‘Aratiles over gooseberries’: Entrepreneur demystifies wine for Filipino palate with own brand

Fil-Australian wine producer Siegfried Bacani says that your experience of wine is centred on culture and the contents of your pantry.

Fil-Australian sommelier Siegfrid Bacani Credit: Ashlee Norman

Key Points

• Siegfrid Bacani produces Filipino-Australian wine intended for a Filipino market.
• Bacani shares how Filipino food can be paired with wine.
• Extreme weather has greatly affected yields and the process of wine-making.

Listen to the interview

Anong pagkaing Pinoy ang masarap kapares ng Australian wine?

SBS Filipino

24/10/202209:27

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"When I first did my wine training, I would hear red wine described as having notes of plum or gooseberries; but okay, what's plum? What are gooseberries?

In Filipino, the closest would be aratiles [a fruit similar to cherry, also known as kerson fruit]...My pantry and experiences are different to that of my western colleagues'."

Siegfrid Bacani and family Credit: Luisa Brimble

For Filipino-Australian wine producer Siegfrid Bacani, the easiest way for wine to be taught is to describe it in a language that is understood and with flavours that have been experienced.

Things happen for a Riesling

Pampanga-born Bacani first discovered wine at 19, while working as a bartender at The Roxy in Parramatta.

A young Siegfrid was born in Pampanga and migrated to Australia with his parents in the 1980s.

"I had to drink the wine I served so I could tell clients how they tasted.

"I drank a Riesling from Annie's Lane, South Australia. It was so different from anything I've tried. It had this strange apple, citrusy flavour and a really long finish which I was told meant 'dry'. Before then, in our typical Filipino household, all we had was beer."

From beer to wine, Bacani headed to the UK to work on whisky for Bacardi and Jack Daniels; but soon enough, he found himself back in Australia working on the spirit he was enamoured with from the get-go.

"I ended up joining Moet Hennessy. I was working for Chandon in Yarra Valley and Cape Mentelle in Western Australia. That's when I really fell in love with Australian wine."

65 regions, 7000 islands

The vast and varying landscapes of Australia include 65 wine regions and as Bacani puts it, "There is [different kinds of wine] for everyone...from wines in the southern tip of Antartica in Tasmania, to the west coast of the Margaret River facing the Indian Ocean and up to subtropical Queensland."

He adds, "For example, not all Shiraz wines are the same. It's like saying that not all Adobo [soy-vinegar based dish] from the 92 provinces of the Philippines are the same."

Sameness was, however, the idea behind the name of Bacani's own line of wines, which he started in 2019.

"7000 Islands is a passion project of mine.

"The name is very important. The Philippines famously has over 7,000 islands; but a little known fact is Australia also does. It has one big island and many small ones. The commonality is important to me having been born in the Philippines and growing up in Australia."

"The commonality is important to me having been born in the Philippines and growing up in Australia." Credit: Luisa Brimble

Although the wines are produced in Australia, Bacani's brand is Filipino-Australian and is tended towards Filipino consumers.

The US is the top exporter of wines to the Philippines, followed by Australia.

As of February 2017, the Philippines is Australia’s 5th top emerging market and its 24th largest market overall.

"The descriptions of the wine on the labels are in Filipino because our goal is to demystify wine for Filipinos everywhere."

Bacani shares that Filipinos have a high regard for wine, deeming it as a drink for the 'classy' and 'sophisticated; while Australians have a more relaxed attitude towards it because of its accessibility.

With his endeavour, Bacani hopes to find a middle ground between 'sophisticated' and 'accessible'.

An unlikely pairing

A middle ground for Bacani means combining an unlikely pairing that makes sense when experienced.

"Filipino food is amazing. Australian wine is amazing. I'm getting chills just thinking about it...together, they're awesome!

"Filipino food is deep. It has weight. It has that umami flavour. It has so many layers - for example, with Adobo you have that complex taste of soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. The diversity of flavours is the glory of Filipino food."

Bacani shares that pairing complex wines with complex cuisine is all about choosing the gastronomic layer you want to focus on.

"For example, if Adobo is peppery, you can pair it with wine that has spicy notes. If it doesn't have that, you can isolate the flavour of soy sauce and find a wine that you like that goes well with it.

"Laing [taro leaves in coconut] is actually perfect with Chardonnay. If the Chardonnay you have has a nutty, woody and vanilla flavour, it goes well with the coconut in the dish.

"A western friend of mine would describe that Chardonnay as having hints of vanilla, but I would say coconut based on my own Filipino experience."

Preferences and subjectivity

According to studies, the taste is the sense that has the strongest link to memory.

Bacani uses this finding to explain why wine flavour profiles and preferences are based on our experiences.

"When you smell wine and you say it smells like rosas, you’re correct. Your body tells you that." Credit: Edwina Richards

"When you smell wine and you say it smells like rosas, you’re correct. Your body tells you that.

"With Filipinos, we like sweets so we mostly start our wine journey with something like a Moscato.

"In Australia, Chardonnay is the most popular because it can go from oaky, full and deep to fresh and linear. You can start with that and identify if it has hints of coconut or calamansi [small citrus fruit]."

Bacani shares that people are typically initiated with Merlot for reds which he says "is almost sweet and has a hint of duhat [Java plum]."

'It's been tough'

According to Bacani, Filipinising descriptions and pairing wines with Filipino food are things he often does in the Hunter Valley, where he resides.

"The Hunter Valley is the most famous wine region in Australia because it's the oldest and it's the closest to Sydney.

"It's quite hot during the day and cool at night, so it lends itself well to wines like Semillon and Shiraz.

"This region is very special to me."

This special region has been affected by climate change and extreme weather over the past year, putting a damper on the wine industry.

Born of Kapampangan parents who grew rice whilst in the Philippines, Bacani knows the value of agricultural yield and shares, "It was really tough this year for wine growers."

"Most people find it romantic to be in a winery, but it's been hard. We've had a lot of rain. We got through all of the white pickings for white wine, for Chardonnay, this year.

"A good drop of 2021 vintage Shiraz from the Hunter Valley is quite rare." Credit: David Hannah

"There were epic amounts of rain in February and March this year. The rain beat us. One year of effort, vintage and investment were destroyed, so a good drop of 2021 vintage Shiraz from the Hunter Valley is quite rare."

The process of wine-making is extensive and slow, but Bacani admits the care given from crop to bottle is what gives it value.

The process of wine-making is extensive and slow, but Bacani admits the care given from crop to bottle is what gives it value. Credit: Ashlee Norman

"There is a lot of investment into the grape and now climate change has made fighting the elements harder. From taking care of the grapes to harvesting, blending and barrelling. It’s a long process...that’s what gives it its value."

With the wine industry contributing over $40 billion annually to the Australian economy, the government along with climatologists are attempting to predict future climate in order to help winemakers and producers like Bacani adapt to changes.

Bacani also hopes the market adapts and gives itself permission to accept Filipino-made wine which he says "can be disruptive because it's in Tagalog and purposefully made for Filipinos."