5 Tips for Surviving Wine Fiesta 2015

The infamous Singapore haze shrouded the Marina Bay area on Friday, 23 October 2015, and reached a peak hourly PM2.5 of 220 in the evening.  Despite the thick haze, hundreds thronged the annual Wine Fiesta organized by The Straits Wine Company under a giant tent at Clifford Pier, besides the Fullerton Bay Hotel. It has been a while since I went to a wine event, and I was excited to be reacquainted with my former love for wines.

Here are my top five tips to navigate the Wine Fiesta 2015 after risking my liver (and lungs) for the evening:

Tip #1: Take notes

After I got my admission wrist band, I was handed a proper wine glass sponsored by Plumm, and an event programme booklet which thoughtfully came with a pencil.  With over 350 different wines, I would have had trouble recalling what my favourite was at the end of the day. The event programme not only lists all the wine on offer at the Fiesta, it even has cute symbols for each wine where I could note with “Love it”, “Not Bad” or “Not for me”. This way, I  could remember which ones I might like to go back to try again, or buy home.

Plumm wine glasses used for the event. Photo © Justin Teo.

Tip #2: Easing into it with a wine masterclass

I took note of the Masterclass schedule before I went on a quick tour to check out the entire tent area. The Masterclass is an excellent way to get a quick overview of a certain theme; for example, there was a masterclass for sparkling wines from different regions and masterclasses for wines from different countries.  I went for the masterclass for New Zealand Reds, and was introduced to five different red wines from different vineyards around New Zealand.  I left much enlightened with New Zealand geography and slightly inebriated.

Wine Masterclass at Wine Fiesta. Photo © by Justin Teo.

Tip #3: Pad your Stomach

Drinking on an empty stomach gets me drunk really quickly, so I always try to eat something before I drink. Luckily, there are some fantastic grubs available at the Fiesta. The Beef Cheek Rendang Burger (S$10) by Chef Matthew Mok, the chef of The Rabbit Stash, is comfort food with a local twist – the rich and aromatic local spices stewed with beef cheek was excellent. The Plate of Three Sausages (S$12) by Chef Macolm Lee from Candlenut was quite sublime.  I love the Peranakan treatment given to the kurobuta pork, wagyu beef and Australian lamb sausages; each spiced with peppercorn and garlic, sambal belachan and lemongrass, and buah keluak and fresh herbs.  I had to go hunt for a rich dark red to go along with these delectable bites.

Plate of Three Sausages by Candlenut’s Chef Malcolm Lee. Australian Lamb, Kurobuta Pork and Wagyu Beef sausages with Peranakan spices. Photo © Justin Teo.

I also protected my liver with some HxO, an anti-hangover drink from South Korea. This stuff claims to be fruits of labour from liver cancer research, and works by reducing the chemicals that cause symptoms of hangovers. So head on over and try some. I was told to drink some before, during and after to reap the full benefits of the magical drink.

Pretty ladies promoting HxO, the Anti Hangover drink from South Korea. Photo © Justin Teo.

Tip #4: Spit or dump

If you don’t like the wine after taking a sip, don’t be afraid to pour the rest of it away into the black buckets. In fact, if you are more sensitive to alcohol like me, but would still like to try as many different wines as possible, don’t be afraid to just taste and spit out the wine – that’s what the spit buckets are for.  Just try to do it as gracefully as you can, without dribbling all over your chin.  Alternatively, bring along a paper cup which you can spit into more discreetly and then pour it away, rather than spit into the buckets directly.

Tip #5: Dress comfy and go with company

Although there is ample ventilation placed under the tent, Singapore’s humid weather does no favour to outdoor events. So dress comfortably, and perhaps wear something dark, in case wine gets splashed on you.  In addition, wines are best enjoyed with company, so ask your fellow fermented grape-drinkers along to share comments and have a good time in general.

Wine Fiesta layout. Photo © Justin Teo.

The Wine Fiesta 2015 is held from 23 to 25 October 2015 at Clifford Sqaure, before Fullerton Bay Hotel. The tickets are on sale online or on-site at S$50, and Standard Chartered credit card holders get a 10% discount for the tickets and wines on sale at the event.