- Photo by Janet Silvera
From left: Pageant Ambassador Lachu Ramchandani, Zahni International model, Nicole Samuels and Dr. Horace Chang, Member of Parliament for North West St. James enjoy the creme de la creme of Concha Y Toro's Chardonnay distributed by Caribbean Producers Jamaica Limited (CPJ) at the joint Evening of Elegance with Blue Beat on Thursday night.

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

It was like stimulating foreplay as Caribbean Producers and Blue Beat massaged the palates of wine enthusiasts on Thursday night, preparing them for the high energy electrifying climax that Concha Y Toro's AlmaViva Cabernet Sauvignon created.

Chile's best wine, a combination of France's Phillipe D Rothchild and Concha Y Toro was the finale to the titillating event tagged, 'An Evening of Elegance with Loretta Ruiz' - renowned oenologist (science of wine making), at Montego Bay's hip strip jazz bar.

But before the crescendo, Caribbean Producers and Margaritaville's corporate chef Mark Scott delighted the gathering that came for five flights of exploration into the vineyards of Chile where the fine art of blending the world's best grapes is to be found.

Imported cheeses manchego, fontina, roundel pepper and Swiss complemented the first flight - Trio Chardonnay, a wine that was structured from three different grapes, three vineyards and three Chilean wine makers, delivering fresh acidity through its semi-tropical fruit, making a great start to an evening of teasing and romancing that attained many pinnacles.

The second flight that oenologist Loretta Ruiz took guests on, was the Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay. This bright yellow 100 per cent Chardonnay, fermented for 11 months, which boasts a long memorable finish was paired with chef Scott's stuffed seafood wanton.

As the exhilaration grew, it was time to take another flight to wine number three - Amelia Chardonnay, which Caribbean Producers corporate sales manager, Eric Sywak described as one of the truest depictions of a full-bodied Chardonnay.

Excellent with seafood, Amelia, a very complex and highly mineral wine with elegant hints of honey and is a delightful accompaniment to fish and foods with strong character.

Fitting combination

When it was time for Don Melchor's Cabernet Sauvignon, Concha's ultimate wine, which boasts an unmistakable character, great harmony and balance, it was most fittingly paired with Angus beef skewers.

"This is the finest red wine, first world, first class, which was number four among the 10 best wines in Chile last year," remarked Loretta Ruiz, as she explained the technicality of wine after wine.

For the finale, Jackie Bird, Cecile Levee, Pauline Reid, Karen Neita and Joan Lee changed from regular wine glasses to larger-than-life ones befitting the fabulous intense ruby red Almaviva.

You want this wine to breathe before its unique taste of blackberries, plums, grilled orange zest, lavender, and cigar smoke accompany amber, minerals and hints of frankincense hit you. Paired with crab legs and tuna, this wine was enough to cause the intense climaxes at this event.

Those who reached the crescendo included, Michelle Cummings, Michelle Tulloch, Javier and Marga Bethencourt, Cecil Bird, Denny and Veena Chandiram, Navin Chandiramani, Dr. Horace Chang and son Martin, Audry Crooks, Nadine Wright, Aroon, Racquel and Dinesh Dadlani, Ian Dear, Mark Hart, Mark and Paula Kerr Jarrett, Luis Elizando, Yoni Epstein, Shelly Fung, Donovan Gibbs, Lachu Ramchandani, Nicole Samuels, Peter Williams, Dorothy Marzouca, Devon Reid, Hugh Logan, Dr. Gregory Thomas, Monique Archibald, Radcliffe Murray, Derrick Peters and Andre Dixon.