My go-to wine and chill place in the South! Perhaps the most casual but not tacky wine place to…read moredrink wine and stay for hours, Ralph's in Alabang offers good wine selections starting at P500! If you're not a wine connoisseur and just want to have a relaxed time over reds or whites, without having to dress up or worry about the shop closing on you, I highly recommend this place. The best thing about this branch in particular is the place and location. Ralph's has both indoor and al fresco seating, so you if you have friends who smoke, they can do that here. The al fresco tables are right in the middle of Molito's activity center so you hear the nice live performances in the background on weekends. Plus, you can order from the nearby restaurants (if these places allow it) and have it with your wine, just like the Hermano's beside it (yay, nachos!). And just in case there are lots of diners and you can't find a vacant table, you can bring out their wine glasses for a deposit you can get back upon return. They also have a number of cheese and meat selections you can enjoy with your wine, reasonably priced as compared to the cheese and charcuterie platters from Barcino or Planet Grapes. Just be careful with the chorizo--it is a bit oily and a lot, so you might want to share it with three or four others. Word of caution, don't bother bringing your own bottle even if you're ordering from them. They won't allow it, which is perfectly understandable. Cheers!

Came to the Philippines to visit family, so my siblings took us here on our first night. Casual,…read morerelaxing feel, and there are shelves and shelves of alcohol surrounding you! Wine, sake, whiskey, you name it! You can sit down and open a bottle of something to enjoy, and you can even order food from the surrounding restaurants and they will bring it right to you! Apparently my siblings are regulars here so they have a bottle on a shelf behind the counter that they continue drinking whenever they come back. They definitely make you feel at-home here! Will definitely come back when I revisit to Manila!!!!

Wine Depot named their store Depot in the hope that people will think you can buy a lot of wine in…read morecartons here for a cheap price I think. This is not really the case. Sure there are lots of carton boxes here that save them money for decor, but the wines aren't that cheap. They make it seem like it though, by having signs with promotions on it. For a good bottle you do have to spend 500-600 php, where in rustans you can buy a good merlot for 400 php. There are free tastings here and there is a loyalty program I signed up for. Supposedly you get invited for tasting, but I never did so I don't really know what's the point. I only give them 4 stars because they sell D'arenberg here.

There's always some delight and pride discovering something that's world class is actually home…read moregrown. When I first tried Joe's Brew (in the research stages!) it super surprised me because it was like something I've never tried in Manila but I did abroad. I'll be honest, I'm not a beer connoisseur, it's not even in my top choices of drink, but Joe's Brew tasted really good! A few of my beer drinking friends love it and for someone who doesn't like beer too much, I say go grab a bottle! I thought their packaging was on point as well (that might add some points so you can Instagram it!)! Craft beer is so big in the world right now, I'm glad some Filipino pride is in the scene of things! You can get Joe's Brew in several restaurants around the city like CDP, Perfect Pint, Backyard Coffee, just check their website for more information!

Burned out? Heartbroken? Aside from friends and family, beer's all you need, my brother. Global…read moreBeer Exchange carries a lot of them from all around the world. :) And it's just a drive away. I came here with friends one Friday evening. We wanted to drink but wanted something different. Bars usually just carry the local beers, and if you are lucky, imported ones.. but the selection is limited. So we read on few blogs, found out about Global Beer Exchange and decided its the way to go. Global Beer Exchange is a beer disneyland. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a delight for beer aficionados and enthusiasts. Belgian, North American, Japanese & Californian beers can be tasted here. They even have beers on draft. They also carry Katipunan craft ales, a local brand, like their Dear Fred and Indio. There's so many that we asked the staff to give suggestions on what to drink. In all fairness to them, they know what they're selling. And the best thing is that its not even crowded in here. It's perfect for a night of chilling and conversation with friends. :) P.S. Check out their beer chandelier.

Living in Magallanes often feels like I'm far away from civilization. For one thing, just to go to…read moreanother city, I will always have to pass a highway. Makati is just around the corner, but with Manila traffic, it gets way too tiring to drive there. Alabang is just a couple of bridges away, but the dreadful long drive home isn't the best feeling in the world. Lucky for us, Global Beer Exchange is probably just 5 minutes away from everyone's home. See, the best thing about Magallanes is probably that it's right in the middle from everyone. Yes, Quezon City is quite far, but South people (at least my friends from the south) usually won't go past the Fort area. And a few don't want to meet in Fort, especially on weekends, because parking is difficult and every club and bar is jam packed with yuppies and younglings. Global Beer Exchange may have beers that would cost you 700 pesos, but you just need to look carefully. Though its main market is for beer enthusiasts, you don't really have to be one to enjoy the beer. Just be smart and not order a Heineken or Stella or other beers that you can easily buy in the grocery store. I mean, hello? This is GLOBAL Beer Exchange. They carry beers from all around the world. Beers you probably haven't heard of yet and you're going to order a regular non-craft beer? Be adventurous and try something new. Bring a couple of friends, order different beers each and just do some beer tasting. Food isn't anything great so make sure that you'll be drinking here before or after you eat. Or you can bring some snacks, to munch on. Make sure to ask permission from the bar first though!

