This episode is now part of the Wine Blast archive, which is available only to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To access the full archive plus exclusive bonus content, as well as enjoy early access to new episodes and other benefits, join Wine Blast PLUS.

Summary

As Singapore goes into lockdown, renowned writer and publisher Poh Tiong Ch’ng reflects (from a beach) on the local and global implications of coronavirus. Including some eye-opening thoughts about the prospects for the global restaurant and hotel trade. He also has a somewhat surprising choice as his ‘quarantine wine’.

We then cheat when it comes to finding a wine for delicious porcini pasta, committing heresy by looking beyond Italian wines to things that are both leftfield and pretty indulgent. This episode even comes with a free book download!

‘The one wonderful thing to come out of all of this pandemic is that the whole world is thinking, feeling and reacting as one.’

Running Order

• Introduction: 0 – 5.02
• Poh Tiong Ch’ng interview: 5.03 – 15.56
• Matching wines to porcini pasta: 16.56 – 23.47
• END: 26.23

‘The estimate is that 30-40% of restaurants will cave in…the effect is immense. It’s brutal on workers.’

Starring

• Poh Tiong Ch’ng, writer and publisher
• Susie & Peter

‘When good health returns to the world we can go out to these restaurants and support them’

Download Poh Tiong’s book for free!

100 Top Chinese Restaurants e-book

Featured wines

• Bodegas Hidalgo Las 30 del Cuadrado Vino de Albariza 2017 (£18)
• Miguel Merino Rioja Mazuelo de la Quinta Cruz 2014 (£27)
• Domaine Dujac Chambolle-Musigny 2015 (c £100?) 

Notes

• Is Susie losing her voice due to cabin fever? Shouting at the kids? Or is it, perhaps closer to the truth, too much Chambolle-Musigny..?
• Ever wondered what the best wine match for breakfast cereals is? Then you have a problem, and need help. But we do touch on it.
• Also mentioned are Plumpton College, the lovely Helen McGinn, the fab Kitty Johnson and He who knows Everything, The Wine Show’s Joe Fattorini. And Mickey.
• How to give a dish a ‘flamenco kick’. Technical term.
• Peter pays Susie a rare heartfelt compliment in this episode…

‘We’re in lockdown. Why not have something special?!’ Susie

Recipe

Porcini and tomato pappardelle

This is a recipe that we’ve been making on and off for years and it makes for a fantastic vegetarian dinner party centre piece. It’s from the original dark blue ‘The River Café Cook Book’ but we’ve adapted it. The biggest change we’ve made is to use pappardelle instead of conchiglie – for us the latter are a bit too big and heavy and difficult to stop sticking together as they cook in the pan. However, conchiglie shells do have the benefit of catching all the lovely sauce within, so it really is your decision as to which to use.

Selected recipes are available for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers