You don’t have to know wine to enjoy a wine masterclass

On October 14, Swann will lead a two-hour wine masterclass starting at 6 PM.

Makati City is known for Poblacion, one of its busiest and liveliest districts. But elsewhere in the city, a wine lounge sits on the fourth floor of the Levanto Building on Jupiter Street and puts winery people in front of small groups to pour bottles and talk about them.

Introducing one winery at a time

In September, Alexia Moulin, Southeast Asia manager of Delaunay Vins & Domaines, came in to present the French wine family whose Burgundy house dates back to 1893. Another session was hosted for Joseph Phelps, the Napa Valley winery that has made its red blend Insignia since 1974.

Next on the list is L’Aventure Winery. On October 14, the winery’s international brand ambassador Swann will lead a two-hour class starting at 6 PM.

A new address on Jupiter Street

Jupiter Street has fed Makati for decades. The strip in Bel-Air is lined with restaurants, and Levanto at number 389 is one of its newest buildings. The newly developed lifestyle hub opened early this year and houses high-end furniture and design showrooms along with several dining concepts. Mireia, Brontë, Hakka, Tadhana and Taglish are in the building.

If a wine event feels intimidating, it is comforting to know that Levanto is a building you might already be visiting for dinner. The class ends at 8 PM, early enough to eat at one of the award-winning restaurants after.

A lounge built for trying wines

A well-kept cellar can be found on site. Shelves run floor to ceiling and the bottles sit tilted with their labels facing out, so you can read what Tasting Room carries the way you would scan a bookstore shelf.

The room is lined in warm wood, from the walls up to the ceiling. Backlit shelves hold decanters and glassware. There is a long table with cushioned armchairs and a few lower tables off to the side, with small lamps on each. It looks like someone’s living room, if that someone took wine seriously.

The same setup works for groups. Tasting Room takes table reservations for company nights and bookings for private celebrations. Showing up for a colleague’s send-off or a friend’s birthday might be the easiest first visit of all.

Wine is not the only thing poured here. Tasting Room recently started a happy hour with cocktails and open pours of selected wines, which gives the lounge a speakeasy side. It suits anyone who wants to see the room before signing up for a two-hour class.

The masterclasses are longer sitting. You get one winery and a handful of its bottles, plus a person who has the knowledge and expertise is to explain them. Everyone in the room is tasting the same wines at the same time, so there is always something to talk about with the stranger in the next seat.

Two hours will not turn anyone into a sommelier, but you will leave with much more appreciation for freshly-opened bottles of wine and knowledge of the kind of wine you’ll like

To join the wine masterclass, reach out to Tasting Room on social media at @tastingroomph or email reservations@tastingroom.com.ph.

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