Great one stop shop! Has everything needed for dinner or a party. One day they might add Gina Mango…read moreJuice in 1 liter cartons!

The first time I ever stepped into Giligan's was back in 1999 if I recall correctly. The fact that…read moreit's still here just goes to show how good the place really is, though back then it was just a simple restaurant as opposed to the bar and grill it is today. Giligan's is an awesome place to eat at for lunch or dinner. Nowadays, they have value meals priced a peso shy away from a hundred to make some of their best dishes affordable. Best thing about that is it comes with unlimited rice. At night, Giligan's transforms from family friendly restaurant to bar and grill with a live band. It's an interesting place to hang out with and have a few bottles of beer. Their sisig is one of the best I have ever had in any restaurant bar none. It has a distinct flavor and crunchiness that I've yet to find anywhere else.

This morning, I decided that I will end this day with a bottle of Malbec wine. It's one of those…read moresummer days where it's too hot to do anything and staying indoors is your best bet for a perfectly mediocre day. I headed to Metro Wine Center, a little shop by the entrance of Market! Market! to accomplish my morning goal and braced myself for what could be the hottest day of the year. This quaint laid-back shop makes wine selection easy for those short on time, knowledge, or both. The selections are fun and well-priced, and are backed by a helpful staff. The store is manned by its owner, who was fairly approachable and enthusiastic about his beer, wines and spirits. Once you've perused the selection at every pricepoint, it's hard to imagine not becoming a regular. Metro Wine Center has made buying wine a non-intimidating shopping experience for wine lovers whose only expertise is to drink.

From the owner: At Grand Metro Wine Center, we’re more than just an bottle shop — we’re your go-to destination for…read morethoughtfully curated, premium yet accessible wines and spirits in the Philippines. - Curated Selection: Every bottle on our shelves is handpicked — from celebrated classics to unique finds like Offley Port, Mio Sparkling Sake, and local treasures like Cebu Mango Rum. We focus on quality, taste, and value. - Local + International Vibes: We bridge local flavor and global taste. Whether it's world-renowned labels or homegrown favorites, we support both. - Accessible Expertise: You don’t need to be a sommelier. Our product descriptions and tasting notes make it easy for anyone — from first-timers to seasoned drinkers — to find the perfect match. - Fast, Reliable Delivery: We ship swiftly, with Metro Manila and provincial delivery options so your celebration never gets delayed. - Exclusive Deals & Discoveries: We offer promos, bundle savings, and rotating collections so you can always discover something new at a great price. - Passion-Driven Service: We’re wine lovers first, business second. Our passion shows in every recommendation, every bottle, and every customer interaction.

My first taste of independence tasted like bitter herbs and toothpaste. Fancy a guess? If you…read moreguessed Jagermeister, you guessed right. My college days were rife with drinking parties and fun nights with friends. You can argue with me on this, but Benilde kids are such hardy budding little alcoholics that it's never fun without anyone stumbling out of some place on Friday and Saturday nights. We got over the seedy drinking places real quick and discovered the joys of throwing house parties. You can drink to your fill and then pass out without having to worry about how to get home because you're already, well, home. For those nights when we would rather hole up in a friend's garage, or swimming pool, we get our liquor from the wholesale liquor stores along Buendia. This stretch of liquor stores from Taft Ave. to Leveriza has everything that you might want. Haggle and scout around for the best deals. You will also find stores that sell their liquors with fun stuff such as pitchers, free shotglasses, ice buckets or shirts. Bottles of alcohol here are much cheaper, and this is pretty much your one-stop shop for pretty much everything - from spirits to mixers ,from wines to strange brews for when you are feeling rather adventurous. They say it's all fun and games until someone loses a liver, but hey, at least here we get our libations at a fraction of their cost.

I have a set of friends who enjoy trying different kinds of alcohol. Once upon a time, we played a…read morebeer identification game, where we had to taste mysterious beers from a glass and figure out which beer bottle they came from. Of course, this being a drinking game, we had to do something stupid to make it fun. In this case, the losers got a slap in the face. Unfortunately, I suck at telling the difference between tastes and one of my friends there was a volleyball player. End result, I had a hand mark on my face for three weeks. If I'll ever hope to get my revenge when we eventually have our whisky identification game, I'm going to have to patronize Gilmore Wine's and Spirits more, since they have one of the widest ranges of products available in Metro Manila. That sounds like an excuse to get drunk all the time, but I'd prefer not to walk around like some Amazon ripped into my face.

Gilmore Wines and Spirits turned out to be a lifesaver for me at a specific time when I was selling…read moreJapanese whisky and my supply ran low. A friend was in search of a specific type of whisky that was very difficult to source but another friend suggested that I have a look at Gilmore's collection. Thank God I did because they had exactly what I was looking for! I was able to make a good cut out of it too. Haha. These guys are very easy to transact with and their physical address is right on Gilmore, hence the name.