Federico's Wines

Federico and Aurora Barredo were formerly researchers of Victorias Milling Company who are now both connected with Philsurin. They met and fell in love here in Negros, amidst the booming sugar industry in the 1970s.

But aside from researching into sugarcane (Federico is a plant pathologist while Aurora is into plant breeding), the two had been sharing other passions, such as their love for God and for their fellowmen.

And they also share a passion for wines. Federico had long been making wines in their company owned home within the VMC compound. He liked to experiment with his own concoctions. But these wines were merely given out as gifts or served during family gatherings. During one of their son's wedding, they gave out wines in small bottles as giveaways.

But upon the encouragement of family and friends, the couple finally decided to commercially produce Bignay and Duhat wines last year. They decided it would be a good venture especially that they are nearing retirement. By now, they are already living in their own house and their property has some space at the back, which they are now using as their processing area.

The wines, marketed under the name Federico's Island Wines, were well received. Initially, the products were sold to direct buyers and were featured once during the Panaad sa Negros Festival 2006 as a product of Victorias City, which gave the brand greater mileage. However, it was only last August when the Barredos were finally given a break in Bacolod City through Merci Pasalubong Center, a premier establishment selling Negros products.

These fruit wines are rather sweet but not exactly cloying. Bignay wine is a little heavy when it settles on the stomach, probably because of its sugar content. Duhat wine comes down smooth. Mrs. Barredo said that even if one finishes a bottle of the wines, one will not end up with a hang over the next morning.

The quality and unique flavors of the wines are all achieved without artificial color, flavorings, or alcohol. There are no chemical preservatives either. The fruits are manually selected-they have to be just ripe. The berries are then washed with hot water before pressing. The natural fruit juices are merely mixed with water and sugar and allowed to ferment for six weeks before bottling. Once bottled, the wines are aged for about six months before they can finally be sold to the market.

But one problem that the wine production is facing is the availability of the berries. The couple relies on the rural folk around the province who grow these berries at their backyard as their source. This year, they were only able to produce Bignay wine because the duhat fruits around the province and from Guimaras were adversely affected by the successive typhoons.

The Barredos intend to utilize part of their four-hectare property in another town and convert it into an orchard that will produce the fruits that they are using for wines. This will ensure a steady supply of fruits.

Meanwhile, they are still rounding up bignay and duhat growers around the province for their fruits, especially for next year's harvest. With the market opening up for them, the Barredos would need more fruit to process.

Currently, the couple is also experimenting on pineapple wine as an additional line. The product will be released in the market as soon as they find a suitably colored bottle for this product.