TRAVEL: Experiencing the Inaugural Vineyard Harvest Festival in the Philippines

If you are a wine connoisseur, you are certainly aware of the location of Napa Valley. Situated in the Bay Area of California, it stands as the most internationally acclaimed winemaking region in the United States and ranks among the prominent wine regions globally.

Here’s good news. You don’t have to go to California to experience all those events. You can have the opportunity of doing so by visiting the 4-hectare Taglucop Estate Vineyard and Winery in Davao City, Philippines.

Atty. Ferdinand M. Taglucop is the brain behind the Taglucop Estate Vineyard and Winery.

I initially learned about the Taglucop vineyard during an interview with the owner, Atty. Taglucop several years ago for a magazine. He expressed his curiosity as to why the Philippines does not produce its own wine, given that the country ranks 135th in wine consumption per capita among other countries.

So, he contemplated the idea of creating his own wine brand. He began to grow grapes in Barangay Tacunan. He primarily planted seedless table grapes and various wine grape varieties. “Initially, my sources for planting materials were local,” he said.

After three years of grape cultivation, he discovered that not all grape varieties were suitable for consumption. Some were too sour to eat, while there were sweet varieties that produced only a limited quantity of fruit. Others were susceptible to pests and diseases. He believed these factors contributed to the failure of many grape growers, leading them to abandon their efforts.

Despite all these obstacles, Atty. Taglucop persisted. After several years of experimenting and trials, he found seven world-renowned varieties of grapes that have good potential for production and making quality wines in his area.

These are some of the grapes harvested during the festivity.

A decade after growing grapes and producing wines, he finally conducted a Vineyard Harvest Festival, the first of its kind in the Philippines.

"This was once merely a dream shared by my wife, Jenny, and me," said Atty. Taglucop in his opening remarks. “This occasion holds great significance for us as we only invite those who are closest to our family.”

In an exclusive interview with Discovering Hospitality after the event, Atty. Taglucop clarified that the vineyard and winery are not yet open to the public. “This is not the formal opening yet,” he stated. “This is merely a celebration of this year’s harvest - hence, the Harvest Festival. We have scheduled the pruning and the harvest for March, as there is typically less rainfall during this period.”

The lawyer and farmer entrepreneur explained that the timing of grape harvesting is crucial to avoid the fruits from becoming waterlogged during the collection process, as this would adversely affect the quality of the resulting wine.

Following the grape harvest, the process of crushing the grapes – historically referred to as grape stomping – takes place, followed by fermentation, racking, aging in barrels, and ultimately bottling.

“We got the idea of a harvest festival during our travels abroad,” he said. “Vineyard harvest festivals are vibrant annual celebrations occurring during harvest season, marking the grape picking season. They feature traditional grape stomping, vineyard tours, live music, wine tastings, and local food pairings, offering an immersive experience.”

 The barrel rolling relay was one of the games that received attention among the spectators.

When we asked him about the reasons the vineyard and winery are not yet accessible to the public, he replied, “We will not be open for day tours until we complete the construction of our restaurant and obtain all the necessary permits.”

But once it is open, “visitors can have vineyard and winery tours where they will be educated on the different grape varieties we plant and the vineyard cultivation techniques we employ,” Atty. Taglucop said. “They will also experience first-hand the processes of making high-quality wines in our winery and cellars, where they can drink wine straight from the barrels.”

Visitors can also take a tour of the wine museum and enjoy wine tasting along with food pairing. “They can simply indulge in our Italian-themed restaurant and fully embrace the Tuscan atmosphere while gazing at the vineyard,” he said.

The venue will also host events such as weddings, debuts, and other gatherings. “A wedding in a vineyard offers a unique experience,” he stated.

At the inaugural harvesting festival, guests and visitors were afforded the chance to sample some of its finest wines, which are truly world-class.

“In the wine world, terroir is everything,” he explained. “That makes our wines interesting because our terroir is one-of-a-kind and unlike many others. We have a very challenging, humid environment, and yet we are able to grow select grapes properly enough to make beautiful wines.”

Some of the foods that can be paired with wine.

Aside from the vineyard in Tacunan, he also has one in Kipilas, Kitaotao, Bukidnon. “Our vineyard, especially the one in a rolling valley in Kipilas, is sitting on a coral uplift with soil laden with limestone, shale stones, slates and volcanic materials,” said the lawyer who is also an agricultural engineer. “It is located at high altitude, at around 2,952 feet above sea level, such that the grapes are chilled at night and blanketed with thick fog early in the morning before the sun nourishes the vines in daylight.

The Philippines, being an archipelago, is also surrounded by four big bodies of water, namely: the Pacific Ocean in the east, the West Philippine Sea in the West, the Celebes Sea and the Sulu Sea in the South. “The breeze of these bodies of water adds complexity to our wines,” he informed. “For now, our wines may only be tasted and bought from our vineyard.”

While it may seem like a daunting task, the ambitious vision of putting the Philippines on the global wine map is indeed a feasible aspiration.

“My dream is really to produce our own world-class wine that we can be proud of,” Atty. Taglucop said. “For this, we are slowly expanding our vineyard and winery. Our children are also studying in the best wine-producing countries abroad to bring home the best discipline.”