Alta: A Night of Argentine Excellence
A symphony of flavours took centre stage at Steakhouse on the Verandah on Thursday, March 26, as the Select Brands team presented Alta — a curated wine-tasting and dining showcase featuring selections from the Catena Zapata Wine catalogue.
Taking guests through the five-course dinner executed by Steakhouse on the Verandah Chef/Patron Christian Sweeney was Select Brands Retail Wines Category Manager Trizan Chung Ying.
The timing could not have been more auspicious, as the estate was recently crowned the World’s Most Admired Wine Brand for 2026 by Drinks International.
“Catena is not just a winery, it is Argentinian wine history in motion. They are celebrating over 120 years in the business and, in a month where women are being highlighted, can boast a cadre of world-renowned women in wine amongst their rank,” Chung Ying informed.
Prominent among the female vintners at the winery are Catena Zapata Managing Director Dr Laura Catena and Export Director Mariela Molinari. “The Catena family did not just make Malbec famous, but helped to cement Argentina’s spot in the world as a renowned wine country.
Fittingly, tonight’s dinner is called Alta, an ode to Catena Alta’s [high] altitude vineyards that give us the [wine] that we love and enjoy.”
The welcome segued into a tango performance and a teaser, notably, Chef Sweeney’s amuse-bouche: Marinated Ahi Tuna. The 2022 DV Catena Blanco Histórico Chardonnay was the accompanying pour.
Moving from sea to land, the first course celebrated Argentina’s globally renowned beef with a Carpaccio Beef Tenderloin. The 2023 Catena Malbec with its medium-bodied palate with silky tannins and bright acidity, according to Chung Ying, make it the definitive partner.
Between courses, she offered guided insights into Catena’s ingredient profile, which includes notes such as tobacco, coffee, lavender and eucalyptus. To deepen the sensory experience, she invited guests to identify these very aromas from individual curated sachets.
The second course, Herb-cured Duck Breast paired with the intense and structured expression of high-altitude, full-bodied and layered palate of the 2022 Catena Alta Malbec, was another successful pairing.
Ahead of course number three, there was a delightful surprise: A sommelier’s pour of the 2021 Catena Zapata ‘Birth of Cabernet’ accompanied by a pop-up postcard detailing the Cabernet’s storied heritage. Guests were encouraged to save some of the wine for the upcoming course to observe how the complex flavours evolved on the palate.
“This might be my favourite wine… Take time to taste it… you are [experiencing] something good,” Chung Ying shared.
Chef Sweeney then unveiled the Pimento-Dusted Rack of Lamb crusted in aromatic pimento spice with a side of creamy roasted yellow yam polenta and finished with a callaloo cream sauce. The dual pour of Birth of Cabernet and 2022 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza elicited nods of approval.
The final course of Dark Chocolate Fondant with Blue Mountain espresso and the 2019 Gran Enemigo Red Blend, Mendoza and sparklers in acknowledgement of Catena Zapata being named the World’s Most Admired Wine Brand for 2026 — brought the immersive experience to a memorable close.
Photographer: Naphtali Junior
The Catena Zapata catalogue took centre stage at the showcase featuring (from left): The 2022 DV Catena Blanco Histórico Chardonnay, 2023 Catena Malbec, 2022 Catena Alta Malbec, 2022 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2019 Gran Enemigo Red Blend. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
A collective toast to the epicurean and oenological journey that lay ahead. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
The amuse-bouche: Marinated ahi tuna delicately infused with Scotch bonnet and ginger soy served alongside a warm salad of charred bok choy and scallions paired with 2022 DV Catena Blanco Histórico Chardonnay.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Kathryn Silvera enjoyed the amuse bouche of marinated ahi tuna.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Afresh Marketplace directors Zhiqiang Lu and his wife Caiwei Liang enjoyed glasses of 2022 DV Catena Blanco Histórico Chardonnay. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
First course: Carpaccio beef tenderloin dressed with Solomon Gundy aioli, roasted Scotch bonnet oil and escoveitch-style charred scallions paired with 2023 Catena Malbec.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Second course: Herb-cured duck breast served with grilled eggplant, soursop reduction, Blue Mountain coffee demi-glaze and cherry tomato chutney.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
The wine pairing for the duck breast: 2022 Catena Alta Malbec.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Kemtek director Karl Tulloch and his wife Kismet Group director Billie Jean Tulloch tucked into the herb-cured duck breast.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Wisynco Head of Consumer Marketing Erin Mitchell (right) savoured her 2023 Catena Malbec as Dragonfly Experiences CEO Kimberly Dunkley Watkins looked on.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Select Brands brand ambassador Rusheeda Thomas (centre) poured the 2021 Catena Zapata ‘Birth of Cabernet’, the wine pairing for the rack of lamb, from the decanter for Bijoux CEO Anup Chandiram as his Bijoux buyer wife Bina looked on.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Third course: Pimento-dusted rack of lamb crusted in aromatic pimento spice accompanied by creamy roasted yellow yam polenta and finished with a velvety callaloo cream sauce. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Select Brands Retail Wines Category Manager Trizan Chung Ying poured the 2022 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon for Constellation Brands Commercial Manager, Caribbean Shannon McClure Delabarre (centre) as her husband Vinci Construction Country Manager Timothee Delabarre looked on and NMD Inc CEO Nasha-Monique Dixon enjoyed the rack of lamb.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Raising glasses of 2021 Catena Zapata ‘Birth of Cabernet’ in a celebratory toast were (from left) Select Brands Marketing Manager Debra Taylor-Smith; Carreras Limited Chairman Patrick Smith, attorney-at-law Kimm Daley, insurance executive Marie Beckford, content creative Octavia Brown and lifestyle curator Cecile Levee.(Photo: Naphtali Junior)
The final course: Dark chocolate foundant paired with Blue Mountain espresso with 2019 Gran Enemigo Red Blend. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
Select Brands Co-Managing Director Andrew Desnoes (left) and Select Brands Retail Wines Category Manager Trizan Chung Ying (second left) shared the frame with Argentina Ambassador to Jamaica Marcelo Balbi Calvo (second right), his wife Fabiana Fajardo and Steakhouse on the Verandah Chef/Patron Christian Sweeney after the showcase. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)
