News

Singapore Goes to the Polls

Singapore holds its General Elections 3 May 2025. I am in England for work because next Tuesday 6 May is the official start of Decanter World Wine Awards 2025. Since its founding by Sarah Kemp and Steven Spurrier (1941 – 2021) in 2004, I have been Asia Regional Chair. In …

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Exceptional Wines at Exceptional Value

ManzWine vineyard in the Douro Valley A Brazilian of Hungarian origin, Andre Manz first visited Portugal in the 1980s as a fitness instructor. In 2004, together with his family, Manz moved to the little village of Cheleiros, 45 km north-west of Lisbon because he had fallen in love with the …

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ABK6 • Projecting a New Image of Cognac

ABK6 Founder Francis Abecassis with CEO daughter Elodie ABK6 is the very clever homonym of Abecassis. Created in 2005 by namesake Francis Abecassis. The fact ABK6 is a cognac brand immediately throws the old stuffy image of the French brandy out of the window. Ushering in a sense of fun, …

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The Woman Who Said “No” to Bill Gates

Jean-Baptiste Mesnage had bought the Negresco because it was the only hotel in Nice to have a lift with wheel-chair access, his wife being paralyzed. He is photographed here in 1933 with their only child Jeanne Augier In her lifetime, Jeanne Augier collected more than 6,000 pieces of art and …

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Disrespect • At Claridge’s London

We can, without sounding rude, be utterly disrespectful. This happened at the bar of the Claridge’s Restaurant in London the Saturday before Christmas. Propped on the high stool, I asked one of the bartenders if they had “Lagavulin”. I was in luck and went on to enquire “8 or 16?”. …

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Congratulations to HATCH Rieslings!

Congratulations to HATCH Rieslings! Hatch Watervale Clare Valley Riesling 2023 won Gold Medal at The Global Riesling Masters 2024 by The Drinks Business, while Hatch Flaxman’s Eden Valley Riesling 2023 won Silver Medal! The two wines are Tyson Stelzer’s TOP 250 Australian Wines & TOP 30 Rieslings 2024 with scores of 94 points …

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A Night with Silver Heights • Thursday 28 November 2024

First planted in 1999, Silver Heights is one of Ningxia’s earlier vineyards. The vines are 1,200 metres above sea level on the eastern slopes of Helan Mountain. GAO Lin was ahead of his time when he sank Cabernet Sauvignon – sourced from France – into the arid soil. His vision did not stop …

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