Cover Alex Lichaytoo pouring a glass of wine at home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Alex Lichaytoo pouring a glass of wine at home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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The co-founder and president of Bacchus International views wine as a necessity to a life well-lived. Discerning yet approachable, he teaches that true luxury is not just what you pour, but how you serve it and the story behind it
No two people mark a celebration in quite the same way. When the consummate food and wine lover gathers loved ones during the holidays for a feast, one can be sure that it will be a properly curated gastronomic indulgence.
For Alex Lichaytoo, co-founder and president of fine food and wine purveyor Bacchus International, and honouree of Italy’s Order of the Star for promoting Italian culture, this does not necessarily translate to offering a luxurious (or necessarily expensive) spread. A mindful host, he points out that more than the label on the bottle, he values human connection and weaving interesting narratives above all else.
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Above Alex Lichaytoo at home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Alex Lichaytoo at home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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“True luxury is being able to choose the right style of wine and matching this with the food or company,” he explains. “I always look for balance when tasting wines, a good combination of acidity to stir the appetite, tannin for depth, not too alcoholic and wonderful, soft fruit to give it a velvety texture. This is what I look for,” he continues. “But then some people just like a higher alcohol taste. Everyone is different.” Price has never guaranteed pleasure in a bottle, as Lichaytoo notes.
“Wine does not have to be expensive to be enjoyed. I find it funny that people still associate wine with luxury. In Europe, I know some friends who drink more wine than water. It is a beverage, plain and simple,” he adds with a laugh. To add to this topic, Lichaytoo asserts, “Whether you find a ten-dollar wine or a thousand-dollar wine, all boils down to personal choice.”
Above An array of white wine selections at Alex Lichaytoo’s home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Above Beautifully curated red wines by Alex Lichaytoo, among them a Château de Beaucastel from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the very estate that stood as a location for the show Drops of God (Photo: Toto Labrador)
An array of white wine selections at Alex Lichaytoo’s home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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For Lichaytoo, ensuring the wines are properly stored is key, meaning at 15C-18C, as well as the importance of proper transportation of the tipple in question. To this, he again refers to the ten-dollar wine analogy, musing, “A ten-dollar wine stored properly may taste better than a 50-dollar wine bought from a shelf with no temperature control and under strong lights.”
In terms of wine pairing, Lichaytoo eschews the old- fashioned rules of “white wine with fish, red wine with meat” and offers a broader and simpler perspective. “I look at it a different way,” he says. “Red for full-flavoured foods and white with simpler flavours. For example, I always eat lechon with white wine; sometimes a nice Verdicchio will do. Chicken inasal, I like to pair with Champagne because it goes well with the acidity in the vinegar.”
Then again, he admits that wine pairing is very personal and that there is no right or wrong when it comes to it. “However, there are basic rules,” Lichaytoo points out. “If doing a dinner, sequencing is important. Start with the whites, then move to the reds. And if you really want to get into it, there are just some combinations that can’t be beat, like a sweet Sauternes with foie gras or blue cheese, a cabernet sauvignon with dark chocolate or roast duck, lamb or gamey foods with a pinot noir. But then again, these are just my personal preferences.”
Armed with a connoisseur’s palate and an encyclopedic sense of the culture that swirls around wine, we ask him about his favourites, the beginnings of his obsession, and how best to savour this most social of spirits with the people we love throughout each season.
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Above Port selection by Alex Lichaytoo paired with Pia Fine Chocolate (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Port selection by Alex Lichaytoo paired with Pia Fine Chocolate (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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Why do you love wine?
Wine enhances our daily lives. My love affair started when I found the historical side interesting in college. Then I started tasting and meeting all kinds of great people, and made wonderful friends from around the world. I call this an accidental business; the intent was to sell some wines so that we could try more wines as a hobby. So we travelled the world, and my brother Clifford and I found ourselves on a journey of great discovery.
Whether food or wine, the bottom line was always the people behind it. We had a commonality in the way we looked at the world. And we wanted to share this same feeling and experience with everyone else. This is what makes it fun and satisfying. And if you really love what you are doing, then you will not work a day in your life.
How can others begin to appreciate wine as you do?
They should know what style of wine they enjoy: the country, the region, the grape variety, even their favourite producers. Give it a little more thought and do not just quaff it down. They will enjoy it a lot more.
Above Alex Lichaytoo’s personal collection of exceptional decanters (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Alex Lichaytoo’s personal collection of exceptional decanters (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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Why is the right glass so important? Is it true that the right glass can make a huge difference?
Definitely. Using the right glass shape brings out all the qualities of different types of wine. My experience with Riedel from Austria is that even a mediocre wine will taste better in the right glass and a great wine will taste ordinary in the wrong glass.
How important is decanting your wine?
Decanting serves two purposes. If the wine is very young and tannic (maybe three years or younger), decanting will aerate the wine, forcing the molecules to circulate and open up its nuances, making it more approachable to enjoy, effectively softening the flavours. The second function is for older wines (seven years or older) with sediment accumulated in the bottle; decanting allows one to filter the wine and remove the sediment. I always prefer a decanter with a wide bottom, creating more exposure to the air as the wine breathes.
What is your favourite wine pairing?
Wine pairing with cheese has to be gratifying. If there is a pairing everyone must try, it is Blue Roquefort cheese and a sweet Sauternes wine. It’s mind-blowing! For red, a Pinot noir like a Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny with lamb.
What is your favourite unexpected, unconventional wine pairing?
Peking duck with Chateauneuf du Pape, Lechon with Verdicchio, and Inasal with champagne.
Above A selection of champagne and sparkling wine on display at Alex Lichaytoo’s home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
Above A delicious spread of nibbles, all of which are available through Bacchus Épicerie (Photo: Toto Labrador)
A selection of champagne and sparkling wine on display at Alex Lichaytoo’s home (Photo: Toto Labrador)
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What is your all-time favourite red wine?
It has to be the 1989 Haut Brion. Although difficult to come by now, I feel this is truly a perfect wine.
What is your all-time favourite white wine?
Too many to mention. Perhaps a well- aged Sancerre or sauvignon blanc, a great Chardonnay from Argentina like the Catena Alta and of course, great Burgundy like a Mersault, or Montrachet from Jadot.
What is your all-time favourite sparkling wine?
I am biased: a 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal.
What is your favourite new find, red wine?
Again, too many to mention, but I am now in love with the wines from the Rhone valley like the Beaucastel Chateuneuf du Pape.
What is your favourite new find, white wine?
I am discovering the white wines from Sicily and Sardinia. In particular, Argiolas is a great vineyard from the south of Italy.
What is your favourite new find, sparkling wine?
I really enjoy the Cocchi, Blanc de blanc from Piedmont, Italy, made with one hundred per cent Chardonnay in a champagne style. I find it a great value, and also less acidic than some Champagnes. Very well-balanced.
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Credits
Photography: Toto Labrador
Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
