LIFTING THE ‘PHILIPPINE SPIRITS’

       Interestingly, this was the title of the cocktail event hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs last February 13. Apparently, the event was named as such to showcase the best of Philippine wines and liquor.

     Organized by the DFA’s Cultural Diplomacy Unit, the occasion aims to promote the variety of locally-made alcoholic drinks to foreign diplomats and guests. It also seeks to raise awareness among the Department’s foreign service officers and staff to the different tastes and flavors of local wines and liquor. This can be considered both a campaign and a celebration of the invigorating and intoxicating warmth of the “Philippine Sprits.”

            It was indeed a very timely event, not because it was organized as a pre-Valentine affair, but because of a recently-published study that hailed Filipinos’ love for alcohol. According to Euromonitor (a research company on market strategies), Filipinos rank the third heaviest drinkers in the world after South Koreans and Russians. Its market research revealed that Filipinos drink an average of 5.4 shots of any spirit—vodka, gin, tequila, rum, whiskey, brandy, or lambanog per week. Based on the excitement among the DFA employees who attended the cocktail event, the Filipinos’ third place ranking may be true after all.   

Source: Euromonitor/ Photo Taken from: www.philstar.com

            The occasion features several native wines and liquors that highlight the many flavors of the country’s home-grown tropical fruits, herbs, and other organic products. The popular wines and liquor made in the Philippines include: Lambanog (wine made from coconut that are mostly produced in Quezon province), Tuba (the traditional bittersweet wine also made from coconut that is popular in Leyte and Samar), and Basi (wine made from sugar cane that are mainly produced in Ilocos Norte). Other local wines also use various local fruits such as mango, pineapple, guyabano (sour sop), kamias (ginger lily), duhat (Philippine black plum), and bignay (Philippine wild berry), sampalok (tamarind) and granadilla (passion fruit). There are also raw and organic products like coffee, honey, oregano, and tanglad (lemon grass) that are used to produce unique-tasting wines. 

            Given the unique flavors of these local wines, there is definitely a potential for the Philippines to get a bigger share of the world market. This is especially true for some international wine connoisseurs who want to expand their taste palette and go beyond the usual grape flavors.

            However, aside from its huge international potential, another prospect for the Philippine wine industry is to convince the mostly uninitiated Filipino drinkers of the soothing tastes and the luscious flavors of local wines. This is quite a colossal challenge for a nation that has icy cold beer as its first love because of its accessibility and affordability. The warm and temperate climate of the Philippines is another reason why Filipinos tend to favor beer over wine.

photo taken from www.rappler.com

         Though beer may be the first love for the majority of Filipinos, it does not have to be our only love. Wine can also be another source of infatuation that can be explored. This can be similar to Filipinos’ long-time love affair with coffee, which has since been expanded to include tea, based on the proliferation and popularity of milk tea in the country. If Filipinos are coffee drinkers who also love to drink tea, then definitely we can also be beer drinkers who can appreciate sipping wine. 

            It is hoped that locally-produced wine will appeal, not merely to foreigners but to the Filipino public as well. Filipinos patronizing their own liquor and making it part of their drinking culture will definitely go a long way in the global promotion of Philippine wines. After all, Japan’s sake and South Korea’s soju are famous outside of their countries of origin because of their own people’s “addiction” to it.  Hopefully, our very own lambanog can also appeal to more Filipinos and consequently charm the world over.

            Indeed, the DFA’s cocktail event has not only promoted awareness among foreign guests, but also awakened the consciousness among Filipinos of home-grown local wines and liquors. The significant number of participating local wine manufacturers in the event is a positive reassurance that the local wine industry is here to stay.

            The local wine producers that participated in the event include: Dory’s Distillery, Saint Ambrose Industries, Rachebeli Inc., Dielle’s Apiary and Meadery Enterprise, Vino de Coco, Philippine Fire Water, Yulaik’s Food Products, SJB Liberica Enterprise, Destilleria Limtuaco, Don Roberto’s Winery Corporation. Though they have a marked presence in the industry, they still need more support from fellow Filipinos--- diplomats, exporters, consumers--- to gain publicity and increase their sales.

            To encourage the long-term growth and expansion of Philippine wine, it is also critical to support scientific research on wine making and production in the country. The Food Science Cluster of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) and the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) have already conducted several related research, but more attention and funding should be given to such projects to further develop the potential of the local wine industry.

            Kudos to the DFA’s cocktail event for successfully “lifting Philippine spirits” and making everyone feel “high” about our local liquor. Hopefully there will be more people who will say “cheers” and “bottoms up” to Philippine wine.