CubaPLUS Magazine

Wine tasting has come to Cuba! Now you can walk back up from the beach, enjoy a glass of wine at the tasting bar and decide if it's a suitable match for your evening meal. Or, if you find your knowledge of wine a bit lacking, you can always take advantage of the sommelier's recommendations and of the freshness guaranteed by the tasting machines. Such is the new experience that visitors have been offered since January, thanks to three wine mini-boutiques set up in three hotels on the island: Tuxpan and Brisas del Caribe in Varadero, and Brisas Guardalavaca in the province of Holguín.

The mini wine boutiques complement the range of services offered by these three hotels. The mini-boutique concept is the result of an in-depth market study which identified visitors' needs in terms of the wine off ered", explained Cap Antillas chairwoman Lilli Prud'homme. In partnership with the Cuban government, Cap Antillas has developed a product well-matched for the reality of hotels and their guests. A boutique that is open and accessible to all, with an inviting counter, wine-tasting machines and an expert ready to advise you about the best wine match for your choice of agrave; la carte restaurants; guests now have access to an enhanced wine offer, within reach and at an affordable price." added Ms. Prud'homme.

Visitors are offered a diverse range of some fifty products that include well-known brands such as Masi, Penfolds, Errazuriz or even Fuzion. Varieties of red, white, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines ndash;refrigerated in optimal conditionsmdash; are all among the choices that visitors can taste or choose to consume at their convenience, or even match to the restaurants' menus. Mr. Jorge Alberto García Dominguez, manager of the Brisas Guardalavaca Hotel, is delighted with this new addition to his hotel: Our clients already know that in our hotel they will enjoy refreshing house cocktails. Now they can accompany their meals with internationally-renowned wines and even taste these beforehand. They are on vacation and we strive to offer them services that cater to their life style and desires."

The three boutiques were inaugurated this past January 11 and 13 in the presence of His Excellency Matthew Levin, Canada's ambassador to Cuba, Mr. Antonio Cruz Ricardo, President of the Cubanacan Group, Mr. Carlos Alberto Zamora González, Vice-President of the Cubanacan Group, representatives from the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and the National Bank of Canada, Canadian travel agents, and managers, employees and guests of the three hotels.