Always had a burning question but not sure who to ask? In our regular Ask The Expert section, we do all the noseying so you don’t have to. In this edition, we get Shamini Krishnan, sommelier at members-only-club 1880, to share about developing an eye for great boutique wines beyond the mainstream varieties.
With her fun and easygoing approach to get people to understand wine, private club 1880’s sommelier Shamini Krishnan curates the wine programmes for the club with head bartender Rusty Cerven. She discovered her love for wine while training as a sommelier at Les Amis and went on to cut her teeth at restaurants under Unlisted Collection as well as at Bacchanalia.
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Though a self-professed “vintage Burgundy addict”, she loves discovering unique boutique wines and sharing her finds with fellow wine lovers. “I had a ‘wow’ moment quite recently. It was the Russian River Valley from Williams Selyem, a winery founded 40 years ago. It is a high-end cult wine; it is not mass-produced and only produced in limited quantities each year, with numbers varying depending on the quality of the harvest that year. When I first tasted it, I was blown away. This is not an exaggeration — I think my memory of that first taste will stay with me forever,” enthuses Shamini.
“But the real ‘wow’ moment came when one of my guests at 1880 had the wine based on my recommendation and was equally blown away. Just knowing that my find was able to give them such an enjoyable experience gave me that feeling of satisfaction.”
Here, she shares some practical tips for expanding your repertoire of wines beyond the popular producers so you can have that ‘wow’ moment yourself.
Here, she shares some practical tips for expanding your repertoire of wines beyond the popular producers so you can have that ‘wow’ moment yourself.
The wine cellar at 1880.
Dear Shamini,
I love my wines, but want to venture beyond the usual mainstream brand producers. How can I develop an eye for great boutique finds?
Well, I have five tips for how you can do that:
1. Read a lot
Know what is happening in the wine world, not just from a specific country or continent, but internationally. If you just concentrate on a specific area, you are going to miss out on finding boutique wines. For example, Georgia makes a really good orange wine. Overall, it is important to remain informed. This may sound geeky, but I love bookstores. In my free time, you’ll probably find me in a bookstore or surfing the net looking up wine makers. I am always looking for new books and information for inspiration. Sommeliers are like artists, so we need to be constantly inspired to find great boutique finds.
2. Have a good relationship with suppliers
Not only do wine suppliers know the market well and may recommend wines you haven’t tried before, there is also the fact that good wines get blocked out very quickly. Because they are boutique wines, they are in limited supply, so once it’s gone, it’s gone till the next year, provided that the harvest is good. It’s a bit like playing a time game, so by having a good relationship with suppliers, you’re increasing your chances of getting your hands on some great wines. I pre-buy my wines to make sure I always have great boutique wines in stock at 1880 and carry around two lists — a list of wines I currently have, and a list of the upcoming wines I will be receiving and which will replace those on the current wine list.
3. Be adventurous with wines
I make it a point to always keep trying new wines I have not tried before. It is another way to keep up to date with what is going on in the wine world and you never know what you may stumble across by chance. I discovered two great natural boutique wines this way. One is Baga. It is a natural wine from Portugal (rare due to the country’s hot climate) made from Baga, a grape variety native to Portugal. My second boutique find, also another natural winemaker, is Pascal Marchand who is a renowned maker in Burgundy wines. Founded in 1988, the winery had started making natural wines before natural wines had existed in the wine industry.
I love my wines, but want to venture beyond the usual mainstream brand producers. How can I develop an eye for great boutique finds?
Well, I have five tips for how you can do that:
1. Read a lot
Know what is happening in the wine world, not just from a specific country or continent, but internationally. If you just concentrate on a specific area, you are going to miss out on finding boutique wines. For example, Georgia makes a really good orange wine. Overall, it is important to remain informed. This may sound geeky, but I love bookstores. In my free time, you’ll probably find me in a bookstore or surfing the net looking up wine makers. I am always looking for new books and information for inspiration. Sommeliers are like artists, so we need to be constantly inspired to find great boutique finds.
2. Have a good relationship with suppliers
Not only do wine suppliers know the market well and may recommend wines you haven’t tried before, there is also the fact that good wines get blocked out very quickly. Because they are boutique wines, they are in limited supply, so once it’s gone, it’s gone till the next year, provided that the harvest is good. It’s a bit like playing a time game, so by having a good relationship with suppliers, you’re increasing your chances of getting your hands on some great wines. I pre-buy my wines to make sure I always have great boutique wines in stock at 1880 and carry around two lists — a list of wines I currently have, and a list of the upcoming wines I will be receiving and which will replace those on the current wine list.
3. Be adventurous with wines
I make it a point to always keep trying new wines I have not tried before. It is another way to keep up to date with what is going on in the wine world and you never know what you may stumble across by chance. I discovered two great natural boutique wines this way. One is Baga. It is a natural wine from Portugal (rare due to the country’s hot climate) made from Baga, a grape variety native to Portugal. My second boutique find, also another natural winemaker, is Pascal Marchand who is a renowned maker in Burgundy wines. Founded in 1988, the winery had started making natural wines before natural wines had existed in the wine industry.
Pascal Marchand is a boutique natural winemaker.
4. Take note of climate change
Climate change is very important. Not only do you need to know the wine-producing areas of the world well, you also need to know what is going on in the world, especially when it comes to climate, as it has a big influence on the wine industry. Every vintage wine is different, so you cannot expect the wines from the same winery from its 2015 harvest to have an identical flavour profile as the wines from its 2017 harvest. What could be a great boutique find one year may not be the same the next, so it’s crucial to bear in mind the effects of climate change when looking for new boutique wines.
5. Always ask, always taste
Always ask a lot of questions and go for a lot of tastings. The world of wine is so diverse, complex and ever-changing that you can miss out on little-known gems if you are out of the loop for a brief period. You can never learn everything about wines and so it’s important to continuously remain curious about wines and wine-producing regions. Essentially, you need to know your stuff.
Always had a burning question but not sure who to ask? Send in your questions to lifestyle@michelin.sg with 'Ask the Experts' in the title and we’ll help you find the answer.
Climate change is very important. Not only do you need to know the wine-producing areas of the world well, you also need to know what is going on in the world, especially when it comes to climate, as it has a big influence on the wine industry. Every vintage wine is different, so you cannot expect the wines from the same winery from its 2015 harvest to have an identical flavour profile as the wines from its 2017 harvest. What could be a great boutique find one year may not be the same the next, so it’s crucial to bear in mind the effects of climate change when looking for new boutique wines.
5. Always ask, always taste
Always ask a lot of questions and go for a lot of tastings. The world of wine is so diverse, complex and ever-changing that you can miss out on little-known gems if you are out of the loop for a brief period. You can never learn everything about wines and so it’s important to continuously remain curious about wines and wine-producing regions. Essentially, you need to know your stuff.
Always had a burning question but not sure who to ask? Send in your questions to lifestyle@michelin.sg with 'Ask the Experts' in the title and we’ll help you find the answer.
Recommended reading: Get more tips and insights from experts here.
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