guyanatimesgy.com
december 1, 2013
Times Sunday Magazine
Times Focus
A Pioneering Spirit
INSIDE
Motivated by his passion and talent, Warren Douglas White returns to Guyana to open a unique winery
W
hen Warren Douglas decided he wanted to produce wines on a broad scale, he chose his homeland Guyana because of the lush fruits here. That is when he started the Pandama Retreat and Winery, which is said to be Guyana’s first winery manufacturing quality wines using only local fruits. In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Douglas recalled sitting in his in Charlotte, North Carolina backyard with his wife Tracy, a fashion designer and artist, when a very interesting conversation ensued. Tracy indicated she wanted to start making soap again. She had manufactured her own soap for several years. “I remember indicating to her that I always wanted to make my own wine, and I was going to start researching the process. I read everything that I could get my hands on about wine making and decided to invest in the equipment. My first batch of wine was made from North Carolina peaches, and it was a hit with friends and family all across the United States. I continued to make wines and we gave bottles as gifts at parties and gatherings. When Tracy and I decided to move to Guyana to live, I knew that wine making would be a major part of
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Chapel on a Hill
tlemen alike. Of note is the boulanger, also known as eggplant or aubergine, wine. Douglas mentioned that according to his research, eggplant is low in fat, protein, and carbohydrates. A 1998 study at the Institute of Biology of São Paulo State University, Brazil, found eggplant juice to significantly reduce weight, plasma cholesterol levels, and aortic cholesterol content. Douglas has masterfully used Cecile Nobrega eggplant to create a rich white wine. Pg 6 (1919 – 2013) He recommends it to be enjoyed with chicken and other white meats. The connoisseur added that Pandama Winery creates exotic fruit wines of extraordinary elegance and sophistication, and celebrates the tropical flavours of Guyana. The difPg 7 ferent types of wines are also said to help with many diseases because of the fruits they are made with. Wines enthusiasts have a choice of enjoying a glass of their favourite flavours in dry or semi-sweet. The winery recently introduced a line of naturally fermented red and white wine gourmet vinegars. These amazing products, he said, are mariPg 14 nades and tenderizers for all types of meat, fish and tofu. “Our motivation is stimulated by our passions and our talents. My wife has lived her life as a creative being, using her talents to generate income; combining spirit and prosperity. When we met, she encouraged me to do the same. So here I am making wine with fruits, barks, peppers, herbs and grains. Every day I get to either make, bottle, sell or have Pg 23 a glass of my passion: wine,” he declared. Douglas revealed that the local response has been outstanding. Many local and overseas-based Guyanese, The wines are sold at GMC (Guyana who visit regularly, would visit the retreat centre to relax, drink wine and eat Shop), Bounty, DSL Cash and Carry, Geeta Kings (in Bourda Market) and at Pandama. fabulous food. To assist with the Christmas rush, “Our focus is not mass production, but rather providing a quality product that is Douglas stated that they have joined with satisfying to all of our customers. There is a seven artists to host a Caribbean Christmas real need for quality local wines in Guyana, sale at Moray House, December 11-15 from both for Guyanese here and in the diaspora. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Through our recent line of gourmet vinPandama Wines has made it to many tables in the United States and the UK during the egars, we would like to educate the comholiday season, and we intend to keep things munity about the importance of natural moving. Our focus is not mass production, vinegars for their medicinal, cosmetic and but rather providing a quality product that culinary uses. We will always gently expand is satisfying to all of our customers. We are our product lines because we are always now poised to introduce Pandama Wines to growing. In the future we are planning to the rest of the world. We are pursuing the launch a line of sacred herbal beers,” he renecessary export certifications to allow the vealed. For information on Pandama Winery company to reach as many wine lovers as we visit www.pandamaretreat.com can,” he disclosed.
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Connoisseur Warren Douglas
for Pandama Wines to come into being. Pandama Retreat Winery was established in 2009. It is located in Madewini, off the Soesdyke/Linden highway.
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The Pandama Retreat
the Pandama Retreat experience,” he reminisced. With the proliferation of exotic fruits in Guyana, it did not take much time
Douglas showcasing his wines
Now, the winery offers several fruit wines that include pineapple, jamoon, aunty desmond, noni, cherry, malacca pear, duka, carambola and sorrel. Pandama Wines also offers “Pulse”- a libido enhancement tonic wine made from barks native to Guyana and the Amazon. It is a real treat and has received rave reviews from ladies and gen-
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A serene location in the retreat where the wines are enjoyed