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  • Alsace Wine Region of France

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    There are seven primary wine-producing regions in France: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Provence, and the Rhone Valley comprise the dominant French wine regions. These regions are known for particular grape varietals as dictated by the district’s indigenous terroir.

    Unlike the rest of France, Alsace names its wines by grape varietal instead of just place names of origin. White wines comprise the vast majority of Alsace wines, with Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling as the most noteworthy of the Alsace varietals.

    Where exactly is Alsace?

    Alsace wine region is located in the northeast part of France on the border with Germany and Switzerland. To the west, Alsace region has Champagne and Burgundy wine regions and to the south, Jura and Savoie; thus the Alsace wine region benefits from an ideal location in the heart of Europe. Having a mixed culture of German and French, there is a strong influence on the heritage, gastronomy and even on the wines of Alsace.

    Alsace wine region boasts beautiful hilly vineyards stretching along the Rhine river in the north-east of France, they share the production of the 51 grand crus, 33 in the Haut-Rhin and 18 in the Bas-Rhin. Alsace wines enjoy exceptional diversity because of the diverse terroirs of these two sub-regions. Alsace also has the highest percentage of certified organic and biodynamic producers in France and the region has a long history of small, family-owned wineries, many of which date to the 1600 and 1700s.

    What so special about Alsace wines?

    Renowned worldwide for their subtlety and elegance, the Alsace wines are unique for their incredible palette of aromas and flavors. The number of Grand Crus make Alsace wine region unique among other regions of France, with a whopping of 51 Grand Crus come under only 3 appellations, wine from one grand cru will taste different than a wine produced in another Grand Cru. Reflecting the complexity and richness of the Alsace wine-growing region, each Grand Cru wine has its own specific geological identity that gives it a unique intensity, subtle vibrations, a remarkable texture and infinitely delicate aromas.

    For an Alsace Wine to earn the title of Grand Cru, it must come from a vineyard with the Grand Cru designation. According to the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) only Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris grape varieties (the so-called “Noble Varieties” of Alsace”) can be used. Yields must be low. A Grand Cru will also have the name of the vineyard on the bottle.

    Beyond its Grand Cru wines, Alsace is noted for its sparkling wine, Crémant d’Alsace. Like Champagne, these wines are made in the “traditional method”  with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. From starter to dessert, Crémant d’Alsace is a renowned sparkling wine, thanks to its light crispness and the zing of its delicate bubbles. 

    Alsace is one of the greatest, but least-known treasures of the wine world. Often cited as a favourite among wine professionals, its authentic, elegant and well-balanced wines are made to be shared and enjoyed.

    OWC is pleased to bring in some exclusive Alsace wines into Singapore, feel free to browse our Alsace wines selection at our eShop, happy shopping!

  • OWC EXCLUSIVE : Introducing Georgian Wines – Loladze Family Winery

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    Founded in 2012, Loladze Family Winery combines modern methods and technologies with the Georgian traditional winemaking. As the winery intends to increase the volume of their production, they do so while focusing on the quality of their wines, as well.

    Loladze Family Winery sits in the historic Mesketi region of Georgia, north of the capital Tbilisi near the impressive Caucasus Mountains and beside the flowing Aragvi River. The region’s climate is suitable for the cultivation of several rare grape varietals, as the region has become famous for its wine production over many generations of winemakers.

    Simply browse our exclusive Georgian wine selections at <https://owc-eshop.com/>

  • OWC EXCLUSIVE : Introducing Georgian Wines – Friends’ Wine

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    Friends’ wine works in conjunction with Nelkarisi Winery. In 2009, Friends’ wine was founded as an endeavor of companions from 11 countries around the world, united in their appreciation for Georgian wine.

    Nelkarisi Winery preserves the authentic winegrowing traditions of Georgia, and Ikano teams up with international winemakers and foreign wines to produce exquisite blends.

