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I didn’t know what to expect from a Champagne Breakfast as I am not too fond of anything with alcohol content. I often get allergies whenever I take more than 1/4 cup of any wine. But I was eager to learn as much as I needed to know about Champagne and wines if I plan to travel to Europe with my family. Dragging Lauren with me to the Press Launch of the Sommelier Selection at the Prince Albert Rotisserie in Manila Intercon , I checked the menu of the Champagne Breakfast.

Poached Eggs Benedictine with Hollandaise sauce Asparagus and Smoked Salmom

Mignardises

I wasn’t expecting much of the launch. I expected Jerome Philippon , the speaker to drone on and on about the product. I was in for a pleasant surprise. To look at Jerome Philippon one might see a cliché; the Frenchman selling wines. Then he opens his mouth: “I am a 21st century hunter gatherer.” And the illusion falls away.

“While French winemaking is still the best in the world, I cannot say the same for our marketing prowess.” Says Mr. Philippon,

“As a result, many Filipino wine drinkers believe that the good French wines are all quite expensive and that inexpensive French wines taste terrible.”

“The truth is that you can find exquisite French wines that are very reasonable if you know where to look. Of course there is always the opportunity for indulging in a very exclusive label but most of France only drinks those on special occasions. The rest of the time they enjoy the small locally made wines.”

Beyond The Book
“One of the biggest obstacles Filipinos face in getting a hold of really good reasonably priced wine is the way it is typically selected.” Most wines are chosen not through direct experience but from a guide book. The most popular of these is the Parker guide, written by an American Attorney Robert Parker. “The problem is that he samples only 15% of France’s wine production, completely missing whole regions of the country and many of the smaller but highly prized family winemakers.”

Jerome continued his wine hunting adventures as my daughter and I slowly nibbled on the Poached Egg Benedictine. Each of the dishes in the Champagne Breakfast is complemented with a glass of Champagne. Lauren and I ate as we listened to Jerome’s inciteful talk.

Beyond The Bottle
Another obstacle for Filipinos enjoying wine is the misconception that a wine can be chosen by looking at the bottle. “Its like deciding if a movie is any good by looking at a poster.” Mr. Philippon said “Even If you recognized the producer, the director and the actors it is still no guarantee. The only way of evaluating is to see what your friends and critics you tend to agree with are saying. It’s actually no different with wine.”

Beyond The Grape
The last and biggest obstacle the public faces in really enjoying wine is the misconception that wine is made from grapes.

Choosing a wine based on its grapes (cabernet, merlot, etc) is a lot like choosing a painting based on the paint (oil, acrylic, etc.)” remarked Mr. Philippon, “Real wine is made out of something we French call Terroir. ”

Terroir is the relationship between the winemaker, the climate, the land and the medium, which for France happens to be grapes.
“Not to be confused with terrorism” he quipped “It is important to understand this because wine can be made from many things like strawberries and rice,” said the wine hunter “but wine made without terroir is little more than fermented grape juice”.

I never knew what a wine hunter was until Jerome narrated the Terroir and the steps in sourcing his wine collection. The wine hunt gets even more interesting as if I was transported in the French Vineyards.

Hunting Wine
“Wine is like travel, to really enjoy it, you need a good guide. That is what I have set out to be.”

In order to find the great but un-promoted wines of the French countryside, Mr. Philippon scours the French countryside, walking the vineyards, talking to the growers and uncovering the hidden gems that only insiders know about. He has found some real characters. “The French wine community is very diverse, full of large and small winemakers. There is a small but growing group of families that are rejecting technology and returning to the old ways of making wine. They are the fundamentalists, the Abu Sayaff of winemaking. Some of them won’t even use tractors, and you have to convince them to even to get them to sell you a bottle!”

I am quite impressed at his selection. Jerome took the pains to search for the passion, the human factor in the wine selection.

Sommelier Selection
The fruits of Jerome Philippon’s many searches can be found in his company Sommelier Selection. This 5 year old company represents the Philippine’s largest selection of independent Terroir wines and the most representative of the true face of French winemaking tradition.

No wonder Jerome took pains to describe to us the wine hunting process. It’s not enough that the wine or champagne’s quality is described. There is pride in his wine selection. He met each of these wine makers.

We took the dessert , Baguio Strawberry Sorbert with the Champagne Rose. It’s rare to see pink Champagne. It’s even more delcious combining it with the Strawberry Sorbet. I didn’t even realize I just sipped more than my usual dose of alcohol. I ended up really sleepy but happy to experience this Champagne Breakfast.

View the Sommelier Selection Press Launch Photos

To learn more about French wines or to have a taste of unique and authentic French wine selections in Manila, Philippines visit Sommelier Selection or call Sommelier Selection at Tel.# +632-8404211; Telefax;+632-8929928. Sommelier Selection is the best wine and Champagne supplier in Manila.

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