We Heart; Lifestyle & Design Magazine » Wine

The Tastings Room, Singapore

James Davidson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:49:10 +0000

There’s echoes of many an establishment we’ve featured in this Singapore restaurant; with its industrial-chic aesthetics, copper Tom Dixon lampshades and custom-made, architectural statement fittings, it may not be pushing the envelope – but it sure is pushing our buttons. Housed inside the city’s Marina Square shopping mall, The Tastings Room is a wine bar and bistro with a strong focus on affordability; not that you’d gauge that from Tokyo/Singapore based agency Studio SKLIM‘s lush interiors. As far as they’re concerned it’s all about glamour, panache, and lots of it. The central bar is an awkward, geometric beauty – strutting out like a gangly model, only just in control of her beauty – whilst the starkly contrasting white and black function rooms are said to deliver an “Asian Yin-Yan balance” to the restaurant’s predominantly European experience. It’s nothing new, that’s true, but it’s beautifully crafted, considerately appointed and, well, let’s be frank, we’re suckers for concrete floors…

Photography: Jeremy San

Life Can Be Perfect; Bollinger

Alicja McCarthy — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:02:28 +0000

“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty”. Madame Jacques Bollinger.

On 8th July we had the distinct privilege of being invited to Bollinger‘s half a century celebration of the craft that is their iconic cuvée; Bollinger R.D. As part of a unique competition, the champagne house had issued cryptic ads in the world’s most influential newspapers, requesting that readers describe to them – in four hundred characters or less – how ‘Life Can Be Perfect‘. The five lucky winners joined us – as part of a select committee of design savvy lifestyle observers – in a once in a lifetime tasting day, with the aspirational brand having, for the first time in its history, opened their doors to their fans.

Here at We Heart towers we’ve certainly been known to enjoy the finer things in life but – whisper it – must fess up to being no experts when it comes to high-grade Champagne, however, as we sit 123 metres up the Eiffel Tower in Alain Ducasse’s decidedly swish Le Jules Verne restaurant, rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s most influential food and wine writers, it’s time to start bluffing and let the wine tasting begin.

With staggeringly formidable views and low dark ceilings, the romance of the venue carries us. We sample twelve of their R.D. vintages, starting with the 1997 (smokey and sharp on the nose) and finishing with the 1952 (caramel notes and gentle on the tongue… ahem) which, even with an admittedly limited palette, was simply outstanding. With the heights and bubbles in our giddy little heads we began to feel that life could in fact be perfect.

Having spent time with Bollinger’s president, the cellar master and five devoted competition winners we began to appreciate the champagne’s considerable greatness. Firstly, and we wholeheartedly mean this, these were sublime tasting vintages, their characteristics and unique taste were akin to the luxury brand. Secondly, we admire that the Bollinger house is still run by the Bollinger family and that it remains one of the only independent Champagne houses around today. Whether you enjoy it indulgently alone, or with family and friends, the Bollinger R.D is an outstanding cuvée and we were both humbled and honoured to have been a part of this truly once in a life time experience…

Ruinart “Kotoli” Picnic Box

James Davidson — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:22:21 +0000

Japanese designers Nendo are a busy little bunch. They throw out splendiferous designs even more frequently than David Guetta throws out ear-bleedingly-bad, misogynist euro-pop, and that’s saying something. Their latest endeavor is for the oldest Champagne house in the business, the decidedly luxurious Ruinart – and predictably good it is too. Charged with producing an urban take on a traditional picnic box, the designers took their inspiration from the way birds perch for a rest on the countless telephone cables that criss-cross the streets of their native Tokyo. The result is a beautifully chic box with elegant stemless flutes – a silver ring allowing for them to ‘perch for a rest’ on the bottle, the picnic box or the birds-nest restaurant tray…

Pullman, Montreal

James Davidson — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:42:25 +0000

Offering a selection of some 300 wines and sporting some of the most beautifully distressed decor we’ve seen in some time, the Pullman in downtown Montreal is impeccably designed by award winning local designer, Bruno Braën. A tapas menu that offers venison tartare, bison burgers and oysters is more than ample enough to spend some serious time sampling the well traveled wine selection that is served by the deeply knowledgeable staff…. each waiter is a trained sommelier! It’s the decor that really knocks us for six though with it’s warehouse chic, exposed concrete walls, retro woods and the perfectly apt wine glass chandelier that acts as the rather fitting centerpiece to this unique little bar.

Sav™ Sparkling ‘Birch Sap’ Wine

James Davidson — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:56:37 +0000

Much like a bus (only a more efficient, better looking and stylish one) we wait months, maybe years, for a post on Sweden and then two totally unrelated, yet equally intriguing, stories hit our inbox in quick succession. This may be as far removed from boutique creative accommodation as could be, yet there must be something in the ice-cool Scandinavian air. Much like you wouldn’t expect boutique hotels to be dishing out rooms for nothing, you probably also would not have put money on someone producing sparkling wine from a birch tree. Back in 1785, however, that’s precisely what somebody did, and as you would expect, it didn’t catch on.

It wasn’t until recently, whilst indexing a unique archive containing 300 years worth of reports, essays and articles, that environmental engineer Peter Mosten stumbled across this ancient recipe. Curiosity got the better of him, and after a decade of experimentation Morsten finally achieved his labour of love, Sav™ sparkling elixir. Sav™’s content of natural sugars, calcium, phosphor, magnesium, manganese, zinc and iron mean that drinking, in theory, could be a relatively healthy experience, and whilst we’re not entirely sure that this will stand up as a marketing campaign for the fledgling company, it’s more than enough of an excuse for us. Cheers!