Ying Hsien Tan MW
Wine speaker, educator and writer
Ying Hsien Tan MW qualified as the first Singaporean Master of Wine in 2015. He was one of the first two Asian men to attain the qualification that year. The Master of Wine is considered the most prestigious wine qualification in the world. There are only 418 active Masters of Wine and since the qualification was first created over 70 years ago, less than 500 people have ever succeeded in qualifying.
Ying started tasting and studying wine as a hobby in 1983 while pursuing law studies at university in the United Kingdom. In 2009, after more than 20 years as a corporate and banking lawyer, he embarked on a different career path building on his enthusiasm for wine to become a wine journalist, speaker and educator.
Whilst on the MW education programme, Ying won the Institute of Masters of Wine Champagne Trinity Scholarship 2010 and was nominated to attend the Master Napa Programme in September 2013. He also won a French Wine Society scholarship for the Sud de France Master Level Program in 2013 and the 2013 AXA Millésime Scholarship for MW students.
He focuses on wine education through instruction at tasting masterclasses with an emphasis on developing the professional wine service industry in Singapore and regionally, mentoring members of the wine trade and candidates for the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier examinations. Ying owns Taberna Wine Academy which offers Wine and Spirit Education Trust courses and where wine tastings, classes and wine dinners are held. Guest speakers have included leading wine producers, wine makers and personalities such as Vincent Chaperon, Dominique Demarville, Laurent Ponsot, Benjamin Leroux, Jasper Morris MW, Olivier Humbrecht MW, Nicolas Potel, Bruno Paillard, Michele Jermann, Serge Hochar, Pio Boffa and Pepe Raventos. He also consults for the two-Michelin starred restaurant Saint Pierre in Singapore.
Amongst Ying’s publications were an occasional column for Wine & Dine magazine in 2003 and 2004 and articles for a number of Singapore publications including Cuisine & Wine (for which he was also consulting editor in 2013 and 2014) and Appetite. He is particularly interested in the classic French wine regions of Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy which he visits regularly and is currently working on a book on champagne. His membership of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and Commanderie de Bordeaux reflects his interests in these regions. A love for travel also led him to visit other wine regions of France, the Russian Tsar’s former cellars at Massandra in Crimea, as well as wine regions in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the USA.
Speaking engagements have included presentations at Prowine Singapore and at wine events in Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, London, Ningxia and Perth. In addition to his activities as speaker, educator and writer, Ying organized the Singapore Business Times Wine Night for senior business executives in 2010 and co-hosted the wine segment of the Wine & Dine TV series broadcast on Channel News Asia in the late 1990s. He judges at sommelier and international wine competitions frequently, including the Singapore National Sommelier Competition, the Sopexa French Wine Sommelier Competition, International Wine Challenges held in Singapore, Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition, Decanter Asia Wine Awards, Sydney International Wine Competition and the Concours de Mondial. He was also on the tasting panel of Wine & Dine, Singapore for several years and a wine consultant to the World Gourmet Summit 2013 in Singapore.
Ying started tasting and studying wine as a hobby in 1983 while pursuing law studies at university in the United Kingdom. In 2009, after more than 20 years as a corporate and banking lawyer, he embarked on a different career path building on his enthusiasm for wine to become a wine journalist, speaker and educator.
Whilst on the MW education programme, Ying won the Institute of Masters of Wine Champagne Trinity Scholarship 2010 and was nominated to attend the Master Napa Programme in September 2013. He also won a French Wine Society scholarship for the Sud de France Master Level Program in 2013 and the 2013 AXA Millésime Scholarship for MW students.
He focuses on wine education through instruction at tasting masterclasses with an emphasis on developing the professional wine service industry in Singapore and regionally, mentoring members of the wine trade and candidates for the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier examinations. Ying owns Taberna Wine Academy which offers Wine and Spirit Education Trust courses and where wine tastings, classes and wine dinners are held. Guest speakers have included leading wine producers, wine makers and personalities such as Vincent Chaperon, Dominique Demarville, Laurent Ponsot, Benjamin Leroux, Jasper Morris MW, Olivier Humbrecht MW, Nicolas Potel, Bruno Paillard, Michele Jermann, Serge Hochar, Pio Boffa and Pepe Raventos. He also consults for the two-Michelin starred restaurant Saint Pierre in Singapore.
Amongst Ying’s publications were an occasional column for Wine & Dine magazine in 2003 and 2004 and articles for a number of Singapore publications including Cuisine & Wine (for which he was also consulting editor in 2013 and 2014) and Appetite. He is particularly interested in the classic French wine regions of Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy which he visits regularly and is currently working on a book on champagne. His membership of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and Commanderie de Bordeaux reflects his interests in these regions. A love for travel also led him to visit other wine regions of France, the Russian Tsar’s former cellars at Massandra in Crimea, as well as wine regions in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the USA.
Speaking engagements have included presentations at Prowine Singapore and at wine events in Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, London, Ningxia and Perth. In addition to his activities as speaker, educator and writer, Ying organized the Singapore Business Times Wine Night for senior business executives in 2010 and co-hosted the wine segment of the Wine & Dine TV series broadcast on Channel News Asia in the late 1990s. He judges at sommelier and international wine competitions frequently, including the Singapore National Sommelier Competition, the Sopexa French Wine Sommelier Competition, International Wine Challenges held in Singapore, Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition, Decanter Asia Wine Awards, Sydney International Wine Competition and the Concours de Mondial. He was also on the tasting panel of Wine & Dine, Singapore for several years and a wine consultant to the World Gourmet Summit 2013 in Singapore.