Writer

A Bordeaux specialist (with more than a hundred trips to the wine region), CH’NG Poh Tiong is also a world authority on Marselan, Chinese wine, and Japanese Koshu. He has written six books on Chinese cuisine and pairing wine with Chinese food and is the foremost authority on the subject. Ch’ng was Asia Regional Chair Decanter World Wine Awards since its inauguration in 2004 and contributor on China and Japan to the world’s best-selling wine guide Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book. He resigned both positions in May 2025 in order to go into business, including consultancy and marketing for wineries. Ch’ng has, since its inauguration in 2014, been a Senior Judge of World of Fine Wine  Best Wine Lists of the World Competition. Ch’ng is Chairman, Koshu Expert Committee of Japan and is Wine Advisor to Young Talent Escoffier Competition Asia Pacific and the Singapore Chapter of Disciples of Escoffier. In 2012, CH’NG Poh Tiong was inducted at Blair Castle, Perthshire, as a Keeper of the Quaich, the highest honour in Scotch Whisky. A trained lawyer, Ch’ng holds a postgraduate Certificate with Distinction in Chinese Art, School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. He is a past Honorary Ambassador of TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation), organiser of the world’s premier fine art fair in Maastricht, and a Life Member of The China Society of Singapore. Ch’ng Poh Tiong is known in China by his romanized pinyin name ZHUANG Buzhong. A first-generation Singaporean, his paternal ancestry is Hui’an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, and his maternal ancestry is Shunde, Guangdong Province.

CH’NG Poh Tiong has served as International Judge at:

  • South African Airway’s Wine Selection
  • Perth Royal Wine Show
  • Sydney Royal Wine Show
  • Hunter Valley Wine Show
  • Japan Wine Challenge
  • Air New Zealand Wine Awards

He was a Keynote Speaker at the Master of Wine Symposium 2002 in Vienna, Austria, where he delivered the famous “Coca-Colonisation of Wine” speech. Ch’ng Poh Tiong also spoke at the Master of Wine Symposium 2010 in Bordeaux. In 2025, he was invited to give a tasting of Chinese wine at the Institute of Masters of Wine in London.