Visit A German Winery to Buy Wine, or from Wine Connection Bistro, Singapore, German Riesling and Portuguese Port

 I went to a wine tasting, a German and Port Wine Masterclass, at Wine Connection in Singapore, where I met Johannes Selbach who had come from Selbach-Oster in Germany to do a tour of Asia, showing his bottles of  medium dry and sweet mostly white Rieslings and Jorge Nunes from the Symington Estates showing his delectable red Ports.

Johannes in the centre with Angela on the left and another guest at the table.

The German vineyard has a wine shop you can visit and pay for a tasting of the wines. Reisling and others.

Jorge Numes of the Symington family in Portugal, with Angela Lansbury at the Reisling and port tasting at Wine Cnnection. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The Wine Connection has premises all over Singapore selling wines and serving restaurant food with wines, as well as putting on events. I have been to Wine Connection for dinner in Hillvy2 near Hillview MRT underground railway station, but the central branch by Orchard Boulevard MRT station is different again. The Wine Connection in Tanglin Mall has huge premises, a cosy, but open on one side, indoor restaurant on the ground floor, plus a large, spacious courtyard area.

At this branch we had a choice of the wine tasting with talks by the two VIP, but casual and chatty visitors throughout the tasting and generous and attractive shared between two plates of cheese, with hot bread and butter, a little green salad with a tiny tomato each, and a teeny pot of quince jam to go with the various small dices of cheese (plus one small piece of pate. 

Later that evening there was a full dinner paired with the wines at a higher price.

When I finished off my bread I got a refill of hot bread which melted the butter. Delicious.

My water was refilled promptly from a tall metal water jug.

I also loved the wines. I am a sweet wine person. (I like Italian Prosecco, too. I am a cheap date. 

Riesling is often slightly too sour for me. Our host/visitor/expert, Johannes, (German for John) explained that Rieslings from other countries often have the distinctive petrol taste, but his wines do not. 

Getting to Tanglin Mall

Wine connection has about 13 restaurants and cheese bars all over Singapore. They have a large selection of cheeses.

Useful websites

Tanglin Mall

Orchard Boulevard MRT station

Singapore tourism

Germany tourism

Portugal tourism

Wine Connection

https://wineconnection.com.sg/

More photos and text shortly

New Orchard Boulevard MRT, Orchard Mall and Wine connection

 

Walking back to Orchard Boulevard from the Tanglin Mall. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Orchard Boulevard is a new station on the Singapore MRT underground railway. It opened in late 2023.

New, pale colours, cream and clean. 

 It is two stops away from Orchard, (which is at the centre of the city and shopping), at the East end of the Orchard Road.

This is the station for visiting the almost adjacent Tanglin Mall. The Tanglin Mall is a smart, multi-storey, modern shopping mall. 

(Not to be confused with the old Tanglin Shopping Centre which has a few steps up to an outside walkway. A recent, 2023 article on the mall with lots of pictures is from Eisen Teo.)

We visited the Orchard Mall for a wine event at the Wine Connection.

Wine Connection, Tanglin Mall, Singapore, photo by Angela Lansbury.

For pictures and information on Wine Connection, see the next post.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shopping_malls_in_Singapore

https://www.historybyeisen.com/post/50-years-of-tanglin-shopping-centre

White Christmas? Lights & Sleigh Rides? Novelty Christmas Street Lights In Singapore and Xmas Lights Around The World

Orchard Road Xmas lights by Tanglin Mall (right) in December 2019. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

This photo was taken from a moving bus through the closed window. This year's novelty Christmas lights idea is to show piled up parcels forming a triangular tree shape topped by a star.

To the right of the picture is Tanglin Mall.

Where have I seen the best lights?


Flag of Singapore

SINGAPORE
1 Orchard Road, Singapore, especially the corner of Orchard Road where it meets Scotts Road.
Also see all the
Shopping malls,
Hotels,especially the big hotels. The high atriums are in the hotels around the Suntec fountain.
Community Clubs


Flag of the United Kingdom. Yes, still united in December 2019.

UK
First stop is right in the centre of London.

Regent Street Light. London, England, especially both ends of Regent Street. At one end is Piccadilly Circus. At the other end is Hamleys Department store and Oxford Street at Oxford Circus.

More lights adorn Selfridges department store windows and columns in Oxford Street.

Another must see is the grand Harrods in Knightsbridge.

The out of London shopping malls near London include the famous big malls and the one at Watford.

Previous year's lights in Watford, London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Watford mall interior lights. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Coprytight.

London
Trafalgar Square
See the big tree donated to the UK from Norway every year in gratitude for help in WWII.

USA
New York
In New York and other big cities sometimes an upright oblong skyscraper is decorated like a giant parcel with strings of lights up the centre suggesting ribbon and a bow.New York and Washington DC can be cold in winter (and sweltering in summer).

Xmas tree in front of Rockefeller Centre, New York. From Wikipedia.

Outside the cities in a countryside hotel we took a Xmas sleigh ride on Xmas Day or the day before or after, at the Snowed Inn, Utah.

Florida
Many malls compete to provide selfie spaces. Santa grottoes in the USA and UK malls with photo opportunities and usually for a fee a chance of a photo with Santa and a toy

One year the powers that be in a city in the USA offered a prize for the best prepared Xmas lights. Apparently this is done in many places in the USA. This is a bit like Britain in Bloom, offers prizes for the best summer flowers in gardens in the UK. Local papers take pictures in the lead up.


Finland
Finally, Finland has Santa villages and Elves and you can book a holiday featuring Santa Claus and reindeer, models and real reindeer.



Useful Websites
https://www.snowedinnsleigh.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g57097-d11710338-Reviews-Park_City_Sleigh_Rides-Park_City_Utah.html

britishairways.com

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/partners-and-alliances/oneworld/frequent-flyer-benefits

https://www.finnair.com/gb/gb/plus

laplandsafaris.com

http://www.levi.fi/en/enjoy-levi/services/clothing-store-shopporo.html

(Pictures on Tripadvisor and Instagram.)

For comparisons see

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Search?geo=189896&q=santa#&ssrc=a&o=0

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/finland/articles/Visiting-Father-Christmas-in-Lapland/

I saw an ad for this comparison website:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts. If you wish to share any posts or photo or be a guest blogger or to have me as a guest blogger please contact me on annalondon8@gmail.com