Wine of the Month - July 2015

This year I've realised that Singapore does in fact have two seasons - hot and hotter. The past two months, continuing into July, my air-conditioning has been running nearly non-stop to provide some respite from the heat. Just how hot is it? It's so hot that Seng Choon eggs now only come hard-boiled. It's so hot that I saw a tree in Bishan Park chasing a dog. It's so hot that the Merlion jumped into the Singapore River.

In this weather, what we need are cool, refreshing wines, which is why for this month I have selected a Pinot Noir as the WOTM. Hailing from the small village of Aloxe-Corton, the wine is made from grapes that have been farmed as organically as possible, without the aid of herbicides or chemical fertilisers. Each parcel is hand-harvested, sorted and fermented in its own vat. Enjoy a glass of this chilled to around 16°C.

Wine: Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe Corton 2012

Tasting note: Pale smudgy ruby. Fresh, intense and vibrant with a svelte body and attractively pure fruit marked by raspberry, cherry and herbal notes. Already approachable and deliciously thirst-quenching.


Distributor: Caveau

A New Entrant to Singapore’s Burgeoning Wine Scene

Company: wanderwine

The wine events in Singapore tend to fall into two broad groups. The first are the trade and consumer tastings organised by various producers or promotional bodies. These have an educational slant and are attended by sommeliers, wine writers and wine aficionados. Then there are the new product or service launches, commonly executed with the assistance of a PR agency. The crowd at these events are highly diverse, counting among their number models, media professionals and CEOs united by their love of wine and a good party.

Tasting the Noughties with Château Pichon Baron

Producers: Château Pichon Baron, Château Petit-Village

What does the insurance business have to do with wine? Quite a bit, if you’re talking about AXA Millésimes, the subsidiary of French insurance giant AXA. For a risk-averse company to invest in wine with its unpredictable and cyclical nature would seem to be a pretty big gamble. However, the strategy of purchasing run-down, historic vineyards with established credentials and then turning them around has paid handsome dividends.