Drink regionally: A new wine bar in Singapore focusing on Asian wines

The newest wine bar in Singapore is — surprise, surprise — not another natural wine bar. Located in Duo Galleria, Vitis Wine Bar and Bistro specialises in Asian wines, a niche wine category that has been getting attention only in recent years, thanks to notable winemaking efforts from Japanese and Chinese winemakers.
Vitis carries more than 100 Asian wine brands from Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and India. The Asian theme is not confined by geography — it also ropes Asian heritage into the picture by featuring Asian winemakers who are working in traditional winemaking regions like Australia, for example, Terry Chellappah of The Next Hundred Years winery in Western Australia, and Ray Chen and Josh Liu of Rongo Wines in Yarra Valley.
The bar, which opened in September, calls itself the first wine bar in the world to focus on Asian wines. It’s a legitimate claim as no other wine bar elsewhere — or at least in this region — has given Asian wines such a prominent role.
Gary Low, 34, owner and managing director of Vitis, describes his bar as “a temple of fine Asia wines”. Opening his own wine bar was a dream come true; his parents helped finance the setup. Vitis is now a part of his family F&B business portfolio; they also manage a food court in Yishun. Rather coincidentally, the space they took over in Duo Galleria was a food court, where he used to pop over for lunch while he was working at Atlas bar across the street.
Now the venue has been transformed into a wood-panelled, loungey 30-seater space by the award-winning design studio, Emma Maxwell. “We want people to feel comfortable and let us take them on a wine journey through Asia,” said Low.
A LEAP OF FAITH
Low is aware that most local customers still have rather traditional tastes, “preferring to drink Bordeaux and Burgundy”. But he noticed a growing curiosity in Asian wines from diners during his previous tenures as a sommelier at Burnt Ends and Jaan, where wines from Japan and Thailand were available.
“After the pandemic, we started seeing more consumers who are interested in wines from outside the traditional wine regions. If you visit wine shops and high-end restaurants, you will also see a small selection of Asian wines,” he said. “I saw a gap [in the wine bar scene], and I wanted to fill it.”
“In Singapore, a lot of wine bars have very traditional wine lists; everyone is clamouring for the same slice of the pie, fighting for the same customers,” he added. “Do I really want to fight for the same slice of the pie?”
Low isn’t alienating the traditionalists, though. Thirty per cent of the wines at Vitis are non-Asian wines, including modest selections from Champagne and Bordeaux. These wines are not so much a concession but a complement, a way to appeal to unadventurous drinkers before piquing their interest in an Asian wine after some familiar Old World sips. “The customer has to first feel at ease before they take a leap of faith and trust me,” he said.
Encouraging people to take that leap also means sourcing wines that would appeal to local palates: Low picks mostly conventionally made wines, avoiding what he calls “left field wines”, for example, white wines with a lot of skin contact, such as an orange wine, or those made with minimal intervention, which may have funky flavours that some drinkers may find unpleasant (a bone of contention for natural wine lovers).
One of the first names that came to mind when he drafted the wine list was the Chinese wine (a Bordeaux-style blend), Ao Yun, from the eponymous estate in Yunnan managed by luxury conglomerate LVMH. He said Ao Yun is significant because the brand’s success has prompted many foreign winemakers to enter the Chinese winemaking industry.
Wines from Japan have been popular among diners so far. Vitis carries various styles of Koshu — a Japanese white wine known for its crisp, fruity profile — from renowned Yamanashi-based wineries like Grace Wine, Chateau Mercian, and Katsunuma Winery. Low also tips Hokkaido as the next Japanese wine region to watch, noting that their winemaking is “almost at the same level as Burgundy”. “Their [Pinot Noirs] are light and delectable,” he said. “Our wines from Domaine Yui, a Hokkaido wine producer, often sell out straight away.”
Indian wines are the underdog, he added. “The Sandhan Valley produces good wines; there’s so much potential there,” he said. “But their wines are made largely for domestic consumption so not many people know about them. There’s also the stigma of ‘Made in India’.”
Changing such negative perceptions would take time. Education is on his agenda. Masterclasses conducted by visiting Asian winemakers in Vitis are in the pipeline. There isn’t a prescribed wine-pairing menu for now — Low prefers to tailor his wine recommendations for each guest. The kitchen rustles up modern Asian food presented as tapas.
Low acknowledges that “the present demand for Asian wines is not strong yet”. But he remains sanguine. “When RVLT bar first opened, we asked if the wine scene in Singapore was big enough for a natural wine bar. Now we see that it was indeed big enough,” he said. “So, someone has to step up and pick up the mantle for Asian wines. Right now, I want to be that champion.”