Philippine wine

Fruit winesproduced fromguyabano(soursop) andbignaybyKalinga women

Philippine wineorFilipino wineare variouswinesproduced in thePhilippines.They include indigenous wines fermented frompalm sap,rice,job's tears,sugarcane,andhoney;as well as modern wines mostly produced from various fruit crops.

Pre-colonial

Bahalinaa type oftubâ(palm wine) made from coconut sap and mangrove bark extracts

Indigenous wine-making traditions in the Philippines dates back to before thecolonization of the islands by the Spanishin the 16th century. They were usually part of the traditionaltapayfermentation process and were fermented inside earthen jars known astapayan.They were consumed both for recreation and in theanimistrituals in the various indigenousanitoreligions. Heavy consumption of tubâ and other alcoholic beverages in the Philippines were reported by early Spanish colonizers.Social drinking(tagayanorinumaninTagalogandVisayan languages) was and continues to be an important aspect of Filipino social interactions.Indigenous wines include the following:

Palm wines

Among the most widely prevalent wines produced in the Philippines is thetubâwhich is produced from palm saps. The most common types oftubâare made fromcoconutandnipa palmsap.Tubâcan also be made from the kaong palm (Arenga pinnata) andfishtail palms(Caryotaspp.), which are known astuhakandtunggang,respectively.

A notable variant oftubâfrom theVisayan peoplesofVisayasandMindanaois thebahalina,which is distinctively reddish-brown in color due to the use of bark extracts from certain mangrove species.Tubâis also commonly consumed with raw egg yolks and other sweet ingredients, a combination known askinutil.

During theSpanish colonial period,distillationtechnologies were adopted by native Filipinos as early as 1574, resulting in improvisedstillsknown askawa.These were used to distill tubâ into a palmliquorknown asvino de cocoorvino de nipa,which is now known aslambanógin modern times.

Rice wines

Tapuy,a rice wine of theIgorot people

Rice wines used to be common in pre-colonial times, as part of the process oftapayproduction, but now only survive among relatively isolated ethnic groups in the islands. Thepangasiof theVisayans,for example, is now virtually extinct. However, a version survives among theSubanen people,which can also be made fromjob's tears(adlay), though even this is starting to disappear as the starch source is increasingly being replaced bycassava.Pangasialso survives among theSulodnon peopleofPanay,though it has also been replaced withsugarcane.

Among theManobo peopleofBukidnon,a similar rice wine exists calledagkud.It is flavored with ginger and sugarcane juice.In the northern Philippines, the only surviving rice wine is thetapuyof theIgorot people,also known locally asbaya.It is mixed with ginger and roots. It is a very important part of traditional rituals of the highland tribes.

Sugarcane wines

Sugarcane wines include thebasiof theIlocanosand thepalekof theIvatan.Basiis notable in that it caused the 1807Basi Revoltwhen Spanish authorities tried to ban the private manufacture ofbasi.

Another sugarcane wine was theintusof Visayas and Mindanao. It is largely extinct,though it still partially survives among theLumad peoplesof Mindanao where it is flavored withlangkawas(Alpinia galanga) orpal-la(Cordyline fruticosa) roots.

Mead

Meadmade from honey were rare, even in precolonial times. They are now extinct and only known from colonial sources. They include thekabarawanof theVisayanswhich was made from honey mixed with bark from the kabarawan tree (Neolitsea villosa); and thebaisof theMandayaandManobo peoplewhich is made from honey and water.

Modern wines

Most of the modern wines produced in the country are based on locally produced crops withgrape-based winesmostly imported fromAustraliaandEuropeancountries.In 2012, it was reported that previous attempts to produce grapes which are suitable enough for wine making in northern Philippines failed due to unsuitable soil conditions and high temperatures.

Modern local wines are mostlyfruit wines,includingbignay winemade from bignay berries (Antidesma bunius);guyabano winemade fromsoursop(Annona muricata);mangosteen winemade frommangosteen;duhat winemade from black plum (Syzygium cumini);andmango winemade fromPhilippine mangoes.Another locally produced wine isoregano winefromQuezonproduced fromCuban oregano(Plectranthus amboinicus).

Liqueursproduced from the colonial era are also commonly sold as "wine". The most popular areanisado,anise liqueursgenerally infused with various herbal ingredients by earlyChinese-Filipinoimmigrants. A notable variant ofanisadoisanisado Mallorca,or simplyMallorca,which adds sugar and can also be used as a cooking wine.

See also

• Winemaking
• History of wine