Our first event as “Accidental Epicurean Events” went off wonderfully last night. Another big thank you goes out to our event sponsors – Epicurious, Underground Wines, and Divine MedSpa. Helena from Epicurious, Sianne from UW, and Christine from Divine MedSpa were so relaxed, calm, and generally cool and that vibe came through to our guests making for a really great evening. (pictures of guests at bottom of post)

The wine tasting took place in the Epicurious garden down by the quay. The weather was wonderful last night and near perfect for an outdoor event (maybe 5 degrees less would have been great ). I’ve only been to Epicurious in the morning so it was nice to enjoy the peaceful setting of the restaurant in the evening as the sun was setting over the quay.

Guests sampled from a selection of 4 white and 4 red New Zealand Wines at the event.

Mt Rosa Riesling 2006, Central Otago, New Zealand

Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand

Whitehaven Pinot Gris 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand

Bushmere Estate Chardonnay 2006, Gisborne, New Zealand

Lime Rock Pinot Noir 2006, Marlborough, New Zealand

Mt Rosa Pinot Noir 2007,Central Otago, New Zealand

Unison Merlot/ Cab Sauv/ Shiraz Blend 2007, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Gladstone Rose 2008, Wairapara, New Zealand

The highlights, as often is the case in this heat with wines, were the whites. Specifically the Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Many guests told me that they normally are stronger fans of red wines, but the whites here turned their tastes… at least for the night. Standouts from the Reds included the Unison and Mt Rosa Pinot Noir. All the wines were good, but it was surprising how notable the whites were complimented by the very attractive prices Underground offered at the event. I’ve paid almost as much on a glass of wine at some restaurants in Singapore.

Epicurious paired foods with each of the wines. Foods included, the highlight of the night for most guests, Shredded chicken and cabbage salad with Asian herbs and lime vinaigrette & Epicurious Vietnamese bolognaise.

Delicious crabcakes with hot and sour dipping sauce & Epicurious cheese on toast.

Epicurious mini burger (I will be coming at lunchtime for a full size version of this burger soon!) & crispy chicken wings.

And lastly a 5-spice duck and hazelnut crostini & smoked salmon tartare (unfortunately my pictures of this dish didn’t come out).

They also provided light nibbles for in-between wines or to cleanse the palate. You must try the Tom Yam Pop Corn, it’s really remarkable and I’d love to see it served in a movie theater!

As a surprise to our guest, the folks from Divine Med provided not only a 400 SGD spa voucher for our lucky draw but also gave out chair massages to those in attendance to enjoy in between sips of wine. The addition of chair massages for the guests elevated the event from enjoyable to truly special and almost indulgent.

The winner of the lucky draw.

Thanks again to our sponsors and guests. We’re looking forward to making these events a monthly occurrence so if you missed this one stay tuned for our next event in Singapore.

Paul

Hey all,
In the few months we’ve been running Accidental Epicurean , we’ve taken the website from 1500 readers to over 13,800 last month! We’ve put up over 100 informative posts on food, wine, spas, hotels, and different Asian cities. Now it’s time for another new feature at Accidental Epicurean…the hosted event.

“Stumbling upon the good life” involves more than just reading about wines, foods, etc. You need to get out and try things for yourself, deciding what interests you. So we’ve teamed up with various venues and product providers around town in order to bring you some unique flavors and experiences you might not have discovered on your own. And we’re striving to give you these opportunities in a safe, unpretentious environment where it’s OK to not know all the right things to say or do.

Next week on the 12th of August we’ll be hosting our first event with the great folks of Epicurious and Underground Wines. Epicurious will provide light bites of Asian fusion to pair with the New Zealand wines provided by Underground Wines. Better still you get to sample 6 out of 8 wines… this way you’re not forced to take a predetermined 6 wines even if you don’t particularly like a grape or varietal. This way you can get what you want and even team up with a friend or guest to sample the other two

The wines being offered are:

• Mt Rosa Riesling 2006, Central Otago, New Zealand
• Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Whitehaven Pinot Gris 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Bushmere Estate Chardonnay 2006, Gisborne, New Zealand
• Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Mt Rosa Pinot Noir 2007,Central Otago, New Zealand
• Unison Merlot/ Cab Sauv/ Shiraz Blend 2007, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
• Gladstone Rose 2008, Wairapara, New Zealand

If you are a faithful Singapore reader or just in town on the 12th please make a point of RSVPing today. We’re keeping the event smaller at only 40 or so people and things are filling up quickly already. If you miss this event, look for more in the future and if you’re a venue or product provider interested in partnering with us in the future please drop us a line via the contact page.

Thanks,
Paul