Nominees announced for world's first-ever nomination-based wine award and 
festival featuring over 400 wines and craft sakes curated by top wine 
professionals 

Cementing itself as Asia's premium lifestyle destination, Resorts World Sentosa 
(RWS) will host the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards and The GREAT Wine & Dine 
Festival 2019 from 10 to 12 October 2019. Poised to be Southeast Asia's most 
prestigious event for oenophiles, the three-day celebration will kick off with 
a Wine Pinnacle Awards Gala Dinner in collaboration with two Michelin-starred 
La Grand'Vigne, followed by a showcase of over 400 wines, including 
award-nominated wines and craft sake at The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival 2019. As 
a teaser of the lavish affair, the top five exceptional wines in their 
respective categories that have made their way into the coveted nominees list 
are unveiled today (please refer to Annex 
[https://app.box.com/s/g8829yo364w573ka5cb3e9zdkbda90tw]).

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190826/2561060-1-a
Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190826/2561060-1LOGO

Nominees of The Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019 

Since June 2019, an independent jury of over 50 wine professionals - made up of 
Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, wine influencers and sommeliers from top 
fine dining restaurants from the United Kingdom, U.S.A., Europe and Asia 
Pacific - curated by the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee, the award's own team 
of five illustrious wine experts, have casted their votes through a secured 
online nomination ballot. Categories, totaling up to 27, touch on a wide range 
of premium wines and include awards for "Best Bordeaux Wine from 1996", "Best 
Chinese Red" and even "Black Swan of the Year" for the most thought-provoking 
wine. 

With the rise of the natural wine movement in recent years, nominees of "Best 
Organic/Natural Wine of the Year" - which include Domaine Sebastien Riffault, 
Sancerre Auksinis, Loire, France and Ochota Barrels, 186 Grenache, McLaren 
Vale, Australia - and "Best Friend of the Earth (Most Environmentally-Conscious 
Winemaker)" - who include Ms. Isabelle Legeron MW (UK), Ms. Jacques Neauport 
(France), Ms. Lalou Bize-Leroy (France), Mr. Miguel Torres (Spain) and Mr. 
Nicolas Joly (France) - will interest the wine fraternity worldwide.

The "Best Chinese Red" category - where nominees include Ao Yun, Yunan, China; 
Grace Vineyard, Tasya's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Shanxi, China; Helan Qing 
Xue, Jia Bei Lan Dry Red, Ningxia, China; Silver Heights, Emma's Reserve, 
Ningxia, China and Silver Heights, The Summit, Ningxia, China - shines the 
spotlight on world-class wines that are produced in China. The Gala Dinner will 
conclude with the announcement of the Grand Jury Award where the Wine Pinnacle 
Awards Committee celebrates the absolute best of this year's showing.

"I am delighted to see that the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards has recognised 
an exciting list of top wines from around the world. The results are diverse 
and encompass major wine regions - from mature fine wines, to new exciting 
recent releases and hidden treasures; the results highlight the best wines from 
France, Italy, Australia, USA, China, Spain and South America. Finally, a wine 
competition with a panel of experienced jury members is awarding the very best 
wines and wineries based on quality and consistency rather than being 
restricted by wine submissions!" explained Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee 
member and the first Asian Master of Wine, Ms. Jeannie Cho Lee. 

The Wine Pinnacle Awards Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony on 10 October 2019

Kicking off the three-day celebration is a lavish invite-only Wine Pinnacle 
Awards Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony on 10 October 2019. Held in the Resorts 
World Ballroom, the black-tie event will gather not only the creme de la creme 
of wines, as voted by the world's leading wine professionals, but also 
luminaries of the wine world, ranging from wine collectors and sommeliers to 
winemakers, from across the globe. The awards will honour 24 wines with the 
highly-anticipated Grand Jury Award to be chosen amongst the winners as the 
crown jewel of this year's showing, and celebrate talented wine professionals 
in three award categories.

Normandy native Nicolas Masse of two Michelin-starred La Grand'Vigne will helm 
the avant-garde six-course menu. The dinner will be expertly paired by 
sought-after expressions from Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte as well as nominees of 
the Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019. The fine dining establishment sits within the 
sprawling vineyard of Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux, France, giving 
guests an inkling of how chef Masse integrates his produce-driven French fare 
with oenology.

