GrapeVine

Next Dinner • 1 March 2021

WELCOME TO EDITION 804 of GRAPEVINE Dinner on 1 March 2021 Tomorrow night, Wednesday 3 February 2021, is our third and final Chateau Petrus 1996 Dinner. Last night’s event was at No Menu, the Italian restaurant at 23 Boon Tat Street in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District. The food was delicious including the Burrata …

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The Spirit World

WELCOME TO EDITION 803 of GRAPEVINE I first visited Scotland about 25 years ago. In pursuit of whisky. Including to the Highland but also Speyside, and to the northernmost Scotch Whisky distillery in the world where my favourite Single Malt comes from (more about that another time). Over the years, I have …

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Decant 75 to 90 Minutes

WELCOME TO EDITION 802 of GRAPEVINE Decant 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours Today, we are offering 10 sets of 3 bottles of multi-award winning Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005 from Central Otago. The New Zealand red is on screwcap. You would be wrong to think New Zealand and Australia are the first two …

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Champion of the Wine World

WELCOME TO EDITION 801 of GRAPEVINE A new year is a good time to begin a fresh start. Often, a new start means being reminded of old truths. France makes the greatest sparkling wine, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blend, Syrah, Grenache, and rosé in the world. France produces benchmarks which producers from other countries …

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ICCCW 26 – 28 November 2021

WELCOME TO EDITION 800 of GRAPEVINE Singapore enters Phase III today – Monday 28 December 2020 – of its Covid journey. For most people, perhaps the most impactful thing is to have 8 people dining on the same table. And enjoy the same number visiting family and friends in their home. Restaurants …

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Our Shared Destiny

WELCOME TO EDITION 799 of GRAPEVINE Once in a long time – thank goodness it does not happen so often – the whole world shares a common denominator. We all become defined by the same thing. Most of our parents shared living through World War II (1939 – 1945). Covid 19 is …

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Butcher’s Block And Silk Road

WELCOME TO EDITION 798 of GRAPEVINE “Sommalay” Faizal Zainudin will preside at Somm’s Table tomorrow Tomorrow night – Wednesday 16 December 2020 – two wine related events will take place in Singapore. The first begins at 6 pm at the Raffles Singapore. Butcher’s Block is the hotel’s very smart restaurant just next to their iconic Long …

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Sweetness & Sparkle

WELCOME TO EDITION 797 of GRAPEVINE Champagne Duval-Leroy is based in Vertus The holiday season starts in little more than two weeks. Whether we celebrate Christmas or the Gregorian New Year, 2020 has been a horrible, please-not-again year. We could certainly do with some sweetness. And sparkle. As such, our sister website www.wineguru.com.sg is offering 20 sets of …

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WAR

WELCOME TO EDITION 796 of GRAPEVINE China has declared war on Australian wine with duties in triple digits. XI Jinping finds Penfolds Grange too in-his-face fruity over more elegant Lafite-Rothschild. That is pure conjecture and would not be fair anyway because Grange is principally Shiraz and Lafite a blend, including of Cabernet Sauvignon, …

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Burgundy & Bordeaux 

WELCOME TO EDITION 795 of GRAPEVINE Burgundy – 100% Chardonnay for white and 100% Pinot Noir for red – will always be more inconsistent than Bordeaux Burgundy was/is/will always be more inconsistent than Bordeaux. It’s logical. Burgundy – white or red – relies on a single variety 100 percent. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir respectively (but also Aligote and Gamay in Beaujolais). If …

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