Learning to Drink French Fluently and Other Insightful Wine Stories...at Wine Story.

At Wine Story, inspiring tales are uncorked with each bottle, spinning its own tapestry of unique stories with every sip. Since 2010, Wine Story has been at the very center of the emerging appreciation for fine wine, with an extensive selection of French wines from the finest vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.

Inside Wine Story's Shangri-La Plaza store, the impressive interiors is already an experience in itself, making it the ideal spot for lavish wine dinners or intimate occasions, or simply your private sanctuary for enjoying a glass or two. Wine Story takes the wine experience to a whole new level, with its skilled and passionate staff taking you each step of the way to fully appreciate each glass, and each bottle.

At Wine Story, you can walk through some of the finest selection of French wines in the metro, with a massive glass-walled wine cellar right at the center with its impressive collection. Think of Wine Story as an elegant library, with volumes of bottled stories lined up at the walls and in the cellar like books in never-ending shelves.

To enhance your appreciation of wine, the Wine Story Academy offers regular classes to guide you in your journey, with different courses for industry professionals and afficionados. Take your love for wine a step further at the Wine Story Academy, an approved program provider of Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). 

My wine experience at Wine Story began with their Classic Wine Pairing with a selection classic wines from Bordeaux, French cheeses and chocolate. I'm no expert in wine, but the session by Wine Story's team of experts made it a fun and enjoyable experience, and at the end of the pairing, one can "drink French fluently."

Wine Story's Classic Wine Pairing includes five wines paired with your choice of food platters, from French cheeses, premium chocolate, and a selection of imported cold cuts (prices start at P 1,295). Each platter is specifically curated and selected for unique and different flavor profiles to enhance and complement your pairing experience. Your pairing experience starts with five classic wines from Bordeaux, a dry white, a Bordeaux red, one red from the Left Bank and two reds from the Right Bank. It's a taste of Bordeaux, representing some of the region's finest expressions, starting with the Ferran Blanc 2013 (P 2,395) from Pessac-Leognan, the Left Bank of Bordeaux; followed by the My Lord 2010 (P 1,995) from Bordeaux. A trio of reds make up the final round, with Siaurac 2011 (P 2,195) from the Lalande de Pomerol, Right Bank of Bordeaux; the Saintayme 2012 (P 2,095) from St. Emilion, Right Bank of Bordeaux; and the Lacoste-Borie 2012 (P 2,595) from Pauillac, Left Bank of Bordeaux.

Understanding where the wine comes from adds to your overall appreciation, with the Garonne and Dordogne rivers of the Bordeaux region playing a key role in the wine's designation. The Left Bank refers to vineyards in Medoc and Graves, and the Right Bank for Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. The distinct terroir and grape varieties of each bank add a distinct note and character, and tasting wines from both the Left Bank and Right Bank of Bordeaux allows you to enjoy the range and depth of Bordeaux wines. The type of gravel soil from the Left Bank is suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon, while the clay and limestone terroir of the Right Bank makes it ideal for Merlot. It's these subtle nuances that weave their own unique stories, with each wine capturing the character and nature of the land, the passion and dedication of the different chateaus, preserved in a bottle. Once uncorked, the different fragrant notes and flavors, the wine's own unique stories, are revealed.

For our Classic Wine Pairing experience at Wine Story, we were served a platter of French cheeses and chocolates, including Rondin Buche, a pasteurized goat's milk cheese with creamy and mildly salty notes; Port Salut, a semi-soft cheese from Brittany in the Loire Valley known for its smooth and subtle acidic flavors; and Fourme D'Ambert, a rustic and traditional blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France. A selection of chocolate pralines were also served for the pairing, including Extra Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Salted Toffee, Dark Chocolate with Macadamia Cream Filling, and Dark Chocolate with Orange Cream Filling.

Each bottle of wine shared its own unique story, with its subtle yet distinct notes. The Ferran Blanc's whisper of pineapple and citrus hints come through, pairing well with the dark chocolate praline with orange cream filling, while the caramel and floral notes of the My Lord are elegantly finished by mild cherry and strawberry hints lingering long after the first sip. The Siaurac had more complex notes, with pronounced layers of blackberry and green pepper spice coating the palate, perfectly balanced by the rich and creamy Rondin Buche. The subtle woody and spice notes of Saintayme, with hints of oak and red currant, weave its own playful character adding a contrasting layer of unique flavor to the pairing, perfectly capped by the delicate plum and rose notes of the Lacoste-Borie. Just remember one rule, do not get intimidated and just go with the flow. During the Classic Wine Pairing session, guests were encouraged to explore different flavor pairings, and when you find a combination that works for you, your wine journey at Wine Story truly begins. And for a wine novice like myself, I feel like I'm on the right track...

If you're ready to embark on a journey with wine, and create your own wine stories, make that first step with the Classic Wine Pairing at Wine Story. It's also a cool idea for date night, and at the end of the session, you'll be able to drink French fluently, and create your own wine stories...at Wine Story.

Wine Story is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA, Mandaluyong City or call 633-3556 for inquiries and reservations. For more information and updates, visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/WineStoryPhilippines/.

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