    Friends’ wine rests in the Alazani River Valley between the Caucasus Mountains and the Gombori range. The vineyards are in the Kindzmarauli micro-zone, between the Alazani and Durudji Rivers in Kakheti. Because of the black soil from the river Durudji, the temperature is about three to five degrees higher than nearby areas; thus, the grapes have 23-28% sugar.

    Simply browse our exclusive Georgian wine selections at <https://owc-eshop.com/>

  • OWC EXCLUSIVE : Introducing Georgian Wines – Winiveria

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    Chateau Mere opened in September 2011 in Vardisubani Roseville, near Telavi. It partners with Winiveria, one of Georgia’s first agrotourism companies. The winery prides itself on its production of authentic Georgian wines produced with traditional qvevri methods dating back over 8,000 years. The winery seeks to continue the revival of the natural wine movement in Georgia.

    Adjacent to the Lagodekhi Nature Preserve, Vardisubani Village is nestled between mountain tributaries in the Alazani River watershed. Chateau Mere lies in the Tsinandali microzone where several rare indigenous grape varietals thrive in Kakheti’s fertile climate.

    The wine company “Winiveria” was established in 2008 with focus on producing the high-quality wine. For this purpose, the local farm economies which possess a minimum 20 years of age vineyards were incorporated in the wine company “Winiveria”, which correspondingly led to a limited output.

    Winiveria wines are produced in traditional Kakhetian technique, squeezed in pitcher, where it is boiled down and then 6-7 months maceration (Chacha detaining). After this period, the wine is a crystal transparent and stable, there is no need for any treatment and filtration, and is distinguished with tones of dry fruit, nuts, tobacco and newly peeled wood.

    Simply browse our exclusive Georgian wine selections at <https://owc-eshop.com/>

  • OWC EXCLUSIVE : Georgian wine history and its wine culture

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    Georgia is the only country in the world where winemaking methods that were developed up to 8,000 years ago have not only never been abandoned but remain in many ways best practice.” – ANDREW JEFFORD, Wine writer, Financial Time.

    Georgian wine history

    For generations, Georgia has proudly claimed the title of the birthplace of wine. In 2015, scientists studying the residues (remains of grapes and grape seeds) contained in an ancient clay vessels dating back 8,000 years at an archeological dig in southeastern Georgia, dated these artifacts to 6000 BCE, which had established ancient Georgia as the first known location of grape winemaking.

    Georgians have made wine in egg-shaped clay vessels called qvevri continuously for 8,000 years. Using the traditional method, these vessels are buried underground to keep temperatures constant during fermentation and aging. In 2013, the United Nations added qvevri winemaking to the UNESCO list as “Humanity’s Intangible Cultural Heritage”.

    Georgia wine regions and its wine culture

    The Georgian wine map is sprawling and complex, where few areas of this ancient country have remained untouched by viticulture. From Kakheti in the south-east to Apkhazeti atop the Black Sea coast, there is great diversity of climate, topography and geology. Among the best-known Georgian wine regions, Kakheti is the best place to get acquainted with this ancient tradition, thanks to its welcoming wineries, 1,500-year-old monasteries and man-made cave cities.

    Despite being the oldest wine region in the world, Georgian wines have only come onto the world wine map recently due to the growing interest in natural wines. Even when many would think the culture of France or Italy is so wine-centric, Georgians has taken it to a whole different level as it is such an integral part of their culture and everyday life, which has always been a home endeavor, infused with history, religion and mythology.

    To taste wine at its source, you need to visit Georgia, the tiny Caucasian nation that’s been making wine longer than anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, we are unable to do so now due to the current COVID-19 situaion, but fear not, OWC has collaborated with several boutique Georgian vineyards and obtained the exclusive rights to export and sell wines into Singapore and selected Asian countries. Look out for these unqiue Georgian wines via OWC eShop.

    Wholesales of Georgian wines is also welcome too.

  • OWC EXCLUSIVE : Georgian wines

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    It is with great pleasure to announce that OWC has collaborated with several boutique Georgian vineyards and obtained the exclusive rights to export and sell wines into Singapore and selected Asian countries.

    Wholesales of Georgian wines is also welcome too.

