When it comes to a night out with friends, there are times when you just want to give the thumping beats and deafening sounds of the club a rest and opt for a quieter, more intimate night with friends over wine.
I know I do — this quickly becomes an option for me and my friends after weaning off night clubs and party music of our college years; it’s all good and fun, but when you’re doing it week after week, it can get tiring.
That’s why there’s never a bad time for wine, and Planet Grapes understands this perfectly! Now when you’re with your friends on a wine night and it’s not quite something you’ve done very often in the past, where do you start? From the different varieties of wine that can be hard to pronounce (you’ve got your sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, cabernet, and so much more) to food pairings (seafood or steak? Tapas?), deciding what to do on and how to have a wine night can be taxing, confusing and dare we say it, intimidating.
Yet having a wine night doesn’t need to be a chore, or too high-brow; it should only be one thing it’s intended to be: FUN!
Planet Grapes prides itself on serving wine without the drama: wine doesn’t have to be the stiff, expensive and formal activity we make it out to be. In fact, it can be as comfortable as just kicking your feet up while chilling with your friends over some comfort street food! We headed down to the branch in Shangri-la Plaza along Shaw.
Don’t get us wrong though — the interiors of Planet Grapes still spell classy, understated elegance with a touch of hip, definitely the perfect ambiance for catching up with friends. Planet Grapes believes in learning about wine for the sake of learning, and out of sheer interest: feel free to chat up their wine associates to learn more about the varieties and origins of wine you’re having or what food is best paired with a particular wine. Otherwise, you can hold your wine glass whatever way you want if you want to, and no one’s going to judge you!
Just in case you were wondering: The proper way to hold a wine glass is on the stem, and not on the bowl (the head), contrary to what movies show you! This is so the temperature from your hand doesn’t affect the wine’s taste.
And who says you can only pair wine with steak or tapas? Planet Grapes has a variety of featured wines that go well with their other, more familiar offerings: chicharon with tinapa dip, gambas, squid balls and sisig are only some of them! And before you can say “weird”, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Their menu is especially crafted to pair with these wines: which is why a lot of them don’t come with extra dips or sauces, because they’re supposed to complement the wines (but if you insist on having that extra sauce, no one’s going to judge you! No drama, remember?).
Planet Grapes’ enomatic machines — aka their cool and sleek wine vending machines!
As they have a beautiful array of wines to try, it’s hard to commit to one bottle, especially if a) You want to try them all, or b) You’re alone and all you want is one drink. Planet Grapes understands this — in fact, they understand this so well that they’ve introduced the coolest vending machine ever that dispenses wine! All you need to do is avail of their P1,000 pre-loaded wine tasting card for only P900, and voila, the choices are yours! A sampling amount ranges from P60-P90, while one glass costs somewhere around P150-P180 — roughly the same price you’d pay for your favorite coffee drink. What’s also great is that the wine tasting card can be used in all Planet Grapes branches.
Needless to say, we had an absolute blast trying all of the wines they had offered that day. So when you find yourself in the area, or after a tiring day of shopping, you can go ahead and reward yourself with a glass of wine that easily, and would hardly put a dent in your pocket.
Learn more about the amazing wines and food we tried on the next page!
