As for curating wine pairings for your own meals at home, Pennequin advises against exploring too wildly unless you are a “certified wine wizard”. “Stick with dishes you know inside out, or better yet, design your menu around your wine collection.”

“Next, think about the weight of your dishes and wines. Light food dances gracefully with light wines, while those hearty, full-flavoured creations crave similarly bold wine partners. If you're exploring the flavours of a particular region, pick a wine from the same locale for a safe and tasty journey.

“Now, when you're arranging the symphony of your meal, let the wine notes follow suit. Start with those crisp whites, then let your dinner crescendo with richer whites, followed by light reds, and finally, let the bold, full-bodied wines steal the spotlight as your meal's grand finale. As you become more experienced in wine tasting, you'll start to connect the dots between flavours and structures. Your palate becomes a library of wine memories, guiding you to perfect pairings when a dish strikes a familiar chord with wines you've adored before.

“Lastly, remember that your taste buds are your own playground. So, go on, be an intrepid flavour explorer, and enjoy the ride! As long as you're confident, a dash of adventure can lead to taste bud fireworks. In the end, the secret to a successful pairing is all about understanding your liking and making taste buds do a happy dance.”

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Championing its own time-honoured culinary traditions is Wakuda, the sister restaurant of two-Michelin-starred Waku Ghin by renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Curating the beverage list at Wakuda (including champagnes, sakes and wines) is sommelier Tan Chuan Ann and assistant manager at Waku Ghin, Miyabi Takahashi, who oversees the sake programme at both Wakuda and Waku Ghin.

Wakuda does not usually offer wine or sake pairings. The exception is the 18-course omakase only offered in the restaurant’s private room, where Tan explores innovative beverage pairings “constantly” with executive sous chef Masaya Suzuki and head sushi chef Daniel Tan. Elsewhere, the beverage list is incredibly impressive, boasting over 450 labels refreshed seasonally. Besides light-bodied white wines and bubblies to complement Wakuda’s seafood and sashimi-focused menu, there are also rich red wines and over 100 labels of sake, some of them highly exclusive to the restaurant. 

But no matter how exclusive the label, Takahashi claims that “sake goes well with any dish”. “You can pair a light-bodied sake boasting elegant and fruity notes with simple cooked food such as sashimi, sushi, salad and carpaccio; or a complex, full-bodied sake with flavourful dishes such as deep-fried oyster, miso-marinated cod, and Wagyu beef sukiyaki,” Takahashi says. “You can also consider pairing warm sake, which is more intense, to truly savour rich flavours of your hot dishes.”

For wines, Tan says that the delicate nature of Japanese cuisine necessitates wines with “less oak influence”. In fact, he recommends the fine quality of Japanese-made wines, including the Gris de Koshu from Grace Wine in Yamanashi. The crisp and clean wine with fruity profiles “brings out the natural umami flavours of dishes such as sea urchin”. “As you move into mains such as chicken, salmon and beef, consider wines with minimal tannin, or even a sparkling rosé or still rosé wine,” he says.

Having said that, Tan has discovered that “oily fish like salmon and tuna belly taste magical with red wine because it softens the tannins” in the wine. “You can also consider pairing a pinot noir with ocean trout, anago, conger eel and sea eel—these are common combinations in Japan. Perhaps stick to white wine or sake for white fish such as yellowtail and kinki.” But Tan’s absolute no-go is pairing oysters with a rich-bodied red wine. “It produces a metallic taste in your mouth and tastes bloody.”

When it comes to tips for curating wine or sake pairings for your own meals, Tan advises “match[ing] the intensity of the pairing by identifying the main ingredient and the sauce that accompanies it.” Nevertheless, it is important to “stay open and experiment with interesting pairings, as “you’ll never know if it turns out to be a great memory.” For sake, on the other hand, Takahashi says only to “enjoy whatever you like, because sake is versatile, easy to drink, and pairs well with any dish”. '

“You can consider starting with something light and ending with something rich, but some people like to strap in for a rollercoaster ride in their gastronomic journey,” Takahashi says. “If you’re an omakase guest with us, chef Tetsuya likes to present something “wow” to begin, followed by a palate cleanser, before going back to something “wow” to keep things exciting.”

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Over at one-Michelin-starred Summer Pavilion, sommelier Alessandro Furfaro collaborates closely with Chinese executive chef Cheung Siu Kong to create wine pairings for the restaurant’s Chinese gastronomy—a process that Furfaro calls “vital”. “It is important to understand the ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques when curating a wine pairing menu,” he says. “I always like to have a chat with the chef to understand what he wants the diner to experience through his dish, and my task is none other than to elevate the taste of the dish with the right wine.”

Many might think it unusual to pair Chinese food with wine, and Furfaro might have agreed many years ago because of the “lack of a wine pairing tradition in Chinese food culture”. Now, however, with the rapid expansion of globalisation, wine has naturally been incorporated into Chinese food. “There is a wine for every dish—you just have to find it!” Furfaro says.

Broadly speaking, Furfaro recommends wine varietals such as sangiovese, nebbiolo, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and tempranillo to cut through the grease of oily foods, while aromatic wines with a long finish go well with spicy foods. Examples include a German riesling or European gewürztraminer as a white wine pairing, or an Italian brachetto or New World cabernet for a red wine option. However, Furfaro prefers not to play by the rules, and advocates strongly for experimentation. 

“Just like how we experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques to enhance a recipe, the same concept and open-mindedness should be applied to wine pairing,” Furfaro says. Take, for instance, his observation that diners “seldom choose rosé as a wine pairing option”. “Not only are rosés wonderful for Singapore’s tropical weather, but their light-bodied characteristics pair well with many full-flavoured dishes,” he says. In Summer Pavilion, Furfaro recommends rosé with roast duck or sweet and sour pork to “cut through the oil and cleanse the palate”. 

Another recommendation is orange wine, such as the Ribolla Anfora, which Furfaro likes to pair with Summer Pavilion’s steamed dong xing grouper with aged tangerine peel and preserved lemon in superior stock. “I love this pairing because both the dish and the wine are equally bold, and the presence of orange citrus in the wine boosts the tangy flavours of the dish,” he says.

His advice for curating wine pairings at home are plenteous. His first piece of advice? “If you don’t know where to start, opt for a sparkling wine. Not only are they relatively wallet-friendly, they are light on the palate which allows for easy pairing with most dishes. Choose from a prosecco, crémant, cava or champagne.”

“The cost of the bottle does not determine the quality of the wine. There are many factors influencing the prices of wines, such as their accessibility in the market. Often, wines below $100 may taste better than those that cost between $300 and $500.

“Be open to new and different varieties and vintages of wine. You’d be surprised how a difference in varietals or vintage can change the pairing experience. 

“A spicy dish is best paired with a white wine from Northern Europe. Spice levels can be tempered with the temperature and sweetness of an alcoholic beverage. Try pairing a white wine with a bowl of laksa or Singapore chilli crab.  

“Opt for wines produced in the New World. New World wines have a stronger expression of fruit and are less dependent on terroir compared to Old World wines. There is greater emphasis on the techniques of the winemaker and their capacity to produce a good wine.

“Follow the 20/20 rule. Red wines are often served either too warm or too cold. Lower temperatures will neutralise the aromas and flavours of the wine, while too hot a temperature will cause the wine to oxidise and make it undrinkable. When ready to consume, chill the wine bottle in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and then open the bottle 20 minutes before serving. Red wines are best consumed at a temperature of 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, whereas a vintage would be best consumed at a temperature between 18 to 20 degrees Celsius.”

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