    Where is Georgia?

    Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and cross road to the black sea Silk road. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.

    The capital and largest city is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 square kilometres (26,911 sq mi), and its 2016 population is about 3.72 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.

    What so special about Georgian wines?

    Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. The fertile valleys of the South Caucasus house the source of the world’s first cultivated grapevines and neolithic wine production, dated back to over 8,000 years ago. .

    Traditional Georgian grape varieties are little known to the world. Now that the wines of Eastern and Central Europe are coming to international awareness, grapes from this region are becoming better known. Although there are nearly 400 to choose from, only 38 varieties are officially grown for commercial viticulture in Georgia. More and more rare variety grapes are being rediscovered after the post break away from the former Soviet Union.

    Ancient Georgian Qvevri wine-making method

    The Georgian Wine processing, Qvevri wine-making method now comes under the UNESCO heritage listing in 2013, is practised throughout Georgia. The Qvevri is an egg-shaped earthenware vessel used for making, ageing and storing the wine. The wine-making process involves pressing the grapes and then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks and pips into the Qvevri, which is sealed and buried in the ground so that the wine can ferment for five to six months before consuming.

    How does Qvevri wines taste?

    The flavor of Georgian qvevri wine depends on a variety of factors including grape varieties and the length of fermentation. Owing to skin-contact fermentation, qvevri wines made using white grapes are of a dazzling orange in color while red grapes are intensely colored, inky wines. Qvevri wines are intensely aromatic, displaying an intriguing mix of fruit and savory characteristics. Among these are oxidative notes, which are developed thanks to the vessel’s porosity.

    With all these narratives on Georgian wines, we bet you are eager to try a few now. OWC is proud to bring in wines from 4 different boutique Georgian vineyards, with plenty of selections to choose from in our eShop. Have a try and let us know your feedback on these wines. Happy shopping!

  • Investing in Fine Wine?

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    This question would have probably came into many wine enthusiasts’ mind before, what are wealthy families collecting and is fine wine one of them? In recent years, wealthy investors have increasingly included alternative forms of investment, such as fine wine, art or vintage cars, to their portfolio.

    What is fine wine investment?

    The quality and scarcity of fine wine appreciates over time – and so does its value, this is the underlying principle of investing in wine. Today, wine investing is no longer an elite pastime – there are wine stock exchanges, wine specific investment funds, professional storage solutions to store your bottles as they age, and e-Commerce platform to buy and sell your assets.

    Why fine wine investment?

    The fine wine market has outperformed most global equities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and is less volatile than real estate or gold, it can be a profitable alternative investment option for investors and wine drinkers to diversify their portfolio. You can keep abreast of your wines’ valuation by following the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-Ex), however be aware that wine is not as liquid as the stock market, but is definitely more liquid than real estate and alternative assets like fine art.

    Types of wine to invest in

    Majority of wine produced in the world is meant for consumption, rather than for investments, so even among those meant to be aged and kept for years, not all can be considered for investment. Across all the wine producers around the world, only about 250 produce investment grade fine wines, and about 90% of these investment grade wines are produced in Bordeaux, France. The Grand Cru wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy have long dominated the scene and wine investors typically need to hold cases of wines for at least 5 or more years to allow it time to become rarer, before selling it at a profit in the secondary market

    How to start your wine investment?

    1. Purchase and resell individual bottles or cases of particular wines.
    2. Purchase shares in a fund that specialises in wine investments – like a mutual fund
    3. Invest with a wine company that offers wine portfolio management service

    However prior to choosing the your wine investment channels, you need to do the following works:

    • Step 1 – Research about wines
    • Step 2 – Determine how much you can invest
    • Step 3 – Decide where you want to buy your wines from
    • Step 4 – Determine how you want to store your wines
    • Step 5 – Decide where and how you want to sell your wines

    OWC offers a wide range of solutions from wine sourcing, logistic arrangement, wine storage to “En Primeur” services for our wine collectors and investors . OWC also enable wine entrepreneurs to leverage on OWC eShop platform to sell their wines and auctioning of their prized possessions. Talk to us for a more in-depth discussion.

