The first overseas outpost of K Cellars, a Hong Kong-established premier wine cellar, recently opened in Singapore. Meet Ivan and Angie Ting, its dynamic founder-directors, whose passion for wine now fills a critical gap in the market, allowing connoisseurs to embrace the wine-collecting lifestyle to the hilt
Depending on who you ask, the new K Cellars in Kallang Pudding Road (yes, that happens to be what the street is called, theoretically named after the swamp-loving croton plant or pokok puding in Malay) is quite possibly an imbiber’s “man cave” dreams come true. Dark, cosy and kept crisply cool, the space was designed with, initially, only one purpose in mind — for the optimum cellaring of wines in a safe, secure and conveniently accessible setting.
Adhering to world-class standards, the storage conditions are precision temperature- and humidity-controlled to ensure that every single bottle’s quality and longevity is maintained. High preservation standards, including LED lighting, anti-vibration construction and a smart system that safeguards the integrity of each bottle, have also been implemented.
Naturally, with such a cache of fine wines stored in a single spot, state-of-the-art security measures have been put in place, utilising features such as facial recognition, fingerprint locks, customised passcodes, infrared sensors and alarms to ensure your DRCs (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) and Screaming Eagles are snug in their personal Fort Knox. And should you suddenly feel thirsty in the wee hours of the morning, K Cellars’ round-the-clock access with unlimited visits mean that all it takes is a quick drive to Kallang — no matter the time or day, rain or shine — to retrieve your wines.
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Beyond providing a space for precious wines to age nicely, the 7,000 sq ft K Cellars can also be compared to a private club, where like-minded members can check on their collections and even open and appreciate a bottle or two together. Far more than a storage hub designed to keep crates and bottles out of the house, K Cellars’ private room and calendar of curated networking and tasting events make celebrating wine a truly shared social lifestyle.
Meeting a gap in the market
Founded by Ivan and Angie Ting in 2016 in Hong Kong, K Cellars was established out of a desperate need for wine storage space in affluent but land-scarce Hong Kong. “We saw there was a big need for such a facility. Hong Kong then did not have a lot of options and what was available was not necessarily suitable,” says Ivan.
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“At K Cellars, we believe wine is not just a drink, but a living story of heritage, passion and shared experience,” adds his wife Angie. “Singapore is home to one of the region’s most discerning wine communities, and we are proud to offer a sanctuary where wines can be preserved in perfect condition, enjoyed in a private yet soothingly stylish space and celebrated through a carefully curated calendar of exclusive events. Our aim is to offer a refined ambience, where both avid and aspiring collectors alike can feel at home.”
For the new Singapore outpost, K Cellars offers a variety of storage options, starting from just $56 a month. If you are just starting a personal collection, you could opt for a personal locker, which would fit anywhere from four to 18 cases. For those with a serious stash, there are private cellar units measuring between 30 sq ft and 134 sq ft, from $580 a month. And even if you are just starting out on your wine discovery journey and cannot tell the difference between a Barolo and a Barbaresco yet, do not fret as K Cellars is committed to not just offering a safe space but also fostering an ever-growing community of oenophiles. As such, newbies can avail themselves to the assistance and insight of K Cellars’ own in-house sommelier. Concierge-style services to source and purchase wines are also provided.
A part of Hong Kong’s Kader group of companies, a leading plastics and toys manufacturer for almost eight decades, K Cellars continues the affinity for the letter “K”, and also pays tribute to Kowloon Bay, where the first wine storage facility was established.
“Kader’s Chinese name is a combination of 開, which means “to open” or “start”, and 達 or “successful”. My grandfather wanted a name that represented the start of a new era after the war,” Ivan explains. “And be it toys or wine storage, trust is an important aspect for both businesses. In toys, where we produce mainly model trains, customers look for a trustworthy product. For K Cellars, our customers store wine with us because they trust our service. This is something that runs in our family’s business philosophy.”
The pursuit of wine
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For the couple, wine is an integral part of their pursuit of the pleasures of life. “We both like a good red,” Angie shares. “But I personally favour full-bodied wines with rich, intense and complex flavours.”
A tradition for the Tings would be hosting dinner parties at home, especially during the hairy crab season. “Chardonnay is a good pairing for the crabs, although we usually serve them with aged Shaoxing Huangjiu,” says Ivan. “What you should definitely not serve with the crabs is red wine!”
On how their oenological obsession was ignited, Ivan says he was around 18 years old when a friend of his parents brought a bottle of 1961 Château Latour to dinner. “It was a mind-blowing experience! I remember feeling like being in a Japanese cartoon where your sensory experience transported you right to the vineyards of France. He also brought a bottle of Burgundy, which was also amazing.”
For Angie, the epiphany came in a 2005 bottle of Harlan Estate. “It was powerful and rich, with the qualities of both a great Bordeaux and a world-class Napa Valley Cab Sauv. I still remember the strong aroma of blackberries, cassis, and earth and its dense canopy,” she enthuses.
Angie also shares her drinking wish list, with a 1947 Château Cheval Blanc topping it. “I have yet to taste it personally but I have often heard of it being described as one of Bordeaux’s greatest wines ever. And if I could list another, it would be a 2001 Cros Parantoux by Henri Jayer, whom I regard as a legendary winemaker. The 2001 marks his final vintage as he retired soon after, passing on his vineyard holdings.”
Always looking ahead, she adds: “My husband and I have also set aside a couple of bottles from our children’s years of birth that we hope to break out at their weddings, or even at their 30th, 40th or 50th birthdays.”
Given its emergence as a new wine region to be reckoned with, China, naturally, is another area to pay attention to, the couple say. “Just like the New World, China’s diverse climates have great potential for producing very different and great wines. As the industry develops and matures, I think that you will start to see several boutique wineries and some of them producing their own distinct styles of wines,” says Ivan, a statement with which Angie agrees.
“There has certainly been a boom of really excellent new winemakers in China over the past decade. Everyone who is interested in wine is very excited by all these emerging producers. A handful of young and interesting Chinese wineries have also found their way out of mainland China, such as XiaoPu, the pioneer of natural wines and orange wine in China; and Devo, a sparkling wine producer. Ningxia, sometimes dubbed the Bordeaux of China, currently produces the largest amount of wine, but I think some other interesting regions to look out for are Yunnan, Hubei, Xinjiang and Shandong.”
