In an off-white concrete building, part of a grim-looking industrial complex of Metro Manila, 3 bottles of Montes were lined up at the wood-top conference table, ready to fill up the cup of silence. Neatly filed in the floor-to-ceiling racks at the back are hundred more of best-rated, iconic bottles of wine with the most international prestige.

We are at Ralph’s. A place where a bottle of drink is integrated with the flavors which last a good long time.

Ralph’s has everything about wine, and the combination of needed chemical spirits everybody wanted. Hidden in the mixture inside the perfumed and complex bottles aligned on the shelves are outstanding aromas of ripe red and black fruits. They have the precise combinations of polyphenols providing various tastes of creamy, astringency, or flinty – perfect for anybody.

 Sitting in the best wine store turned conference room/studio, I watched the process of sipping and tasting unfold. I had to tell myself, making sure I won’t forget this piece of experience of caprice and beauty, “I am at Ralph’s.”

Writer: Missy Penaverde-Ilarde

Photographer/Videographer: Mark Tarroza Dizon 

Models: Aryn Cristobal | Stephanie Retuya  

Stylist: Carla Villanueva  

HMUA: Elle Lubigan  

Location: Ralph's Wines and Spirits, 926 Antonio Arnaiz Ave, Makati, Philippines