A wine forecast made in 2022, when Filipinos drank as much as 25.4 million liters of wine, projected an increase of up to 33 million liters in wine consumption in the Philippines by 2027.

Just recently opened at the Proscenium at Rockwell in Makati City, Project Vino Reserve is proof positive of this forecast. It is different from the Project Vino you know at Poblacion, also in Makati, and in Alabang in that it is plusher, a little more mature, and more important it satisfies two criteria required of a wine bar—an extensive wine list and a place in which to enjoy the wine, such as a bar, lounge, chairs and tables, and, if the wine bar is a restaurant too, a proper dining room.

The wood-brick-stone industrial-style establishment opens up to a glass-encased, temperature-controlled cellar stocked with a wide range of wines old world or new world, red, white, or sparkling, spilling out onto wall-mounted cabinets and shelves on the mezzanine.

Project Vino Reserve was born out of the vision of its owners Steven Ticzon and Rob Martin, themselves wine lovers and connoisseurs, whose primary goal was to cater to the discerning tastes of friends and wine fellows within the upscale neighborhood, although the range of the wines they offer in an environment built to synergize wine appreciation, dining sophistication, and interior design are tailored to the preferences of a diverse audience. “Each bottle in this wine bar has been handpicked by either me or Rob or both of us,” says Steven, stressing how carefully the wines were selected from renowned wine expos around the world. “Our collection mirrors our personal preferences.” 

The initial plan, in order to level up from the other, younger Project Vinos in terms of crowd, busier, more energetic in terms of atmosphere, was to build an establishment whose only raison d’etre was the wine with nibbles at most to bring out its nuances and flavors, but acknowledging that food, even in the country’s fast-growing wine culture, is integral to Filipinos out on the town, Rob and Steven decided to make dining just as special as wine-drinking at Project Vino Reserve. As a result, chefs RJ Ramos and Alphonse Sotero of Lampara fame have been brought in for a continental menu crafted to enhance the wine experience that “linger on the palate and in the memory.”

Project Vino Reserve’s grand opening, organized by brand strategist Monique Madsen and her team at her consulting firm Modeme, with Ferdie Salvador as event host, drew in over 100 of Manila’s A-listers, who enjoyed the exquisite wines, as well as a wine pairing dinner for a select few prior to the party and a lively DJ and his playlist, which kept both the night and the guests young all night long.