Engagingly honest and charmingly candid, Etienne de Montille, owner and current winemaker of the Burgundy estates Domaine de Montille and Château de Puligny Montrachet, proved he was a man without airs during the wine masterclass and vintner dinner. Contrary to many winemakers, he admitted his concern for the premature oxidation plaguing Burgundy wines. Montille’s commitment to the excellence of his wines even made him ask for the cheese served during the last course to be switched from a soft, creamy one to a harder cheese, to pair better with the 2001 Pommard Pezerolles.

Chef Cheong Liew’s Asian-based menu, with Mediterranean and Modern Australian touches, made for interesting pairings with the de Montille wines. Click here to visit our photo gallery!

Traditional Chinese with a herbal flavour. From reception to starter to dessert, guests at the Eu Yan Sang dinner were treated to an array of Chinese dishes, all with the American ginseng herbal ingredient. Starting with the symphony of king crab ‘salad’ with American ginseng cured salmon, they embarked on the banquet dinner, hosted by Daryl David, who explained the benefits of American ginseng and the difference between that and the more commonly known Asian ginseng.

Familiar tunes filled the air, played by skillful hands on the gu zheng and the flute, creating a light and relaxing atmosphere as guests enjoyed the cuisine served up by the chefs at The Oriental Singapore. On the menu was the double-boiled shark’s cartilage soup with American ginseng, oven-baked sea perch in spicy hawthorne sauce, slow-baked spare ribs with ginseng, a build up before the American ginseng espuma, a sweet finish to the wonderful night.

At the end of the dinner, smiling faces and laughter filled the room, showing the contentment and satisfaction of the guests. It seemed that the American ginseng had already taken effect to boost energy and life! Click here to view the pictures from The Ginseng Banquet by Eu Yan Sang.