The poetry of wines at Chaaya Tranz

Robert Louis Stevenson enthused that “wine is bottled poetry,” and truly it is. Over centuries, harking back to biblical times, wine was considered the drink of the gods and has had glowing tributes spouted forth by the world’s most famed literati.

With wine steadily adding the final laurel to epicurean as well as everyday food fare, Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa has assuredly added its own lines of poetry to this extraordinarily versatile and amazing stream of heaven. Tranzform is the Chaaya Tranz Wine & Cigar Room, among the first dedicated wine rooms within Sri Lanka’s resort portfolio, complimented with Sri Lanka’s very first all-encompassing cigar room.

Tucked into a recess of the stylised Lounge & Bar, Tranzform is artfully bedecked with a floor to ceiling glassed wall surround, temperature controlled to house an extraordinary array of wines from around the globe.

Whether it’s a glass of bubbly from the doyen of champagnes Dom Perignon or Moet Chandon for great celebrations or just to add some euphoria to the rejuvenation one feels at Chaaya Tranz, or to add some joie de vivre with some Wolf Blass or Zonin Prosescco Cuvee Brut Sparkling Wines, the idea is to sate the senses. But if bubbly does not titillate your taste buds, but whites and reds may, then just have your pick.

A highly recommended experience not to be missed when visiting Chaaya Tranz is the Wine Dinner for Two, a customised gourmet five course meal paired with complimenting wines, including dessert wines and of course, a cigar to conclude a perfect evening.

There are wines from some of the best wineries in the world, tucked away on row upon row of mahogany shelves. Sample or simply indulge in Henri Bourgeois Pouilly Fume, Domaine Laroche Petit Chablis, Les Haute de Bel Air White or an array of reds that include E Guigal Chateauneuf Du Pape Rouge, the lusty Maison Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir or the Chateua Hauterive Medoc Cru Bourgeols from France.

If you’re more comfortable with Australian wines, you will find Sauvignon Blancs from Rosemount Estate and Wolf Blass, Two in the Bush Semillon Sauvignon or the Fontys and Lincoln Sashimi Sauvignon Chardonnays within a range of whites, added to with an equal choice of reds which include a Shiraz from Rosemount Estate and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat.

Travel further into wine country and enjoy the tangy and sometimes tarty flavours of Argentinean and Chilean wines, while the South African Kwv Pinotage is recommended among the other reds on offer.

Much loved for its familiarity and easy adaptation to any meal are the Californian and Italian wines. In the latter, try the Castello Fanfi Le Rime Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay in the whites and the Chianti Classico, which remains truly classic. Spain, Germany and New Zealand are also added to the fray.

It’s no wonder then that Ernest Hemingway said: “Wine is one of the most civilised things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” The senses are further enhanced. The décor in the Wine Room is simple while the Cigar Room echoes the quirky fuschia pink albeit very comfortable couches, to aid the final touch for the evening. Sitting within temperature controlled showcases, Tranzform offers the best of Havana.

Sit and relax to the faint strains of unplugged music in the Lounge just beyond, while the Montecristo Open Master adds to your euphoric state or for a more medium bodied cigar, choose one of the most preferred Cuban Robusto Extras, the Hoyo De Monterry – Epique Robusto or even the Epique No 1.

Tranzform can also offer you an H Upmann Signature Magnum 50, a Romeo Y Julieta with its medley of coffee, cream, leather and honey flavours and even the Montecristo Piramide, exposing flavours of spice and nuts.

Authoring its own poetic lines to create a heaven for flavours, Tranzform infuses an explosion of the taste buds to etch indelible stories of gastronomic journeys, complimented with gourmet wines, with the final touch of the world’s premier cigars.