The Wine Makers Train

We have welcomed 4 different wine makers in about 3 week's time, a record for Wine Directions. As the vintage season is over and the wines are maturing in the barrels, many wine makers are taking a  break. Many of them travel up north to escape the winter and enjoy the Asian climate, as a result it was busy at the Tasting Room.

First we welcomed Hamish Maguire from Shottesbrooke McLaren Vale, who was so friendly to join us on a Saturday afternoon showing his wines and meet with the 'fans'. It was an informal gathering with people coming and going, many with a nice selection of Shottesbrooke under their arm. After a palate cleansing ale and a hawker store dinner, Hamish made his way to Changi Airport to fly home.

Hamish in conversation with Sarah Mayo of The Local Nose,

whilst the other guests enjoy some cheese with their wines.

Hamish proudly in front of 'his section' (at the right)

Not long after Hamish we welcomed Stephen Black from the Small Gully Winery in Barossa, who arrived after a great trip in Europe and was on his way to Cambodia & Vietnam. We were able to 'hijack' him during his transfer in Singapore and had a wine talk at the Tasting Room.

We had a small group of enthusiasts and some of them were new to Australian wines, which was a great opportunity for them and for us! I believe that after tasting the different Small Gully wines, including the flagship 'Black Magic' Shiraz, we added some more Australian wine fans to the long list!

 A small but dedicated audience, in a beautiful setting.

A content Stephen Black in front of the Small Gully section, he might be back at home but the wines are still available here.

Then it was time welcome David 'Duck' Anderson back 'home' in Singapore, even it was an unofficial visit, David did make some time to catch up. We had a pleasant meeting at the Tasting Room, which also houses the Wine Directions office and we slowly moved into a tasting. With our location we have many wine lovers dropping by when they visit their wine storage at Extra Space and before we knew, it became a kind of reunion party. By 7PM we called it a day and went home for a cleansing beer and dinner with the family.

Also David 'Duck Anderson had to pose in front of his wines, and judging the smile, he is happy with the result.

Last but not least we had the pleasure to welcome Rob Wignall from Wignalls Winery - Albany WA to Singapore. It took him and his family nearly 24 hours to travel from the most Southern wine region on the Australian mainland to Singapore. After a day of defrosting and recuperating, Rob Wignall had to work. We introduced him to some clients and showed him also how competitive our wine market is. After that we had the pleasure showing our pride the 'Tasting Room' and he was happy with the result.

Than it was part II of the Wignalls' experience, our wine dinner at South Coast, Australian Bistro & Bar. After checking the wines, we welcomed our guests with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and enjoyed one of the most stunning Sunset locations in town! When the CBD skyline lit up, it was time to settle at the Chef's Table for a great marriage of beautiful wines and food. Judging the creativity and quality of the food, I don't understand why they call it a bistro, many top restaurants in Singapore aren't at this level.

I won't go to much in detail on the wines and the menu, as you can find that in a previous post, but personally there were 3 highlights:

• The cerviche of kingfish with the Sauvignon Blanc was amazing!
• The Wignalls Reserve Chardonnay is trully a winner, in line with other Top Aussie Chardonnay
• The braised beef shin dish with the wild mushroom sauce? Just heaven, it paired awesome with the Wignalls Pinot Noir.

If you weren't there, you missed something special but not to worry, we will have more wine dinners to come.

 The 'last pose' for the time being, Rob Wignall at the Tasting Room.

 Finishing our aperitif at the 'Oyster Table' at South Coast, a great view of the skyline

 A final pose after a great wine dinner, with Chef Brandon in the middle, the creative engine behind the menu!

Rob Wignall, at the top of the world, Singapore standards! Well deserved after a great dinner!

That is it for this update, please join us when a winemaker is in town, the tastings are most time free of charge and very informal. It is a great opportunity to ask that wine question you wanted to ask for a long-time and also an opportunity to make new wine friends, hope to see you at the next tasting!!