Heard it through the grapevine

Yes, I heard it through the grapevine that there's a vineyard in Capiz. But it slipped my mind because so much was going on, what with the holidays. Then suddenly my PA sent me a short post about it and off we went to see the fruit associated with Bacchus thriving in tropical shores.

We got there on the last hour of the last day. Actually, the person in charge of the mini vineyard was about to close for the day and for the season but saw us coming and let us in. He also gave us a tour and talked about the grapes grown in the vineyard.

The red grapes are of the Baikonur variety. These are seeded grapes. The grape vines are trellised using bamboo poles. The entire vineyard is protected by a greenhouse plastic roof to protect the vines from the elements. A bamboo fence surrounds the area and a mesh net hangs down the sides to keep birds and animals from eating the fruits and taking aim at the young, fragile vines. This an organic vineyard, totally fertilizer free.

Life is good if you can spend lazy days swinging under the canopy just waiting for the fruit to fall and brush your lips.

There are Muscat grapes grown here as well. So far the vineyard has produced 30 kilos of Baikonur grapes. There are plans to plant new vines in a nearby farm and maybe with a bigger harvest, a local wine will be produced. I'll drink to that!

To get to the vineyard, we crossed this bamboo bridge over a stream. Fun intro. Looking forward to the next harvest.

The vineyard is in Barangay Agustin Navarra in Ivisan, Capiz. There are public utility vehicles (PUV) you can take from Roxas City to Ivisan which leave from the Roxas City Integrated Terminal on Sacred Heart of Jesus Avenue. In Ivisan, take a tricycle to Barangay Agustin Navarra.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the ...

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and...

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog