From left, Pierre Montégut, Christian Seely and Jean-René Matignon After 36 years as Technical Director of Chateau Pichon Baron, Jean-René Matignon has decided to step down and retire in April of this year. Since 2001, Jean-René Matignon has been working with Christian Seely, Managing Director AXA Millésimes, and during this time he …

WELCOME TO EDITION 833 of GRAPEVINE Greetings from just back this morning from France where I had visited for six weeks. Life is back to normal at the Singapore Airlines check-in at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris. Returning last November from the previous trip — when the VTL between France and Singapore was established the month before — …

Greetings from Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport. I am catching a VTL flight home back to Singapore. As SQ335 departs 1040 hrs, I slept last night at the IBIS Hotel in Terminal 3 Roissypole instead of dragging myself from Paris at an ungodly hour this morning to get to the airport. …

 Executive Chinese Chef Shangri-La Paris Samuel Lee has raised the bar very high for Chinese cuisine in the French capital Samuel Lee is Executive Chinese Chef at Shang Palace. Installed in November 2015 and originally from Hong Kong, Lee brought to Shangri-La Paris not only a wealth of experience from Hong Kong, but also …

Champagne Deutz is based in Aÿ. The Grand Cru village is particularly renowned for the outstanding quality of its Pinot Noir. It is, therefore, something of a very pleasant surprise for wine lovers that Champagne Deutz makes one of the finest, most elegant, long-lived pure Chardonnay or Blanc de Blancs. …

 Situated in Morey-Saint-Denis, Clos de Tart was acquired by Artemis in April 2018 for a rumoured 250 to 280 million euros I first tasted Clos de Tart more than 30 years ago. It left an incredible impression. Truth be known, the sensation blew me away. It was, therefore, a moment …

Le Grand Siecle is one of the world’s greatest wines which happens to be a champagne. It is the prestige cuvee of Champagne Laurent-Perrier. This week, Le Grand Siecle was celebrated with great panache, passion, and reverence in the Ginza, Tokyo. Check out these two photos for inspiration.

Michel Mallard is Director & Winemaker of Domaine d’Eugenie. Situated in Vosne-Romanee, the production of the 4.5 hectares are divided between six reds and a trickle of white. “Burgundy is about vineyards but there is also a human aspect in the terroir. We work as a a team – my colleagues and …

Villeneuve-Loubet, just ten minutes from Nice Airport, is where Auguste Escoffier was born Auguste Escoffier (1846 – 1935) is the single individual who has influenced French cuisine more than any other person. Before his time, chefs were not highly regarded in France. They were seen as a servant/service class. What, today, …

Michelin star Restaurant Gastronomique Alain Llorca is one of the hottest tickets in the Cote d’Azur Restaurant Gastronomique Alain Llorca was booked solid for two weeks when I tried getting a reservation, Finally, last Friday, I drove up from Nice to La Colle sur Loup and discovered the reasons for Lain Llorca being …