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My newest column in The World of Fine Wine is titled “Oak – The Wine Opium”. The award-winning UK magazine is edited by award-winning Neil Beckett, editor also of the book 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die. The publication and website are reaching out to readers of www.chngpohtiong.com by giving a 30% discount on …

Virginie Taittinger works with her son Ferdinand Pougatch who is in charge of e-commerce at Champagne Virginie T Maison Virginie T – the Champagne House of Virginie Tattinger – is based in Sillery, famed as much for being a Grand Cru village as it is for its ticklish-sounding name in the English …

Zusslin Grand Cru Pfingstberg Riesling 2011 Tracing its origins back to 1691, Zusslin is now in its 13th generation. Located in Orschwihr between Colmar and Mulhouse, their Grand Cru Pfingstberg Riesling 2011 is a tightrope balancing tour de force between cooked apples in compote with star anise, lychee, honey, minerally fruit …

Singapore’s richest man ZHANG Yong Haidilao is a household name in Singapore. In 2012, the China-based hot-pot restaurant chain opened their first oversea branch in the “Lion City”. Then in September 2019, when Chinese netizens discovered that founder ZHANG Yong had become a naturalised Singapore citizen, there were calls to boycott Haidilao in …

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1996 Planted to 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 39 hectares are divided into 45 plots which have clay, large and small gravels, and sandy soil. Comprising 56% Cabernet Franc and 44% Merlot, Cheval Blanc ’96 is in its tertiary plane. The fruit …

Philippe Jamesse has tasted more champagne than any human on the planet. The Frenchman is an encyclopedia of the world’s greatest sparkling wine No one – as far as I am aware – has tasted more champagne than Philippe Jamesse. Even more importantly, the Frenchman has tasted those same champagnes over …

Richard Geoffroy – whom I have known for more than 30 years – share a mutual love for whisky. The Frenchman (qualified as a medical doctor before switching to study oenology) retired as Cellermaster of Dom Perignon on 31 December 2018. Richard had been with DP for 28 years. One of our favourite …

Highland Park 25 Years Old (RRP S$1,000) has been named Best Spirit in the World in Spirit Journal. Taste this rare Single Malt at https://bit.ly/3oPHUQE “BEST SPIRIT IN THE WORLD” Hobbister Peat Moor is regarded as the DNA of Orkney, that group of sprawling islands in northerly Scotland. The peat is instrumental in creating Highland Park …

 From left, Red Winemaker Andrew Baldwin, Senior Red Winemaker Stephanie Dutton, and Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago Penfolds – a name synonymous with Australian wine – is releasing a revolutionary range. Two are purely Californian, and the other two a blend of California and South Australia. If you think all this …

Leading Scottish family-owned, family-managed distiller, blender and bottler Douglas Laing & Co allocated 300 – of 1,688 – bottles of SCALLYWAG YEAR OF THE OX LIMITED EDITION to Singapore. wineguru.com.sg SOLD OUT our tranche of 8 bottles. The normal RRP of the Blended Malt is $188 a bottle. We have now secured a final tranche of 6 bottles. …