GrapeVine

WELCOME TO EDITION 784 of GRAPEVINE Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong chose a pink shirt and red tie to announce lockdown of the country in a live television address on Friday 3 April 2020. Singaporeans are awaiting – anxiously, impatiently – for their government to announce Phase III. The hope is for tomorrow: Tuesday …

WELCOME TO EDITION 783 of GRAPEVINE “No army can stop an idea whose time has come”. Victor Hugo  Wishing you A Very Good Week Ahead.    

WELCOME TO EDITION 782 of GRAPEVINE The vineyard – in Anjou in the Loire – is biodynamic. The blend is about 2/3 cabernet franc and 1/3 cabernet sauvignon. The age of the vines – at the time of the 2012 vintage which I had last night – was 42 to 52 and about …

WELCOME TO EDITION 781 of GRAPEVINE Last Friday – not for the first time – I dropped my phone. The screen wouldn’t light up. Apart from being – and having been – shattered in several places on the front, the rear glass cover next to the “On” knob was also badly damaged. Action …

WELCOME TO EDITION 780 of GRAPEVINE Per head of population, Singapore has one of the highest Covid infections in the world. At just 5.5 million people – yesterday Sunday 19 July 2020 – the city state was 47,912 cases. The USA – with a population of 325 million – was 3,712,604 cases. America has 59 …

WELCOME TO EDITION 779 of GRAPEVINE Singapore will hold its general elections this Friday 10 July 2020. Of all the constituencies, there is one the equivalent of Pauillac. Tanjong Pagar. The reason is because back in the days when every constituency was a single ward, Tanjong Pagar was the bastion of the legendary …

WELCOME TO EDITION 778 of GRAPEVINE One of the most unforgettable wines I have ever had was Romanée-Conti 1966. It was a cool, starry night in Paris on 8 September 1997 when the car decanted me in front of La Tour d’Argent. The occasion was to celebrate the 30th Anniversay of Jean-Claude Rouzaud being …

WELCOME TO EDITION 777 of GRAPEVINE A picture is worth a thousand words. In this particular case, the photo shows thousands of empty seats. Last Saturday 20 June 2020, Donald Trump tried to reboot his re-election campaign with a rally in an indoor stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Bok Centre has a capacity …

WELCOME TO EDITION 776 of GRAPEVINE There is one English news daily in Singapore. Fortunately, in today’s wireless world, people who live here have many other sources of information. If you were to rely on the Straits Times, you may not know what is going on. In a lead story informing a 50-year old …

WELCOME TO EDITION 775 of GRAPEVINE It is not possible – for the moment – to travel to France from Singapore without undergoing quarantine upon arrival. There is also an additional 14-day quarantine when arriving back to Singapore. So, in spite of Bordeaux chateaux inviting me to taste their 2019 Vintage, I have …