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SINGAPORE, Aug. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cementing itself as Asia's premium lifestyle destination, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will host the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards and The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival 2019 from 10 to 12 October 2019. Poised to be Southeast Asia's most prestigious event for oenophiles, the three-day celebration will kick off with a Wine Pinnacle Awards Gala Dinner in collaboration with two Michelin-starred La Grand'Vigne, followed by a showcase of over 400 wines, including award-nominated wines and craft sake at The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival 2019. As a teaser of the lavish affair, the top five exceptional wines in their respective categories that have made their way into the coveted nominees list are unveiled today (please refer to Annex).
Nominees of The Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019
Since June 2019, an independent jury of over 50 wine professionals - made up of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, wine influencers and sommeliers from top fine dining restaurants from the United Kingdom, U.S.A., Europe and Asia Pacific - curated by the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee, the award's own team of five illustrious wine experts, have casted their votes through a secured online nomination ballot. Categories, totaling up to 27, touch on a wide range of premium wines and include awards for "Best Bordeaux Wine from 1996", "Best Chinese Red" and even "Black Swan of the Year" for the most thought-provoking wine.
With the rise of the natural wine movement in recent years, nominees of "Best Organic/Natural Wine of the Year" - which include Domaine Sebastien Riffault, Sancerre Auksinis, Loire, France and Ochota Barrels, 186 Grenache, McLaren Vale, Australia - and "Best Friend of the Earth (Most Environmentally-Conscious Winemaker)" - who include Ms. Isabelle Legeron MW (UK), Ms. Jacques Neauport (France), Ms. Lalou Bize-Leroy (France), Mr. Miguel Torres (Spain) and Mr. Nicolas Joly (France) - will interest the wine fraternity worldwide.
The "Best Chinese Red" category - where nominees include Ao Yun, Yunan, China; Grace Vineyard, Tasya's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Shanxi, China; Helan Qing Xue, Jia Bei Lan Dry Red, Ningxia, China; Silver Heights, Emma's Reserve, Ningxia, China and Silver Heights, The Summit, Ningxia, China - shines the spotlight on world-class wines that are produced in China. The Gala Dinner will conclude with the announcement of the Grand Jury Award where the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee celebrates the absolute best of this year's showing.
"I am delighted to see that the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards has recognised an exciting list of top wines from around the world. The results are diverse and encompass major wine regions - from mature fine wines, to new exciting recent releases and hidden treasures; the results highlight the best wines from France, Italy, Australia, USA, China, Spain and South America. Finally, a wine competition with a panel of experienced jury members is awarding the very best wines and wineries based on quality and consistency rather than being restricted by wine submissions!" explained Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee member and the first Asian Master of Wine, Ms. Jeannie Cho Lee.
The Wine Pinnacle Awards Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony on 10 October 2019
Kicking off the three-day celebration is a lavish invite-only Wine Pinnacle Awards Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony on 10 October 2019. Held in the Resorts World Ballroom, the black-tie event will gather not only the creme de la creme of wines, as voted by the world's leading wine professionals, but also luminaries of the wine world, ranging from wine collectors and sommeliers to winemakers, from across the globe. The awards will honour 24 wines with the highly-anticipated Grand Jury Award to be chosen amongst the winners as the crown jewel of this year's showing, and celebrate talented wine professionals in three award categories.
Normandy native Nicolas Masse of two Michelin-starred La Grand'Vigne will helm the avant-garde six-course menu. The dinner will be expertly paired by sought-after expressions from Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte as well as nominees of the Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019. The fine dining establishment sits within the sprawling vineyard of Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux, France, giving guests an inkling of how chef Masse integrates his produce-driven French fare with oenology.
The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival from 10 to 12 October 2019
Get ready for a gastronomic experience to remember as The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival will be held in tandem with the Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019 from 10 to 12 October at the Resorts World Ballroom. Over 400 wines, including Wine Pinnacle Awards nominees, will be showcased and available for sampling on festival grounds and during masterclasses.
Sip on the 2017 Medici Ermete, Phermento Metodo Ancestrale Lambrusco di Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy produced using the Ancestral method where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle over at Wine List Asia's booth. Or discover the award-winning winery Frescobaldi which has over 700 years of history in Tuscan wines at Cellarmaster Wines. Another highlight will be 1855 The Bottle Shop + Vinicole Asia, who will be presenting an exclusive preview of three award-winning wines, all of which are making their first appearance in Singapore at the festival. The list includes cult favourite 2017 The Prisoner Wine Co., The Prisoner, Napa Valley, USA, a Napa Valley Red Blend, 2017 Charles Smith Wines, Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Columbia Valley, USA, a 100% Riesling made to pair with Asian cuisine, and 2015 Castello di Monsanto, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Tuscany, Italy. All three wines have ranked thrice in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of The Year. The festival will also have a special Japanese zone featuring craft sake breweries specially flown in from Japan. These unique sakes will be showcased in Singapore for the first time.
As great wines and sake are best accompanied by great food, a smorgasbord of festival exclusive dishes from RWS celebrity chef restaurants, such as table65, Fratelli Trattoria and TEPPAN by Chef Yonemura will be in store, along with a first-in-Singapore pop-up dining concept, Los Angeles' cult Lobsterdamus known for their grilled wild-caught Maine lobsters. Visitors can also enjoy their newfound wines with gourmet cured meats and cheese from Euraco Foods, or stock up on Riedel crystal glassware or a professional wine cabinet from Liebherr for their growing collection.
Wine connoisseurs and aspiring wine aficionados can look forward to the series of masterclasses on 11 and 12 October 2019. The Wine Committee will take attendees through topics, such as Tuscan wines, craft sake, the varietals unique to Spain and the difference between new and old-world wines. Jeannie Cho Lee MW will even go deep into the effects of terroir through a collection of Pinot Noirs from around the world. Each masterclass is ticketed and limited to 25 per class.
Entry to the festival on 10 October is exclusively for RWS members and members of the trade who have pre-registered on www.thegreatfestival.sg. For public, tickets for 11 and 12 October are now on sale (from S$60 per person) with special rates for Mastercard card holders (early bird Mastercard 1-for-1 Standard Pass at S$60 for 2 persons and the Mastercard Premium Pass for 2 persons at S$134) and RWS Invites members (from S$42 per person) at www.thegreatfestival.sg.
The Harvest on 11 October 2019
Besides rubbing shoulders with luminaries of the wine profession, the Wine Pinnacle Awards and The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival will also provide a prized platform for members of the trade in Southeast Asia to build their technical expertise at The Harvest. Taking place on 11 October 2019 from 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m., the talented five making up the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee will collectively delve into their topics of expertise. Kenichi Ohashi MW (Japan) will introduce craft sakes with a tasting with rare breweries as well as present wine pairing tips for Asian cuisine with Jeannie Cho Lee MW, while Andreas Larsson (Sweden) and Doug Frost MW/MS (U.S.A.) will divulge tips and tricks in pairing wines with Western cuisine. The Harvest is an invite-only event.
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