The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival from 10 to 12 October 2019

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190826/2561060-1-b

Get ready for a gastronomic experience to remember as The GREAT Wine & Dine 
Festival will be held in tandem with the Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019 from 10 to 
12 October at the Resorts World Ballroom. Over 400 wines, including Wine 
Pinnacle Awards nominees, will be showcased and available for sampling on 
festival grounds and during masterclasses.

Sip on the 2017 Medici Ermete, Phermento Metodo Ancestrale Lambrusco di Modena, 
Emilia-Romagna, Italy produced using the Ancestral method where secondary 
fermentation occurs in the bottle over at Wine List Asia's booth. Or discover 
the award-winning winery Frescobaldi which has over 700 years of history in 
Tuscan wines at Cellarmaster Wines. Another highlight will be 1855 The Bottle 
Shop + Vinicole Asia, who will be presenting an exclusive preview of three 
award-winning wines, all of which are making their first appearance in 
Singapore at the festival. The list includes cult favourite 2017 The Prisoner 
Wine Co., The Prisoner, Napa Valley, USA, a Napa Valley Red Blend, 2017 Charles 
Smith Wines, Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Columbia Valley, USA, a 100% Riesling made 
to pair with Asian cuisine, and 2015 Castello di Monsanto, Chianti Classico 
Riserva DOCG, Tuscany, Italy. All three wines have ranked thrice in Wine 
Spectator's Top 100 Wines of The Year. The festival will also have a special 
Japanese zone featuring craft sake breweries specially flown in from Japan. 
These unique sakes will be showcased in Singapore for the first time.

As great wines and sake are best accompanied by great food, a smorgasbord of 
festival exclusive dishes from RWS celebrity chef restaurants, such as table65, 
Fratelli Trattoria and TEPPAN by Chef Yonemura will be in store, along with a 
first-in-Singapore pop-up dining concept, Los Angeles' cult Lobsterdamus known 
for their grilled wild-caught Maine lobsters. Visitors can also enjoy their 
newfound wines with gourmet cured meats and cheese from Euraco Foods, or stock 
up on Riedel crystal glassware or a professional wine cabinet from Liebherr for 
their growing collection.

Wine connoisseurs and aspiring wine aficionados can look forward to the series 
of masterclasses on 11 and 12 October 2019. The Wine Committee will take 
attendees through topics, such as Tuscan wines, craft sake, the varietals 
unique to Spain and the difference between new and old-world wines. Jeannie Cho 
Lee MW will even go deep into the effects of terroir through a collection of 
Pinot Noirs from around the world. Each masterclass is ticketed and limited to 
25 per class.

Entry to the festival on 10 October is exclusively for RWS members and members 
of the trade who have pre-registered on www.thegreatfestival.sg. For public, 
tickets for 11 and 12 October are now on sale (from S$60 per person) with 
special rates for Mastercard card holders (early bird Mastercard 1-for-1 
Standard Pass at S$60 for 2 persons and the Mastercard Premium Pass for 2 
persons at S$134) and RWS Invites members (from S$42 per person) at 
www.thegreatfestival.sg.

The Harvest on 11 October 2019

Besides rubbing shoulders with luminaries of the wine profession, the Wine 
Pinnacle Awards and The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival will also provide a prized 
platform for members of the trade in Southeast Asia to build their technical 
expertise at The Harvest. Taking place on 11 October 2019 from 12.00 p.m. to 
3.00 p.m., the talented five making up the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee will 
collectively delve into their topics of expertise. Kenichi Ohashi MW (Japan) 
will introduce craft sakes with a tasting with rare breweries as well as 
present wine pairing tips for Asian cuisine with Jeannie Cho Lee MW, while 
Andreas Larsson (Sweden) and Doug Frost MW/MS (U.S.A.) will divulge tips and 
tricks in pairing wines with Western cuisine. The Harvest is an invite-only 
event. 

SOURCE Resorts World Sentosa