  • Wine tasting basics

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    How to taste wine like a professional wine taster, even if you are just a beginner? To be a good wine taster, all you need are the 5 S’s (see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor), and you will be able to get the most out of any glass of wine

    See – Hold the glass at 45 degree angle over a white background. Look for the color and clarity of the wine. Colors give the taster clues to the grape variety, and whether the wine was aged in wood. As a general rule, color saturation tends to go hand in hand with flavor intensity.

    Swirl – Swirl the wine a couple times. This is to increase the surface area of the wine by spreading it over the inside of the glass, allowing the aromas to escape from solution and reach your nose. Heavy wines will be deeper in color and generally more intense on the nose. Sweeter wines, being denser will leave thick, viscous streaks down the inside of the glass when swirled.

    Sniff – Great wine is enticing on the nose and gives you a hint of what is to come, so sniffing the wine before tasting is essential. A wine’s quality can be judged by its nose and taste.

    Sip – Take a slightly larger sip than usual and roll the wine around your mouth for 3-5 seconds, exposing it to all of your taste buds. This is where the complex taste experience and characteristics of a wine happen, pay attention to the initial flavors that stand out – sweetness, fruitiness, saltiness, acidity, bitterness, and alcohol.

    Savour – Take another sip of wine, this time slurp the wine. Note the aftertaste of the wine, how long does the finish last? A good, 60 second or longer flavor as an aftertaste is a good sign of quality. Sometimes, you will pick up things in the finish that was not detectable in the initial taste.

    There is no right or wrong in your taste, as everyone has a different taste. But one thing for sure is that the best wines in the world are meant to be enjoyed with friends and family over a meal.

    Our Wine Coterie (OWC) has our own wine tasting room that acts as a waterhole for wine-lovers to conduct and savour wine tasting sessions with good company. Do check out our events regularly.

  • Premium Cru, Grand Cru and Grand Cru Classe

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    Wine classifications are a means of categorizing and describing different wines based on how they’re made, where they’re made, and the quality of the wine you’re about to enjoy. While every country has its own classification system, most people are more familiar with the French wine classification as some of the most incredible wines are produced in Burgundy (France)

    What is Cru and their differences?

    Red Burgundy wines are classified based on their cru, which means “growth” and the wine classification indicates that the wine has been legally verified as a product of Burgundy. There are four quality categories in the Burgundy classification system for white and red wines, with Grand Cru at the top of the pyramid, followed by Premier Cru, the “village” wines, and the generic Bourgogne category at the bottom.

    Grands Crus appellations are the “elite” of Burgundy wines and there are only 33 grands crus in France. Grand Cru status is only granted to small areas or vineyards (less that 1% of the total production in Burgundy) and it is jealously preserved and coveted. They refer to the quality of a particular vineyard and the terroir in which the grapes grow. It is the highest and most well-respected wine classification within the Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC).

    Wine labeled with Premier Cru is just a notch below Grand Cru wine. This wine is still highly coveted and the vineyards bestowed with the lavish title are among the best in the world.

    What about Grand Cru Classe?

    As of 1855 Bordeaux Wine Official Classification by the declaration of Emperor Napoleon III , a list of the top ranked wines, named the Grand Crus Classés (Great Classified Growths) was introduced to carry a mark of high prestige, tied to a specific chateau or estate, rather than a contiguous vineyard.

    Within the Grand Cru Classé list, wines were further ranked and placed in one of five divisions. This classification has never been revised except in 1973, when Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from Second Grand Cru to Premier Grand Cru.

    The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank; only four wines – Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion were deemed worthy.

    Have you tried any of these four wines? If yes, what is your verdict and do they deserve such high acclamation?

    Our Wine Coterie (OWC) private membership follows the Cru wine classification, with Grand Cru Classe as our highest tier with the best exclusive privilege and benefits OWC can offers. Do join us to enjoy an unparalleled fine wine experiences.