Navigating Savour 2013

Savour, the food and wine festival voted as one of the world's best by CNN, is back for a second round. Having visited Taste of London, I have high hopes for this event, which I will be attending for the first time. From what I heard, the first iteration was marred by some dishes that did not live up to the hype. Hopefully the organisers would have pushed down the average price for a dish to saner levels, although I have a feeling that wishing for everyone to start carrying their own grocery bags would have the same effect. 

Speaking of pricing, it looks like the latest trend in Singapore is to obfuscate the simple process of buying a ticket such that it resembles an evil Sudoku puzzle. Savour has ticket options which vary based on which section of the festival you want to visit, and when you want to go. Below is a table which summarises the various options.

	Savour Premier Pass	Savour Pass
Ticket price	$65 ($55 for lunch session)	$35
Savour dollars included	$30 ($20 for lunch session)	$20
What’s included	Access to Gourmet Village, Gourmet Auditorium and Gourmet Market	Access to Gourmet Market only
Validity	Either lunch (11am-4pm) or dinner (5pm-11pm) session on one day. Lunch session is only available on Saturday and Sunday.	Valid for one day. Gourmet Market is open from 11am-11pm except for Thursday when it is open from 5pm-11pm.
Notes	·         Savour 2013 will be held from 11-14 April at the F1 Pit Building and Paddock, 1 Republic Boulevard. ·         Kids under 6 get in free. ·         Savour Dollars are used to purchase items (you can buy more Savour dollars at the event). ·         Complimentary access to all workshops, masterclasses and tastings with purchase of either pass.

 

Note that these prices are valid only if you purchase via Sistic and excludes the booking fee. Tickets are more expensive by $5-$10 if you purchase at the festival itself. 

This being a wine blog, I am naturally more interested in the wine talks that will be featured during the festival. Below is a summary if you want to plan your time around these talks (info extracted from the Savour website). The talks will be held at the Wine Theatre within the Gourmet Market. 

 Thursday 11th April

TIMING	CLASS / TOPIC
1730 - 1815	Blend Your Own Wine Equatorial Wines' Mike Back, director and former winemaker takes us through what wine making is all about. He'll even walk you through blending your very own cuvee! Try your hand at putting various varietals together (you may stumble on a second career!)
1900 - 1945	Riedel Glass Masterclass Yes, the glass makes a difference. Don't believe it? Taste for yourself at this eye opening (or should we say palate opening) workshop!
2200 - 2245	Wine & Cheese Pairing It's a match made in heaven! Learn more about how to pair these two divine products - you may be converted to give up dessert for a cheese platter!

Friday 12th April

TIMING	CLASS / TOPIC
1330 - 1415	A Taste of Germany Get your German wine fix here. Join presenters from Magma as they bring you through a wine tasting session and get introduced into the world of German wines, grape varieties, and vine regions.
1630 - 1715	A Scottish Whisky Tour Get a tour of Scotland's whisky producing regions, offering a chance to discover the typical aromas and flavour found within each of Scotland's diverse whisky regions presented by Spirit of Scotland.
1800 - 1845	Riedel Glass Masterclass Yes, the glass makes a difference. Don't believe it? Taste for yourself at this eye opening (or should we say palate opening) workshop!
2100 - 2145	Wine & Cheese Pairing It's a match made in heaven! Learn more about how to pair these two divine products - you may be converted to give up dessert for a cheese platter!

Saturday 13th April

TIMING	CLASS / TOPIC
1630 - 1715	A Taste of Germany Get your German wine fix here. Join presenters from Magma as they bring you through a wine tasting session and get introduced into the world of German wines, grape varieties, and vine regions.
1800 - 1845	Sparkling Wine of Italy Italy has become quite famous for its fine Proseccos. Sandro Giorgi takes us through the wonderful bubbles of Italy - a tasty way to spend your time!
2100 - 2145	A Scottish Whisky Tour Get a tour of Scotland's whisky producing regions, offering a chance to discover the typical aromas and flavour found within each of Scotland's diverse whisky regions presented by Spirit of Scotland.

Sunday14th April 

TIMING	CLASS / TOPIC
1200 - 1245	Sparkling Wine of Italy Italy has become quite famous for its fine Proseccos. Sandro Giorgi takes us through the wonderful bubbles of Italy - a tasty way to spend your time!
1500 - 1545	Blend Your Own Wine Equatorial Wines' Mike Back, director and former winemaker takes us through what wine making is all about. He'll even walk you through blending your very own cuvee! Try your hand at putting various varietals together (you may stumble on a second career!)
1630 - 1715	A Guide to Food & Wine Pairing You might not know it but there is a general how-to guide to pairing your food with wine. Vincent, sommelier and wine guru at Absinthe shares his tips and tricks to making the perfect match.
1800 - 1845	A Taste of Germany Get your German wine fix here. Join presenters from Magma as they bring you through a wine tasting session and get introduced into the world of German wines, grape varieties, and vine regions.
2100 - 2145	Samaroli Whisky Tasting Excellence and uniqueness, these are the words enthusiasts currently use to describe Single Cask Single Malt whiskies at Samaroli tasting sessions. Taste the passion in these artfully crafted whiskies plus a special tasting of an aged Rum from Scotland!

 
Fingers crossed for favourable weather. See you there!