French-Japanese restaurant Lewin Terrace has possibly one of the most robust ranges of organic and biodynamic wines in Singapore.

Perched on the Hill Street side of Fort Canning Hill is hidden one of the greatest wine collections unknown to most Singaporeans. Not that the wines are some of the priciest on the planet – they are not, although some of them are clearly destined for special occasions, like the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées from Domaine Faiveley – but because the French-Japanese restaurant Lewin Terrace, helmed by Chef Keisuke Matsumoto, stocks some of the best natural organic and biodynamic wines available in Singapore.

Biodynamic wines are wines made using the principles of biodynamic agriculture, where the planting, pruning, harvesting and processing of the grapes are regulated by a special biodynamic calendar. Organic wines leverage organic viticultural practices that eschews manufactured fertilisers and pesticides for more nature-friendly methods.

Lewin Terrace’s wine list – which spans winegrowing regions across the world, but unsurprisingly focuses on French wines with a small but meaningful section for Japanese ones – is not massive but carefully curated for sustainability and environmental-friendlness. And not that taste is compromised; some of the wineries chosen are amongst the most highly-regarded in their field.

There’s the Savennières la Jalousie 2010 by Domaine du Closel‘s Château des Vaults from central Loire, for example, is made with biodynamic practices that takes into consideration the different rhythms in nature that affect vegetation growth. The winery also uses herbs, cow manure, and silicium in dynamised rain water to spray the leaves to rid them of pests, or to fertilise the land.

Likewise Josmeyer from Alsace also practices biodynamic viticulture, preparing their own biodynamic compost to encourage the growth a rich and varied range of micro-organisms in their vineyard. We’re not sure how that shapes their Josmeyer Mise du Printemps 2014 Pinot Blanc, but the wine is delicious and showcased the mutant white wine grape’s mineral and stone fruit characteristics.

There are many other such wines from other parts of the world too – the Pieropan Soave Classico 2010 and Pieropan Amarone della Valpolicella 2009 from Veneto, Italy; Australia’s Cullen Mangan East Block 2012 of Margaret River; and Benziger Family Chardonnay 2010 of Carneros, California; all are biodynamic wines from forward-thinking wineries with a view for agricultural sustainability.

If you’d like to try some of these biodynamic wines at Lewin Terrace, one of the best ways is to wait for Lewin Terrace’s “Full Moon Wine Party” which takes place every month on a full moon night featuring such natural biodynamic and biological wines. Otherwise just go for dinner – we hear Chef Keisuke’s a true culinary master who churns out some of the best French-Japanese fusion fare this side of the planet.

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