Where to drink wine in Singapore

The collection

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   1. Le Bon Funk

   Tanjong Pagar

   The natural-wine bar for people who also care about dinner. Ex-Burnt Ends chef Keirin Buck's Club Street bar makes the case for natural wine as good wine, and the cooking is the reason to book a table rather than perch for a glass. Ask about the by-the-glass pours, and order the whole heritage chicken as soon as you sit down. Come with someone who shares, because the chicken is not a solo project.

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   2. Wine RVLT

   Clarke Quay

   The least ceremonious wine bar on the list. Sommeliers Alvin Gho and Ian Lim have poured low-intervention wine in stemless glasses on Carpenter Street since around 2017, with none of the ritual. Let the staff pick, and order the chicken nuggets with fermented sriracha, which are the right food for a wine nobody at the table can pronounce. It's the one for a casual weeknight rather than an occasion.

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   3. Praelum Wine Bistro

   Tanjong Pagar

   The wine bar for learning. On Duxton Hill since 2011, it's a sommelier-led bistro where you walk into a cellar of around 350 labels to choose your bottle. Treat it as a crash course: the flights, with the history of each pour explained, are the way to take it. Book for a slow dinner rather than a quick glass; the cellar visit alone deserves the time.

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   4. Ma Cuisine

   Tanjong Pagar

   The occasion bottle. A Craig Road wine bar with a Michelin star, candles in wine bottles and a leather-bound list of hundreds of labels. The French cooking is built for sharing, so come as a group and split the plates along with the bill. Set a budget before you open the book, because a list that long is designed to make you forget it.

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   5. Napoleon Food & Wine Bar

   Chinatown

   The easiest way in town to taste a Grand Cru without buying the bottle. Thirty-two Old World wines sit on dispensers, poured by the glass, half-glass or tasting measure, and rotated weekly. It's the place for people who want wine explained, not performed. Start with tasting measures across a few regions, then go back for a full glass of the winner; the weekly rotation means a second visit won't repeat the first.

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   6. Lantern

   Marina Bay

   When the occasion calls for fizz rather than funk. The Fullerton Bay Hotel's rooftop pours champagne and wine beside an infinity pool, facing Marina Bay Sands. It's the least wine-nerdy entry here, and that's the point: the view does the talking. Come for sunset and stay for the lights coming on across the bay, and book ahead if it's a special occasion.