A marvellous Malbec World Day in Kingston

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

It's now regarded as one of the premiere social outings on Kingston's leading calendar. And little wonder. Malbec World Day, is one of the wine worlds' most fashionable events, and Kingston, despite being the home of some of the finest rums ever distilled, is a wine-drinking city.

Kingston has moved from being on the periphery to being front and centre of the wine culture, boasting several speciality wine establishments and an ever-increasing wine-drinking population.

On the face of it, gone are the days when wine drinking was regarded as the purview of the chi-chi. Today, more and more people are embracing the fine art of wine drinking, its culture and understanding, not for social profiling, but more so for the aesthetic and health benefits.

And as Kingston (and Jamaica), embraces wine culture, Malbec World Day is exactly what the doctor ordered. My dears, this is a celebration of the wines (Malbec) of Argentina. Now in its third year since so proclaimed by Argentine president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the event is indeed one fashionable do, and then some!

Well my darling dears, Malbec World Day was April 17, and with a new Argentinean ambassador in town, Kingston was all a twitter in anticipation of the day.

MEANINGFUL AND EXHILARATING EVENT

And so it was my dears, with invitations going out, promising a 'meaningful and exhilarating event,' under the auspices of Argentinean's First Citizen here, His Excellency Ambassador Ariel Fernandez and his wife Helene Hagen-Larsen, y'all know, wine-society enthusiasts were primed and ready to join in to celebrate the commemoration of 2013 Malbec World Day.

Hosted on the grounds of the upper St Andrew official residence of the Argentine Embassy, Malbec World Day 2013 was indeed one fabulously happening affaire.

To begin with, the affaire got off to a peachy start as Ambassador Fernandez and his wife, along with their two young children, greeted guests upon arrival, in the most amicable and welcoming mode. This definitely set the stage for what proved a truly fabulous evening - as the lawns were decked with kiosks showcasing a menu of Malbec varieties from the various distributors. And it being a gathering of the elegant crowd, y'all know, we are talking a truly smashing do here, as this was wine tasting at its marvellous best!

It was, however, an evening dedicated to the fine and glorious art of wine tasting, and in this respect, it was Malbec's finest hour here in Jamaica, and how!

Dears, think wine snobs! Picture a beautiful garden, the hills of St Andrew silhouetted against the night sky, while the lights of the city flickered below and style and mood-appropriate music as the perfect backdrop to what was indeed a wine feast!

And what a feast!

Luvs, simply fabulous as this was an international moment and then some. Guests simply gave themselves over to the 'moment'- basked in the society of each other while sampling liberally from the Malbec cellars, while a battery of staffers saw to it that nary a glass was empty, and delightful finger food was no more than a nod away.

Dears, talk about fabulous - well this was one such do, in essence and scope made that much more owing to the warmth and genuine sense of hospitality of the hosts, who had a kind word and a brand suggestion for the many guests who turned out to share in the occasion.

THE GUEST LIST

And among those out were: dean of the diplomatic corps, Cuban ambassador Yuri Ariel Gala López; Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuño and husband Alex Crowther; Godelieve Van den Bergh - ambassador of Belgium; Robert Ready - Canadian high commissioner; Maria Jacqueline Mendoza - Venezuelan ambassador; and Reverend Dr Iva Gloudon - high commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago. Jorge Enrique Constantino - ambassador of Panama; Colombian Ambassador Luis Guillermo Mat'nez Fernández; Ambassador José Tomás Ares, of the Dominican Republic; Helene Hagen-Larsen, wife of Ariel Fernández - ambassador of Argentina; Bruno Jouannem - from the French embassy; Arturo René Hooker, the chargé d'Affaires of the embassy of Nicaragua, and Vanessa Torres - from the Colombian embassy were also out. Socialite and entrepreneur Thalia Lyn; the affable Captain David McRae; Patricia Hylton; Sylvia Collister and son Paul; the celebrated Andrew and Theresa Roberts, visiting from London, via their Tryall home; Kia Motor's Dwight Moore; Andrea Bickhoff-Benjamin; the charming Marilyn Bennett; Sharon Lake; JŸrgen Von Dueszeln and his very charming wife, Anna Kay, from the very fashionable Wine Bar Bistro-Uncorked; Eva Lewis, manager of Citibank Jamaica; Christine Stiebel; Colin Hylton; Andrew Massias and wife Cynthia de Miranda; Wayne Foster of Devon House Pub; Knut Borstad and the lovely Desiree DePass; celebrated chef Brian Lumsley; Patricia Socca (administrative attaché at the Embassy of Argentina) and her husband Fernando Pierre; Marik Johnston and Renata McGregor and Sharice Fernander - Grace Kennedy Foods; Denzie Sinclai - Trivento wines; Nevada Powe and the tres fab Karen Neita; Marcel Smart; Erica Bartley; and the charming Dora Doig, of the Argentinean embassy; plus several others.