Better by the Glass
Bacco offers oenophiles in the Indonesian capital the widest selection of wines by the glass, courtesy of their high-tech Enomatic machines
It can be tough to be a wine lover in Jakarta. While the availability of premium labels gets better every year, the high import tariffs continue to make it difficult for those who love particular varieties to enjoy their vino at reasonable prices. At most restaurants in the Big Durian, wines are only available by the bottle. If you’re lucky, they might offer one or two house wines by the glass. Anybody familiar with the chemistry of wine would understand why that is – bottles go bad rapidly once they have been uncorked, losing their flavour and aroma in just a day or two. Thus, it only makes economic sense for restaurants to make their guests buy by the bottle.
Fortunately, technology has given restaurateurs a solution to this problem in the form of Enomatic wine dispensers. Bacco, one of the most promising of Jakarta’s new wine bar cum restaurants, has invested heavily in this oenophile technology imported from Italy. The machines use argon, an inert gas, to prevent any oxygen from making contact with the wine, preventing oxidation and allowing the liquid to maintain its taste and aroma for weeks at a time. And while Bacco is not the only restaurant in town to house an Enomatic dispenser, it is the only one to feature four of the machines, allowing them to offer 32 different varieties of wine by the glass – more than any other restaurant in Jakarta.
That alone should put Bacco on the agenda of wine lovers and anybody wishing to learn more about the intricacies of the grape. It means everybody at the table can get the wine that best suits their individual palate or the perfect tipple to match each of their courses. The 32 varieties offered by the glass have been carefully chosen by the restaurant’s wine team to appeal to everybody from beginners to experts. In addition to those offered by the glass through the Enomatic machines, Bacco’s vast wine cellar features over 500 labels, which guests can purchase to enjoy in the restaurant or at home.
Bacco’s kitchen is helmed by Chef Chandra Yudasswara, who has worked in F&B establishments all over the world and has created an eclectic menu of dishes designed to complement the extensive wine offerings. When we turned up one drizzly evening during Jakarta’s rainy season, Chef Chandra recommended a few of his more comforting signature dishes for us to sample, while the in-house sommelier picked three labels out of the Enomatic machines to pair with each one.
First up was the appetiser of mushroom cappelletti. Cappelletti are tiny pasta dumplings, similar to ravioli but named for their resemblance to small hats. Bacco’s cappelletti are filled with an earthy mix of porcini and champignon mushrooms and topped with a rich cream cheese sauce accented with the aroma of truffle. The starter, which could also serve as a light main course, is a must for mushroom lovers. A bit of bitter arugula on top gives the dish colour as well as a pleasant contrast. The sommelier paired this with a Bolla Pinot Grigio 2011 from Italy. The crisp acidity of this white went well with the rich pasta. The creamy sauce accentuated the delicate flavour of the wine, which included hints of peach and melon.
The next dish was a hearty seafood chowder, filled with Pacific clams and a generous piece of lobster tail. The thick, tomato based broth was well-seasoned and had a slightly spicy edge. The chowder brought out the brininess of the clams and the sweetness of the lobster meat, while drizzles of flavourful pesto kept each bite interesting. To pair with this course, the sommelier poured a glass of Nederburg Pinotage 2010. The assertive red, with its upfront fruit flavours, featured an almost chewy mouth feel and long, ripe finish that worked beautifully with the piquant broth.
Our final dish of the night was a classic tenderloin steak served with a Béarnaise sauce. The combination of medium rare steak and creamy Béarnaise gave our sommelier pause, but he quickly decided on a glass of Roger Sabon Côtes du Rhône 2009 from France. The quality of the juicy steak was highlighted by the rounded, fruity wine, which also managed to cut through the heaviness of the rich sauce.
Although it is located inside a mall, Bacco’s main entrance, located next to one of Lotte Shopping Avenue’s main gates, makes it feel separated from its neighbours. The moody lighting, exposed ceilings, cedar wood walls and fishbone wood flooring all combine to create the feel of an intimate wine cellar. The warm and casual vibe is sure to turn Bacco into a place where people come not just to eat and drink but also chill and hang out with fellow wine lovers.
(www.baccojakarta.com)
