in a Philippine wet market. For many of the guests it was their first (but hopefully not last) authentic wet market experience. After the tour, it was round 2 of what was billed as a night of epic seafood and bloody amazing wine and guests were not disappointed, munching and sipping their way through another 3 courses each specially paired to another Wine by Chris Urbano:

Steamed Black Lapu-lapu in soy, ginger and onion leeks, paired with Pizzini Arneis

Chilli Salt pepper squid paired with Pizzini Pinot Grigio

Classic Chilli Crab, paired with All Saints Chenin Blanc

What a treat for the guests, who got to enjoy not just fresh seafood excellently paired with several glasses of premium, cant-get-anywhere-but-here Australian wines. Exclusive to attendees, they’ve been given a chance to take home their own bottles at 10% discount and, an additional PHP200 off on their first order for first time buyers. Definitely a first but hardly the last, we can’t wait for Chris next event in Metro Manila!

Heading to Dampa soon? Why don’t you too try some premium white wines with your seafood meal? Use promo code WELCOME200 to take PHP200 off your first order! (Visit the online shop)

Chris is an Australian living in Manila who loves to cook Filipino food and match delicious Aussie wines to his dishes. This foreignoy also loves getting among the fresh produce and the hardworking Filipinos in the local markets around Metro Manila in fact he learnt a lot of his Tagalog from these very people years ago!