Know Tondi Navarrete-Bolkan, a Filipina wine maker coming from Francis Ford Coppola Winery whose objective is to uncork the Filipino’s love for wine.
Galantina, pansit, lechon, crackers, cheese and cold-cuts; a serenade of love melodies; best freinds and family abound-a typical image of a Filipino get together amidst a spread of delightful Filipino food. In such a feast, the focal point are 6 fine wine beverages vintaged in Sonoma and Napa Valley, California from Tondi Navarrete-Bolkan, a Filipina associate winemaker of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and co-owner of Alejos Cellars.
The party is really a wine tasting for Tondi’s wine masterpieces which includes the Tondi Bolkan Merlot (red), Pinay Muscato (white) and Pinay Pastel (port-style wine), leading bottles of wine of the Alejos Cellars; as well as Francis Ford Coppola Winery blends such as Su Yuen (Riesling), Coppola’s Diamond Series Claret (red) and Sofia (a sparkling wine named after Sofia Coppola).
Having a degree on Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis California, Tondi originally intended to study medicine to follow her sister and father’s path. “While in my senior year in college, I got my internship at the University Medical Center. Once I saw blood, I instantly passed out.” Luckily UC Davis is likewise famous for viniculture and grape growing.
Her family supported her so much that they helped her to start Alejos Cellars to create her own line of wines. “I’m very fortunate to become a part of a business that enables me to embark outside. In 2006, we started out Alejos Cellars with the Pinay Muscato, followed by the merlot and then the port. It will take lots of perseverance to create wine. It’s capital intensive and time consuming.”
Tondi chose to name her brand “Pinay”, slang for Filipina. “We wanted a concept that grabs attention and describes what our wines truly are, specially stimulated by the Filipino taste buds.” The Pinay Muscato hints of fruit-like aromas of peaches and lychee. It is light, smooth, and fairly sweet. She advises coupling the Muscato with drier meals or Filipino recipes for instance crispy pata or perhaps chicken adobo. The Merlot may be offered with the caldereta and kare kare while the Pinay Pastel is a dessert wine with a perfect mixture of sweet and spice.
For Tondi, the success for creating these mixes are twice as wonderful. “I have been getting email messages and telephone calls about Pinay, additionally, the exhilaration and enthusiasm from my customer’s voices are incredibly uplifting. They are saying the word Pinay as they hold up a bottle.”
At some point Tondi wants to grow her brand into other varieties like Gewurztraminer, Riesling and also Chenin Blanc.