GRAPE ESCAPE (From top, clockwise) Bounty from the Wine Warehouse Corp.’s product range; Tolhurst with Wine Depot chief sommelier Daniel Blais (left); and with The Manila Times’ account manager Ron Ryan Buguis at the recent Vini di Banfi wine tasting event. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
“My family settled [on] land given as a reward to people like my great grandfather, who fought during World War 2,” he says. “It was close to the river, which was ideal for irrigation. We were one of the first people to plant grapes and citrus in that area. Living there gave me good country values and taught me to work hard, as well as other lessons that I’m grateful for, like my hands-on approach to doing things.”