I was fortunate to get tickets to the grand finale dinner for MOT Singapore held this year at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Included in the price of course was the iconic walkabout wine tasting where one had to tip toe around red-faces, parmesan wheels, pot bellies and the occasional sliders served up on wooden boards; all the while trying to decipher which were the 95+ wines worth the calories (one of the rare occasions this is the case) and how to elegantly dispose of extra wine in your glass and mouth. One of the top few wines tried was the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (99) and the 2013 Kinheimer Hubertuslay Riesling Auslese (97). I was also impressed with a Julienas Beaujolais and the Mosswood Chardonnay. Other interesting finds were a 2013 Gruner Veltliner (couldn’t catch the producer) and an Austrian 2012 M1 Markowitsch (Merlot based).
MOT started in 2014 beginning with Singapore as the flagship city. The event is organised yearly by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate in other cities such as London and Hong Kong as well. This year’s lineup at the Hyatt was Italian heavy with a fair Franco-German-Austrian presence and a smattering of other New Worlds. Lots of impressive Barolos, Brunellos and Chiantis. Food was also respectable – if you’re not too picky, you could consider it a fair lunch.
For dinner, despite the descriptions about “cocktail dresses” and”wine pairing”, it was a casual and informal affair. Leftover bottles from the walkabout, rolled-up sleeves and random people serving you unknown liquids. The food was up to scratch though, so kudos to Hyatt. I had the privilege of sitting with Stephan Reinhardt, a most erudite wine critic and wine lover. At the table as well was Klaus Schwarz of Ampelia Fine Wines who told many a fine story – classic among which was the onset of an early German winter a few years ago that allowed icewine to be made from red grapes.
Overall, it was a great and fun evening, and an excellent oenophilic journey – my first MOT event but certainly not the last.
