Today marks the beginning of the Salucop winemakers’ friendship with the Anselmi family. They make some of the best wines in the Northeastern part of Italy. I admire the Anselmis for their tenacity and deep love for tradition and how these are also applied by the sons of Luigi and Giuseppe – both fourth-generation winemakers…

It has been two years since the pandemic and many of us in the business sector are still reeling from the financial setbacks it caused. We would not have survived if not for good planning and foresight and our knack for gradually slashing our overhead costs since the company’s inception. While those responsibilities rest on…

I feel a sense of kinship with Cabel, a restaurant tucked in one of San Miguel’s busier streets in the Philippine capital. Their menu, which consists of savoury Filipino dishes and beautiful, ultra satisfying desserts, reminds me of the love language that some of us have already relegated to the sidelines a long time ago….

The now-defunct Chocolate Kiss Cafe inside the University of the Philippines in Diliman used to serve calamansi juice, and the concoction came with its very own supply of honey. I put as much honey as I wanted while my friends did the same so we can all reach our personal Goldilocks zone. It was nice…

Almost two years ago, when the cities and towns of the world were on lockdown, the team here at Basi del Diablo had nothing else to do but to watch films at home. Okay, okay, I will only speak for myself. I had nothing else to do but to watch films at home and drink…

Inspired by the geniuses behind Cella Vie in Vienna, I started making cocktails. My first project is a glass of Bloody Basi Maria. This is a less potent version of the Bloody Mary and just like my first novel (what?), it is not traumatising. In fact, it is refreshing and tolerable for someone who does…

I rarely give gifts because I am forgetful but when I do remember to get something, I always end up grabbing a bottle of Ambaristo. And the recipients are always my cousins. I could always choose the Basi Maria because my Lola Maria is also their grandma but my cousins are different. They are a…

It is shortly after 11am and we just finished quality checks for the Basidina. This is among my favourites, not because it was named after mum, but because its chief ingredient Chardonnay is easy to work with. My dear mother Dina, rest her soul, was easy to work with, too. No fuss, no frills –…

I have finally lost the plot because I now keep sharing moments of my winemaking life with all of you and complete with almost narcissistic selfies, too! I am now back in the cellar to pick up a few more bottles of Basi Maria for the shop. I unfortunately do not look like my Lola…