By Abigail Javellana
Monkey Bay is a wine from New Zealand with fantastic grape varietals whether it’s a Sauvignon Blanc or a Merlot.
Once a year during the full moon Monkey Bay creates a wonderful experience for its consumers with great wine, food, music and literally stargazing through a powerful telescope.
The Venue was held at Wave Restaurant, City of Dreams Manila last May 20 where you can get a great view of the sky over Manila Bay.
The weather that day was very cloudy, but we were lucky enough to have the clouds cleared for a few hours.
The Philippine Astronomical Society brought three telescopes so powerful that you can even see the craters and details of the moon.
You can even use your camera phone to get a nice picture and souvenir of the night.
Food was served buffet style where guests can even break the rules of wine pairing to suit their preference.
You would want to find balance with regards to what you are drinking and eating. Nothing overpowering anything else.
The Monkey Bay Rose’
A nice afternoon wine with floral background, perfect for light dishes like salads, tomato soup, and prawns.
The Monkey Bay Merlot
A light red wine with plum and cherries in the background. The wine perfectly goes well with light dishes like seafood, pork chop, chicken, sausage, and roasts.
Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Citrus, tropical fruits and hints of grass bouquet. Best paired with merienda, fruits like ripe mangoes, white meat, seafood, spices and herbs, soft cheeses, vegetable, and salad.
Monkey Bay Pinot Gris
Zesty white wine with good acidity with a citrus and tropical fruit background. It is quite light with a good crisp. It goes well with food items that’re not too heavy like seafood, chicken, and cheese. The mild and soft cheese will bring out the sweetness of the pinot gris.
Selection of cheese
Fresh Fruits
Artisinal bread
We liked the Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomato, basil & extra virgin olive oil salad.
8 Hour Smoked Ribs and Sausages
Hickory Smoked Black Angus Beef Brisket
Fresh Grilled Lemon Grass Whole Black Tiger Prawn
Grilled Indonesian chicken satay and perfectly cooked grilled squid
Cheers from the party people of Kain Tulog Gang (KTG)! (Photo by Spanky Enriquez)
Strawberry lime pavlova – our favorite New Zealand dessert.
Lemon curd crumble shooters
Cheers Monkey Bay Team for a successful night with the stars!
For more info about Monkey Bay, please visit www.monkeybay.co.nz.
Live an Awesome Life,
Disclosure: Our experience was courtesy of Monkey Bay. We wrote this article with our biases, opinions, and insights.