The Pegasus Wine & Food Festival

Patrons all set to enjoy a taste of China and India at the Jamaica Pegasus' Celebration of Wine, Spirits & Food. (Photos: Joseph Wellington)

It was just the kind of distraction needed on such a historical day - US elections and the promise of a new chapter in the history annals regardless of the victor.

The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel's Nancy McLean had much reason to celebrate too. The hotel had recently celebrated its 35th birthday and today, November 4, was the 13th staging of 'A Celebration of Wine, Spirits & Food'. The buzz inside the hotel's ballroom was palpable as purveyors, patrons and eager students jostled to take everything in, seemingly all at once too.

First started in October 1995 with what was then called In Vino Veritas, the festival has grown into the Pegasus Wine & Food Festival with the focus this year on pairing wine with food. "It's incredible!" states Nancy McLean in between greeting fans and students from Papine High School eager to share with one of the country's leading culinary giants lessons learnt from the wine seminars conducted by Christopher Reckord and Paul Hanworth.

"The Pegasus Wine & Food Festival is aging to perfection. The journey between 1995 and 2008 has seen the celebration of wines of the world, including the USA which produced a three-year association with Delicato Wines of California. We then had "Fusion", a mélange of Caribbean cuisine with wines and spirits allowing room for our much-acclaimed rum to take centre stage in the Grand Jamaican Suite - home of all 13 Wine & Food Festivals."

Chilean ambassador Alfredo Garcia shows off a bottle of Carta Vieja Chardonnay to Natasha Lawrence, a student of Excelsior Community College.

As Thursday Food moves through the ever-increasing crowd we notice the affable Chilean ambassador Alfredo Garcia showing off a bottle of Carta Vieja Chardonnay to Excelsior Community College student Natasha Lawrence and moments later raising a toast with Liu Kan, Counsellor/Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Jamaica. Moments later at the Chinese booth with beers, wines and liqueur in abundance, Nancy McLean is prevailed upon by Liu Kan to sample some of his country's wines. From the look of her expression it's yet another golden moment.pity the world's fastest man is nowhere in sight. We spot our friends from TruJuice and jugs of our much-loved soursop juice, orange juice and sorrel (a gentle reminder that the festive season is already upon us).

Tonic Wines were the topic of discussion at Fruit Joy Manufacturing Ltd and the taste was truly in the blend with marketing manager Laura-Lee Pellington extolling the virtues of the all-natural Cock Spirit great, she stated, "for settling your nerves and to purify the blood stream". With ingredients like bissie, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel our recommendation is to drink in moderation - the kick is immediate!

Lunch is set up inside the ballroom with tables and chairs set on a raised platform. Today's menu features Chinese and Indian fare: chicken with cashew nuts, shrimp with mixed vegetables, stewed pork ribs, fish masala, roti and samosa.

For dessert we enjoy mouthfuls of delicious lychee and another glass of TruJuice sorrel and ready ourselves for America Votes.

-NMW