His favourite boxers are Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Nelson Mandela and – in MMA – Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ch’ng is acknowledged internationally as an authority on the wines of Bordeaux (and to a lesser extent Champagne), China and Japan, particularly Koshu. He also love other wines, including the Southern Rhone, particularly Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The Singaporean was inducted as a Keeper of the Quaich in 2012 and has visited Scotland – and Cognac – about a dozen times. Bordeaux remains his speciality and since 1999, he visits the region five to six times every year. Ch’ng Poh Tiong is South-East Asia’s most experienced wine judge having served on the same judging and tasting panels as Hugh Johnson, Steven Spurrier, Johnnie Hugel, Julian Brind MW, Gerard Basset MS & MW, Serena Sutcliffe MW, Jancis Robinson MW, John Avery MW, Neil Beckett, and Michael Brajkovich MW. Ch’ng lives in Singapore and visits his house in the Var in the South of France throughout the year. Inspired by his daughter, he started learning French via the Duolingo app in 2020 but had always been able to order a second bottle of Champagne when in France and to say “I am very sorry I don’t speak French” in French. In fact, he says that so well his listeners wonder if he is having them on. Since first asked forty-five years ago “What is the Best Wine in the World?”, Ch’ng Poh Tiong’s answer has stood the test of time. “The best wine in the world is the bottle which someone else has paid for.” CH’NG Poh Tiong’s paternal ancestry is Huai’an, Quanzhou, Fujian Province. On his maternal side, they are from Shunde, Guangdong. A trained lawyer, he holds a post-graduate Certificate in Chinese Art with Distinction from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. Columnist World of Fine Wine Columnist Aussino Wine Life Contributor Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book Contributor academieduvinlibrary.com Publisher/Writer www.chngpohtiong.com Publisher/Writer www.100chineserestaurants.com Chairman Koshu Expert Committee Regional Chairman Decanter World Wine Awards Vice Chairman Decanter Asia Wine Awards Tasting Director Singapore World Spirits Competition Senior Judge World of Fine Wine Best Wine Lists in the World Keeper of the Quaich (2012) Consultant NTUC FairPrice/Finest Singapore’s largest supermarket chain
CH’NG Poh Tiong
