Beringer Vineyards’ Chief Winemaker Mark Beringer Visits the Philippines for a Master Class and Wine and Food Pairing Event at M Café

Beringer Vineyards is one of the biggest names in California wine. It’s the longest continually operating winery in Napa Valley, with 140 consecutive vintages since it was founded by brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer in St. Helena in 1876. It even survived Prohibition by making sacramental wine. Beringer was also the first winery that allowed the public to enter and taste wine, which had a huge influence on wine tourism in Napa Valley and beyond.

Since it operates on such a large scale (with over 1,600 acres of vineyards in and around Napa Valley and Knights Valley in Sonoma), Beringer can produce a diverse portfolio that caters to both ends of the spectrum, from the approachable White Zinfandel of the Main and Vine line to the ultra-premium Private Reserve collection. Both the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the Private Reserve Chardonnay have been named Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year—only Beringer Vineyards has produced both a red and a white wine that have topped the wine magazine’s list of best wines.

“Beringer makes wine for everybody,” says Beringer Wines’ chief winemaker Mark Beringer, who visited the Philippines for the first time last month. During the first stop of a two-week tour of Asia he shared the history of the winery and led a tasting of some of Beringer’s most popular wines.

His great-great grandfather Jacob was the very first winemaker at Beringer Vineyards, but Mark only joined the company in 2015 after making wine for 15 years at Duckhorn and a stint as VP and chief winemaker at Artesa, which produces Cordoniu. His family doesn’t own Beringer Vineyards anymore; his grandfather sold the company to the Nestle corporation when Mark was just three years old. (The winery is now owned by Treasury Wine Estates, an Australian company.)

Still, when Mark Beringer became Beringer Vineyards’ eighth winemaker last year it was hard not to see the appointment of a direct descendant of the founders as a continuation of the legacy of his ancestors. “It was quite an honor to come into this role,” he says. “I’m only the eighth winemaker to hold chief winemaker at Beringer in 140 years.” After Jacob Beringer and his son, Jacob Jr., Mark is just the third Beringer to be chief winemaker at the company. “I think they’d be proud to hear that a Beringer is making the wines once again”

Mark conducted a master class at M Café for wine enthusiasts in the restaurant industry and media. Here’s what we tasted:

• Founder’s Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014 — Crisp and refreshing with notes of grapefruit with hints of green apple and Meyer lemon and a clean, grassy finish.

• Private Reserve Chardonnay 2013 — Buttery and rich with toasted almonds and lush and creamy vanilla, almost like a double baked almond croissant. Mark said that this was one of the first cases of wine he bought for himself.

• Founder’s Estate Pinot Noir 2014 — Easy-drinking, silky, and smooth.

• Napa Valley Merlot 2014 — Fleshy and versatile, this would work well with spicy food.

• Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 — A softer version of Cabernet. The black volcanic glass soil of Knights Valley absorbs heat during the day and cools at night, giving the wine a polished, elegant tannin structure.

• Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 — “The big hitter.” A selection of the best lots from Beringer Vineyards, this is the company’s flagship wine. Structured and complex with a silky finish.

Later that evening, guests gathered outside for the Beringer food and wine pairing event. The doors of M Café were covered to look like Beringer’s historic Rhine House. Happy Living Wines President Kathy Yao-Santos welcomed guests and US Agriculture Counselor Ralph Bean spoke about US wine’s popularity in the Philippine market (the US is the #1 importer of wines in the country).

Host Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi and Beringer Vineyards’ chief winemaker Mark Beringer opened the doors and guided guests through a culinary journey that paired Beringer wines with creative Filipino dishes by M Café chef Kalel Chan.

Instead of a long traditional wine pairing dinner with multiple courses, there were food stations with tasting portions of each dish and suggested pairings that showed the versatility and range of Beringer wines combined with the rich, diverse flavors of Filipino cuisine from different regions. It made for a fun atmosphere, and the setup inspired a lot of lively conversations among guests about the unique challenges and great possibilities of pairing wine and Filipino food.

Here’s our rundown of the wine and food pairing stations:

Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel and Plaza ham carving station, kesong puti, uni aburi on coconut crispy rice with soy calamansi – The light and fruity sparkling wine is a bubbly version of Beringer’s popular White Zinfandel, often referred to as a gateway wine for those who like the sweet taste of fruit juice and soda.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc and Seafood Kilawin – The light and refreshing white wine worked well with the acidity of the vinegar and citrus solution used to marinate the raw fresh fish.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Chardonnay 2014 and Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 paired with Frog Sisig with sous vide quail egg and grilled bagaybay. — This was one of the most popular stations, especially among the more adventurous eaters. The crisp and bright chardonnay cut through silky texture of the quail egg and meaty frog hash. The presentation of the frog legs sticking out of the sisig was a nice touch. The wine also offset the richness of the salty grilled tuna milt (in other words, sperm? Sperm sacs?).

Beringer Founders’ Estate Pinot Noir 2014 paired with Duck Dinuguan (stew) with Puto (sticky rice cake) — If you’ve ever wondered about what wine to pair with a blood stew, try a delicate Pinot Noir with a smooth finish.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot 2014 and Beringer Napa Valley Merlot 2014 paired with Bistek Tenderloin — The classic steak and red wine pairing: the soy and citrus marinated lean meat countered the wine’s concentrated black fruit and chocolate.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 paired with Kambing (Goat) Kaldereta Foie Gras Pot Pie — What goes with goat, the meat most consumed by the world’s population? The savory goat’s meat pastry with chunks of seared foie gras was served here with a chewy, structured wine with notes of dark, rich fruit and spice.

Beringer Quantum Red Blend 2013 paired with Spiced Davao-Style Lechon (Roast Pork) Belly — The sage and savory brown spices of the Bordeaux blend-inspired Quantum Red Blend added another layer of flavor to the fat-forward pork belly with lots of ginger.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Zinfandel 2014 paired with Grilled Alaminos, Lucban and Vigan Longganisa Skewers — Zinfandel and barbecue is another classic pairing. The rich and juicy red wine stood up to the smoky intensity of the longganisa skewers.

Mark Beringer also presented the grand prize of a trip for two to Napa Valley to Rey Johnino, the winner of the first phase of the Beringer #BetterBeckons Instagram contest.

If you missed the Instagram photo contest and you want to win a trip to Napa, you can still join the second phase. It’s inspired by flavors, which refers to “the sharing of moments of exemplary taste that uplifts moods, and makes the entrant look forward to the finer things in life that lay ahead.”

How to win a trip for two to Beringer Vineyards in California:

1. Buy a bottle of Beringer. Be inspired by the flavors. Don’t forget to keep the receipt.
2. Take a photo of the flavors that inspire you and include a glass of Beringer wine.
3. Upload your photo on Instagram and make sure your profile is set to public.
4. To complete the submission, include the hashtags #BetterBeckons and #BeringerPH
5. Entry dates are November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Voting ends February 2, 2017. Judging is from February 3 to February 9, 2017.

Beringer Vineyards is represented in the Philippines by Happy Living Wines

Photos by Star Sabroso