Sia Huat Annual Warehouse Sale 2012

This current sale is held between 26th - 29th july, at its warehouse located at 20 Pandan Road. I swung by yesterday to check on wine accessories. Wine glasses under the Arcoroc label is retailing between $2-$4 per glass. They come in different shapes and sizes to cater to the needs of different wine types. Decent prices if you are looking to stock up on wine glasses for your wine group, weekend gatherings and parties.

However, if you are willing to pay $5 per glass, then the Chef & Sommelier range of glasses are those I would recommend. Made from Kwarx, a glass material meant to provide extra strength and durability, it seems a good value for money proposition. They have glasses for reds, whites and bubblies as well. Have a look before the sale ends tomoro :)

A value for money wine decanter

A decent decanter for $10. Maurice (a regular wine buddy of mine) recently bought a wine decanter from Cash Converters at Blk 710 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. It comes very reasonably priced, I must say. It comfortably accomodates a standard bottle (750ml) of wine.

They still have a couple more of these new pieces at the AMK outlet. (I guess its not necessary to visit this particular outlet; you can always give Cash Converters a call and visit any of the other outlets convenient for you to reach.)  If you are planning a wine session at home with your friends during this festive season, a good decanter or two may just be the accessory to have at your table.

I did an earlier blog entry where my friend Aaron assembled a decanting kit (decanter, funnel and wire mesh) within $20.

This decanter from Cash Converters will help to bring the cost of a complete set down to $15 :p Do go visit if you happen to be in the neighbourhood!

Assembling a value for money decanting kit at $20

Decanters aren’t exactly cheap nowadays. Next time when you are in town, do go visit a store’s glassware section and you will notice most decanters retailing between $80 to $400.

Here’s how a friend of mine who runs the wine interest group called The Wine Unplugged assembled a wine decanting kit for $20. If you are not particular about brands and will live a happy existence as long as the wine at hand gets decanted, you may adopt his approach and assemble a value for money decanting kit for home use.

The following were the purchases he made:

a. a decanter from the wine glassware section of Ikea, costing around $15.

b. a funnel and a fine mesh skimmer from DAISO at Plaza Singapura, for $2 each item.

(Round the figures off and he got everything for within $20.)

As for the metal handle of the mesh skimmer, he wrapped it backwards and around the bottom end of the funnel (see pictures below). Alternatively, you can always just snip the handle off if you have a pair of pliers at home and let the mesh rest within the funnel.

Recently during a late night session a few of us got the opportunity to witness the effectiveness of this kit. We had a 1974 Cantina Terre del Barolo Riserva from Castiglione Falletto which due its age warranted decanting. The mesh successfully separated the sediments from the wine and gave us a sediment-free wine.

Of course its not a must that the purchases are made at Ikea or Daiso. You can always purchase other containers of preferred size and shape; and likewise you can get funnels and mesh skimmers from neighbourhood stores selling cookware items, as long as you are comfortable with the quality and price.

( picture with permission from www.facebook.com/Wine.Unplugged)

Wine glasses anyone?

A good friend of mine wanted to buy some wine glasses for home. Since I wanted to purchase some pots myself, I took the opportunity to accompany him for Sia Huat's Annual Warehouse sale which starts today. The place was already crowded by the time we reached there at 11.30am.

Where wine glasses are concerned, you can purchase them from slightly below $1 /glass and upwards. The most popular one seem to be that from Cristal d'Arques Master Collection (picture of box shown below; these glasses can be found near the entrance of the warehouse itself). These burgundy glasses went at $5 for a box of 6 glasses (a good deal I must say; as it works out to less than $1 for each glass) and can be seen within many trolleys awaiting payment.

On the slightly higher end, there were glasses by Mikasa going at around $5 each glass. (From the main entrance, you have to walk about 10 metres into the warehouse to locate these glasses)

I did not see other 'popular brand named ones' put up for sales though. This sale is from 15-18 Sept. It starts daily at 10am and ends at 8pm (on 15-17 Sept) and at 6pm on 18th Sept. The location is at 20 Pandan Road, S(609272).

If you don't want to end up spending a long time at the payment queue, it will be a good idea to go early in the morning :)

A trip to Bistro Amigo at Funan Digitalife Mall before September ends?

I received an email recently that Bistro Amigo is ceasing operation this September's end due to lease expiry. Since its inception at Specialist Centre, its been a place visited by quite a few diners over the years.

I dare recall quite a number of dinner sessions with friends over there myself, with wines in good abundance :p The 'ice cream with PX' dessert served here is still my personal favourite. I have not as yet seen this dessert being served by other establishments.

Many would have visited this bistro not only for the purpose of jazz and food, but also to pick up wine knowledge. The affable Tommy has contributed a fair amount towards promoting wine education among local enthusiasts and professionals by conducting basic wine appreciation workshops, and other wine courses like WSET, Court of Master Sommeliers and SWE programs.

For this month, Bistro Amigo is offering "a 20% discount for wine and champagne for dining above $100, and a free bottle of 1993 Champagne for dinning above $500".

If you have patronized this place before for dinners or have previously taken up some wine courses, this may be a good opportunity to partake in its ambience one last time before September ends.

If you don't already know the place, its at:
 

#02-15 Funan Digitalife Mall, 109 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179097

Tel : 6835-0238 Fax: 68365-0819 Mobile: 9664-7979  Email: mrslam@wineamigo.com