If you’re fresh off the boat from Europe (or anywhere else in the world), the wine prices here will seem a little on the high side – okay, more like exorbitant – but there ain’t nothing we can do about that. So we did the next best thing; we put together a nifty guide on where to get good, reasonably priced wine.
Sommelier-Curated Vino Boxes
It seems like the wine industry is following in the footsteps of the beauty people. Join Singapore’s newest wine club, The French Cellar, and get two bottles of specially selected French wine (by renowned sommelier Nicolas Rebut) sent to your doorstep every month – complete with tasting notes, and discounts on any subsequent wine orders. Subscription plans start from an affordable $79 a month.
Shop The French Cellar online.
For Everything in One Place
We checked out Drinks & Co recently for a Honeycombers’ night out, and they really do have everything (from absinthe to beer) on top of a decent variety of wine. So this is a great place to go if your friends have different opinions when it comes to boozy beverages – or simply have it delivered to your doorstep and party at home!
Drinks & Co, 44 Club Street, Singapore 069421, p. 6222 2005. Open 11am-12am daily.
Merchants
Affordable Wines by the Glass
Merchants celebrate the talented, indie winemakers of the world in the most concrete way possible – affordable wine sampling by the glass. This is a great place for an enjoyable session of wine appreciation; the Pasarbella cellar offers customized gourmet tours of their favourite food stores (with wine pairing), while the Duxton outlet hosts winemakers regularly for cellar door tastings and wine dinners.
Merchants, Pasarbella and Duxton (see here for more details), or shop online.
The French Connection
If you have a penchant for French wines, Chateau Asia is the place to go. Dedicated to bringing high quality French wines (bubbly included) to Singapore and the rest of Asia, they host very informative monthly wine tasting events, and even an annual champagne tasting. So join the club – you have to be a member to score that bottle from Chateau Neuf Du Pape.
Shop Chateau Asia online.
The Kiwi Specialist
New Zealanders, if you’re homesick, get your Akarua, Lime Rock, and Stratum exclusively at Underground Wines. With good value-for-money price tags – starting from $21.50 per bottle and $265 for a mixed case (that’s a dozen) – hit up this place for your table wine – it might just surprise you.
Shop Underground Wines online.
Wine Connection
The Greatest Selection
We suspect you’re already hitting up either one of the two stores for some vino, simply because they have the most ample selection of wines in Singapore. Wine beginners and experienced aficionados will find something at The Straits Wine Company – we love their annual Wine Fiesta! A Bangkok import, Wine Connection follows the same vineyard-to-consumer system, so you get to save a lot more.
Shop The Straits Wine Company (see here for wine bar locations) and Wine Connection (see here for wine bar locations) online.
Expert Nosing
If you need wine-buying tips, the folks at The Local Nose have got you covered – they promise to sniff out any great wines they manage to get their hands on. So it’s not surprising there’s a small (but very good) selection of wine up for purchase on their website too. The experts include oenologist (that’s the fancy term for wine scientist) Ed Soon, Fairmont Hotel sommelier Britta Giese, and Timothy Goh, Chief Sommelier of the Les Amis Restaurant Group’s flagship restaurant.
Shop The Local Nose online.
Get Social on the Grapevine
Part social platform (that allows you to communicate with fellow wine lovers and retailers, and keeps you in the loop of trends and events) and part wine marketplace, Wine Family set it up, knowing that you’ll get better prices connecting directly with the source or local importer. You’ll also get to read honest reviews and follow other users so you can make more informed choices on that bottle of vino you want to impress your boss with (but don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard).
Shop Wine Family online.
Top Image: The French Cellar