The World In A Wine Glass

The technicalities of discerning the origins of a wine simply through taste and smell.

- Joie Goh

“IF YOU WANT to travel the world, an evening here at Ma Cuisine is the cheapest airline,” says Anthony Charmetant gleefully as he raises his glass. He is the co-owner of the recently opened Ma Cuisine in Singapore — and if that name sounds familiar, it’s because the ambitious new wine bar is loosely affiliated to the original Michelin-recommended bistro Ma Cuisine in Beaune, Burgundy, famous for its extensive wine list.

Chef Mathieu Escoffier, the other co-founder of Ma Cuisine, leans casually against the bar, responding to Charmetant’s humour with a knowing halfsmile. Attired in a crisp chef’s uniform embroidered with his name, the 31-year-old not only boasts an impressive resume, having worked at Michelin-starred establishments in France and New York including celebrity chef Joel Robuchon’s La Grande Maison in Bordeaux, but also comes from a pedigree of culinary excellence. After all, his parents have run the original Ma Cuisine for over 20 years, while his late maternal grandfather ran the one Michelin-starred L’Ermitage de Corton in Beaune.

Despite sharing the same name, the Singapore chapter is distinct from its original, although its wine list is just as extensive. Less intimidating and less traditional, it offers over 600 labels of wine from all over the world, making it one of the largest wine collections in the country. To go with its wine selections, which is overseen by Charmetant, a former commercial director for the storied wine producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Escoffier has devised a menu of classic, uncomplicated French fare from family recipes, such as pork shoulder terrine and silky crème caramel.