I have been meaning to write about Vintry and their monthly Wine Chats for some time now, and it’s with pleasure that I finally get around to it. Not jus because the people who work there are fantastic, but more because the venu and it’s monthly events offers some of the best opportunities to meet up or meet new people, taste some good wine, eat some good food, and chat about it all. It’s also currently free, however I believe that it will be charged at $20 per person from next month (which frankly is still a bargain). Wine Chats is basically a once-monthly event where the Sommelier and Owner of Vintry (Singapore) invite their customers to come round and enjoy some wines with them. It’s a good, informal gathering. You don’t need to be a wino or snob to attend . This sessions was a tasting of 5...
Read more »
I hope I’m not alone in saying this but I had hardly heard of Calvados until a few weeks ago. So when I heard from Jeremy Moreau, the Manager at La Maison du Whisky that one of the finest producers, Christian Drouin was making a trip down to their outlet in Robertson Quay, it seemed to like the perfect opportunity to drop by and ‘sample’ this interesting beverage. First things first, despite having a very Spanish (sounding name conjuring the imagine of inquisition style armored helmet), Calvados is in fact French, and moreover, has a history that dates as far back as the 8th Century. In the 17th Century, it was France’s most exported spririt. So, first things first; what is Calvados? In basis, Calvados is something like distilled and fortified Cider. Made purely from over 400 varieties of apples, they are harvested, mashed, fermented, distilled and then aged...
Read more »
The Five S’s of Wine Tasting: See the wine- Pour the wine into a wine glass and hold the glass up to the light. Study the color. You are looking for clarity and brilliance. If the wine in your glass is cloudy or discolored in any way your palate is about to be sdisappointed, because something is wrong with the blend. White wine as it ages; the coloring changes, the color and hue reflect almost a straw or a golden-yellow. For a red wine, the color can become almost ruby or burgundy depending on how long the wine was allowed to age. White wine is stored in stainless steel vats to age. Red wine is stored in oaken barrels to age. Swirl the wine- Holding the stem of the wineglass lightly, pick up the glass and swirl the wine around and around. This is to achieve several purposes. You...
Read more »
The last time I had a chance to get involved with AmCham (The American Chamber of Commerce), I was actually on the social committee and had the pleasure of helping to organize a great wine fair-business networking party at Anson Rd. On that night, some 200 or more people came, and most left with lots of new business cards in the pockets and lots of wine in the belly. This Thursday I once again had the pleasure of attending one of the so-called ‘YP Networking Nights’ Or ‘Young Professional’ nights. The other aspect that greatly interested me is that it happened to be in, what I think, is one of the most underrated bars in Singapore, The Chupitos Bar in Clarke Quay. The event started at about 6.30pm and was very quickly filled by an incredible multinational crowd. In the space of one hour, I’d met a Korean, Japanese,...
Read more »
Last Monday I had the pleasure of my first visit to the Cellar Door in VivoCity. I’ve heard from several friends recently that TCD has tasty, good value wines so what better reason to check it out than a Red Burgundy tasting? Nonetheless, I was still somewhat apprehensive about the evening. You see, Burgundy is one of my favourite wine growing regions. The reds grown there are purely Pinot Noir, possibly the hardest grape varietal to grow, but one of the most rewarding to taste when made right. I wondered whether these Domaine Chanson wines would live up to the sterling reputation of their terroir. Anyway, if you have not been to The Cellar Door, it is essentially a small café / wine bistro located right on the main strip in Vivo. The main area is taken up by the exposed kitchen and staff area while the tables and...
Read more »