Wine News : MyPaper Interview with a Singapore winelover

Mypaper interview with a Singaporean wine lover



His passion for wines started during his university days in Australia, when he was just 21. Now, Mr Daren Tan, 39, general manager of a consumer-goods company, collects and preserves wines at home.

My Paper finds out what he looks for when buying appliances for wines.

What is a good wine to you?

There are hundreds of thousands of varieties (of wines), so this explorative path with wines is endless.

There is always excitement in opening and tasting a new bottle of wine.

A good wine is simply one that is luscious and so engaging that you are sipping it every few minutes.

What are the wine appliances that you think wine lovers should own?

Proper wine-drinking glasses are a must, a decanter, which is necessary for some bottles, and a wine fridge.

Why did you decide to buy a wine fridge?

I bought my first fridge 10 years ago to preserve my wines, as I store a lot of old bottles.

I bought a new Vintec wine fridge in May. This is a 40-bottle storage space.

Vintec is a brand that specialises in wine preservation. Their fridges are capable of keeping vibrations to a minimum, maintaining ideal humidity, have ultraviolet-protection glass panels that cut out light and glare, and have stable and accurate temperature-control mechanisms.

What do you look for when purchasing wine appliances or products?
I tend to be more interested in brands dedicated to wine preservation.

Do you have lifestyle habits related to your passion for wine?

I have a bunch of close friends who are all passionate about wine. We would get together once every few weeks at one of our homes for a wine-and-cheese session. Everyone brings a bottle.

I would usually dictate specific types of bottles that the group should hunt for, so that we can do "apple-to-apple" comparisons when tasting.

What are some of your favourite brands of wine?

I love wine from all over the world.

My favourite Australian wines come from Barossa Valley, where you can find wines with characteristics like "bold" and "full-bodied".

My favourite French wines are second growths (second crus) from Chateau Leoville-Las Cases and Chateau Leoville-Poyferre, and fourth growths from Chateau Beychevelle.

When it comes to Italian wines, I mostly prefer the Barolos.

As for Spanish wines, I absolutely love the Rioja gran Reservas from the La Rioja region.