John Chua, Wine & Food Consultant

JOHN CHUA LIAT KHIANG

Wine & Food Consultant

email: askjohn(at)sevenoakswines(dot)com


John Chua is President of Chinelli Consultancy and holder of numerous international wine certificates.

In 1991, John created the first-ever Wine Appreciation Group and then, in 1994, the Air Sommelier Club for Singapore Airlines during his working years with the company. To date, he has trained 27 fully-qualified sommeliers to deliver first-class wine service board Singapore Airlines' international routes.

John was named “Wine Personality of the Year” by The Wine Review in June 1994. This is an industry award that recognises the contributions of a person who has made wine – whether in the shape of a bottle or as a topic of discussion – more accessible to the public.

John’s objective now is to be an advisor and consultant to wine producers, retailers and airline tenderers for their products throughout Asia. He is currently working with travel companies on wine educational tours, as well as wine and golf tours. As a freelance consultant, he is able to source the very best in terms of food and wine, throughout the world.
In 1996, John was inducted into the International Wine Judging Panel, judging in these wine competitions, around the world.
  • Wine Competition at Selections Mondiales, Montreal, Canada (1996, 1998)
  • Wine Competition at Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles, Belgium (1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005), Lisboa (2006), Maastricht (2007), Bordeaux (2008)
  • China Wine & Spirits Competition, Shanghai/Beijing (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006)
  • Catad’Or Hyatt, Chile (2001); Chile/Argentina (2007), Chile (John also presented a seminar on “The Harmony of Chinese Gastronomy with Chilean Wines” for Chilean wine producers and journalists in Santiago / Argentina (2008)
  • Mondial du Pinot Noir by VINEA, Sierre, Switzerland (2001 & 2003)
  • Co-Chairman, Malaysian Winex-1 (Wine Judging in KL) (2002)
  • Mundus Vini Internationale Weinakademie Gmbh in Neustadt, Germany (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007)
  • Michelangelo International Wine Awards, South Africa (2004)
  • Spirits and Wines Asia 2005 (SAWA 2005). Wine & Dine Magazine, Singapore
  • Chief Judge, Wine Style Asia Award Judging Competition, Singapore (2005, 2006 & 2007).
  • Korean Wine Challenge, Seoul (February 2007, 2008).
  • Sydney International Wine Competition (2007).
John was a wine consultant for Laguna National Golf and Country Club from March 2003 to March 2004. In this role, he developed staff knowledge on wines and service skills and conducted Wine & Dine Appreciation sessions for club members.

Airlines
During the first 6 months of 2005, he did wine consultancy and F&B training programme for Jet Airways, an international airline based in Mumbai, India. He created the wine, liquor, liqueur and cocktail lists for their in-flight service. Developed and trained the Cabin Crew in wine/liquor/liqueur/cocktail knowledge and service skills.
He is presently invited as a guest lecturer for Service Quality (SQ) Centre for wine/liquor/cocktail and service skills training for airlines. He has developed such a programme to train the Azerbaijan Airlines Cabin Crew in August 2006.

In SHATEC, John would be invited to provide specialised training for the trade for certification of WSET Advanced Wine Course.

He is presently the wine consultant for Jurong Country Club, responsible for their wine listing, developing staff on wine knowledge and service skills and, conducts wine & dine appreciation for club members. Concurrently, he is regularly invited to conduct wine appreciation and Wine & Dine programmes for members of Singapore Island Country Club, Sentosa Golf Club and IBM Wine Club.

Wine Tour Specialist
John have conducted numerous tours for SIA Cabin Crew Wine Appreciation Group/Sommelier Group and small group of wine enthusiasts to wine regions in European countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain. His objective is to share his knowledge and hands-on experience on viniculture and local cuisines and make it a rewarding and an enriching experience for those on the tour.

John’s Other Wine Qualifications and Credentials:


Lecturer

Accredited lecturer for l’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wine School) for Southeast Asia.

Lecturer for SOPEXA. Conducts wine talks for the trade and industry in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Resident Wine Judge

Evaluates trainee sommelier’s skills for Singapore Hotel Training and Educational Centre/Australia Wine Education Award.

Commandeur and Chevalier

Commended in 1990 and 1994 by the Association Internationale des Maitre Conseils en Gastronomie Francaise for his contribution to French Wine & Food industry.

Panel Member

Member of wine & food-tasting panel for magazines like Wine & Dine and Appetite in Singapore.

Diplomas

German Wine Academy (1982).

Institute Internationale des Vins de Bordeaux (1983)

Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (1984)

Certificate of Appreciation

Awarded by California Wine Institute (1986) for contributions rendered to increasing interest and appreciation of Californian wines.http://www.sevenoakswines.com/index/partners/AS2008logo-small.jpg

Advanced Certificate (Distinction)

Wine and Spirit Education Trust, England (2003).

Member

Inducted into the Jurade de Saint Emilion (1999).

Chevalier

La Confrerie des Maistres-Vignerons de Vacqueyras (2005).

Member

Confrerie de la truffle du Mont Ventoux et du Comtat Venaissin (2005).

Advisor On Sommeliership for Association of Bartenders & Sommeliers, Singapore (ABSS).


Advisor/Winemaker Sevenoaks and ArtWine Group