Cover Dave Chan, Happy Gan, Sankey Low, and Amanda Loh of DC Selections (Photo: Fady Younis)
Dave Chan, Happy Gan, Sankey Low, and Amanda Loh of DC Selections (Photo: Fady Younis)
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We speak to DC Selections' four-man team about their favourite pours to recommend and some unusual pairings with local dishes
I first met Dave Chan, Happy Gan, and Amanda Loh at a wine event hosted at Basic Wine Store. They enthusiastically showcase a selection of the wines DC Selections imports from its chosen producers. The “DC” in the company name is Chan’s initials, aptly so, as he handpicks every bottle the team decides to add to their portfolio. “Most times, we even visit the vineyard before bringing in the wines,” he tells me.
Chan developed an interest in wine 18 years ago and decided to start DC Selections because he strongly felt there were many notable wines Malaysia did not yet import.
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Above A selection of the team's favourite bottles
A selection of the team's favourite bottles
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His bubbly partner, Happy Gan, handles business development and runs the DC Selections' wine bar, D’s Wine Bar. “We began the physical bar as we wanted to interact with our customers and focus on education,” she enthuses. The other two members of the team are Amanda Loh, who maintains relationships with trade partners, and Sakey Low, who was not present when I first met the rest of the team and focuses on digital marketing.
The four experts and aficionados share some common misconceptions when it comes to wine, their hopes for the future, and more.
Above Sankey Low, Dave Chan, Happy Gan, and Amanda Loh
Sankey Low, Dave Chan, Happy Gan, and Amanda Loh
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What are some of your favourite bottles to drink or recommend?
Dave Chan: Champagne La Closerie, which is a grower Champagne—a winemaker who grows their own vines and takes care of the whole process from viticulture and winemaking to bottling. This means the producer can harvest at optimal ripeness and times. In comparison, big Champagne houses buy grapes, and produce millions of bottles.
We have one of the biggest grower Champagne portfolios in Malaysia, and I love how it can pair with our local food, from spicy dishes to dim sum and so on. I wish I could drink Champagne La Closerie everyday, but not many bottles are released. The bottles are not expensive, but the producer makes less than 10,000 bottles a year.
Happy Gan: Stella di Campalto has to be my number one wine. It is made by a female winemaker who listens to nature and chooses the path she wants rather than what society wants her to be. Typically, producers are afraid when the weather is too hot and dry, but she trusts her vines and puts immense love and care into them. She makes amazing wine, and during years when lots of crops are lost, she is still able to maintain a 70 per cent yield.
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Amanda Loh: One of the things that really attracted me to work at DC Selections was that they brought in Envinate, a really interesting Spanish producer farming from the Canary Islands. They are a group of four that farm from an abandoned volcanic area, and their main aim is to revive the vines there. The island is one of the few in the Old World region that has not been affected by phylloxera (sap-sucking insects that feed on and infect grapevines), meaning that the vines are super old.
Sankey Low: Gianni Brunelli, run by a female winemaker from Italy, which has aromatic and floral wines.
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What are some common misconceptions when it comes to wine?
HG: The deeper the punt (the crevice at the bottom of the wine bottle), the better it is. And that pinot noir has no taste!
AL: When I used to work in retail, customers would often ask for natural wines with no sulfites, as it would give them headaches. However, sulfites are naturally occurring in grapes and dried fruit, and added sulfites, which are minute, do not contribute to any side effects. If you’re getting headaches, you’re probably drinking too much or not hydrating enough.
SL: The screw cap wines are not good.
What are some wine/food pairings you can recommend?
DC: Roast duck and Paralian Grenache. We had a wine fair over Christmas, and opposite, there was a roast duck store that chef Chin Wong of Restaurant Shu KL said was the best in town. I bought some to take away, and started eating it with a glass of red wine I had on hand, and it was the perfect pairing.
AL: Envinate Migan and pork noodles! [Chan] brought us to a pork noodle place, which serves the noodles with pork liver, which paired so well with the smoky, earthy, savoury red.
HG: Red bean and rose mooncake paired with a Riesling Kabinett. Most people would not think to pair sweet wine with sweet food, rather pairing it with sour wines, but doing this actually brings out the sourness and unpleasant tastes.
SL: Dau si yu (fried dace with salted black beans) with pinot noir.
What are your hopes for the future?
DC: I hope to share our knowledge and recommendations to allow customers to get to know what their preferences are when it comes to wine.
HG: We hope for DC Selections to be the bridge between producers and drinkers, and showcase the effort and hard work producers put into the wines they are making.
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
