Jin Ting Wan Is Home To One Of Singapore’s Most Extensive Chinese Wine Collections

For modern connoisseurs, Chinese wine is an unfamiliar proposition, as they have usually gravitated towards established styles, such as those from Bordeaux or Burgundy. But history suggests that China is no newcomer to wine, with archaeological evidence of a fermented beverage dating back as far as 7,000 BCE, in Jiahu, Henan province.

To understand Chinese winemaking is to look far beyond the latest vintage or emerging appellation; its narrative stretches across centuries and cultures. High above Singapore, on Level 55 of Marina Bay Sands’ Hotel Tower 1, Jin Ting Wan brings these ancient roots into the present, pairing them alongside contemporary Cantonese cuisine. Inside its Song dynasty-inspired interiors, draped in deep blues, gilded gold accents and bespoke dragonfly motifs, head sommelier Joe Yang has created a wine programme that offers a window into China’s lesser-known drinking heritage. His selection draws from terroirs like Ningxia, Hebei, and Yunnan, forming one of Singapore’s most extensive collections of Chinese wines, alongside a plethora of rare international vintages.

A Guangdong native with experience across Macau’s fine-dining scene, Yang’s curated wine list was not simply built for breadth, but to give diners a sense of the people, places, and terroirs behind each bottle. “I’ve done some research into the Chinese wineries available in Singapore, and while some restaurants have a meaningful selection, it’s nothing compared to what we have here. When you have Chinese food paired with Chinese wine, and a Chinese sommelier introducing the wine and its story, I think the experience becomes much more interesting,” Yang says. His efforts have not gone unnoticed: Jin Ting Wan earned its first Michelin star within a year of opening, while Yang himself became the first sommelier from a Chinese restaurant in Singapore to receive the Michelin Guide Singapore Sommelier Award.

In fine dining, French wine often arrives with a built-in reputation. Yang understands the pull. In fact, he can’t deny that some of the finest wines he’s tasted have come from France. But Chinese wine, by comparison, still has much to offer. “China has a very, very long history in terms of winemaking and wine consumption. It’s only in the last 100 years that they started to produce modern wine, which is the dry style of wine that we are familiar with today,” he explains. “You will find plenty of references to wine in ancient Chinese poetry, like the famous line 葡萄美酒夜光杯 (pú táo měi jiǔ yè guāng bēi / grape wine in a luminous cup). This line comes from a very well-known Tang dynasty poem, describing how wine was actually an important part of life in ancient times. When people were celebrating their birthdays or ceremonies, or even when warriors or soldiers were on the battlefield, they would drink wine.”

Of course, every sip needs a worthy partner at the table. The food here is a lavish, couture-like approach to Cantonese gastronomy. Guangxi-born executive chef Albert Li takes the lead in the kitchen, whose command of culinary craftsmanship is informed by a deep understanding of regional Chinese cuisines, including Teochew, Hakka, and Shunde. His wealth of experience is reflected in a dynamic menu, where food sculpting and wok technique shine through in dishes such as poached Hokkaido squid with peanut and garlic chilli oil; radish puff with Chinese ham in handbag shape; steamed crispy red rice roll with shrimp and pork; and Hokkaido geoduck with seaweed served in clear seafood broth.

The crowning glory, however, is undoubtedly the roasted ‘pipa duck’ with tangerine peel and water chestnut. It demands attention from the very start of preparation: a fully deboned 90-day-old Irish duck that is seasoned with a 15-year-aged tangerine peel and water chestnut, then carefully shaped into the silhouette of a pipa before being roasted to a deep golden crisp. It also happens to be one of Yang’s favourite wine pairings. “We tried the pairing with a pinot noir from China, and I found that the flavours really complement each other. Nothing overpowers the other. That’s one philosophy I always have in mind: wine shouldn’t dominate the food. They should work together, in harmony.”

The pairings, meanwhile, are not limited to the bottle. Tea here offers another way to experience China’s rich drinking culture. Much like its wine programme, Sichuan-native head tea master Jacky Zhao Gang has personally curated a collection of more than 80 teas from across China. He takes diners through the country’s vast tea-growing landscapes, spanning aged Pu’er from Yunnan’s mist-shrouded mountains, prized Wuyi Rock teas from ancient trees, and Fu Yu Jin Tang, the restaurant’s own flower tea blend.

With Chinese wine still relatively unfamiliar outside its borders, the restaurant hopes to give it a larger platform. Yang believes exposure is the first step towards changing that. “One of Jin Ting Wan’s visions is to become a platform for Chinese wines to be showcased in the Singapore market. We want to be a hub connecting Chinese wines with Singapore and, eventually, Southeast Asia.” This year, the restaurant plans to deepen that connection through events highlighting different wine regions, while making them more accessible to those with an appetite for discovery.

Jin Ting Wan | Marina Bay Sands