The Wine Museum Hotel and Resto

We found out by chance that the Wine Museum in Pasay rents a few rooms, so we tried it when we had business in nearby Makati. The price is REALLY GREAT if you just need somewhere quiet to sleep. Our room was small but practical, with its own little AC unit, and it was very quiet. Downstairs there’s food at the cafe beside the Wine store. Since it’s close to the airport, it’s a comfy temporary home for people with long stopovers in Manila.

The room had a mini fridge, which was nice, but overall it felt like a run down Sogo room with a little more space. It’s a low end, affordable hotel, and being near the airport is its main selling point. I was in room 2 on the third floor, where wifi hadn’t been installed yet. There’s no elevator, so someone had to carry my 25kg bag up, and I brought it back down myself. The air conditioning needs replacing, there was no hairdryer, and the light switches are scattered all over the place. They have a wine cellar for enthusiasts and serve meals in the lobby restaurant area. There’s also a 24hr Jollibee within walking distance, and Terminal 3 is a quick 5-10 minute ride away.

I left feeling really underwhelmed. The place was empty except for what seemed to be a meeting, so there was no atmosphere at all. I’d been looking forward to lunch and a glass of wine, but after I ordered pasta they told me none was available. When I asked for a wine menu, they said there wasn’t one and that wine was only sold by the bottle, not by the glass. Odd for a “wine museum” with a restaurant.

We got an early look at some of the wines and other drinks planned for The Grand Wine Experience, which was to be held on November 15 , 2019 at Marriot Grand Ballroom. The event was expected to bring over 700 wines, beers, whiskeys, and spirits, along with 100+ wineries, breweries, and distilleries, to Manila for one night. We began with several Ramon Bilbao Masterpieces. We were told Ramon Bilbao is Spain’s largest winery, with more than 8% of the industry’s market share. We tried the 2010 Gran Reserva, Rose, and 2015 Edicion Limitada. Then we sampled Tamnavulin’s Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and finished with Singleton’s Single Malt Scotch Whisky aged 12, 15, and 18 years. The 15-year whisky was our personal favorite.