Exquisite wines and gourmet foods at FairPrice Finest CentrePoint

FairPrice Finest is taking its offerings up a notch at its new Centrepoint outlet, with a wide range of exquisite wines and gourmet foods from renowned brands around the world.

There is an in-store bar where customers can combine wining and dining with their grocery shopping. Personalised services at the meat, seafood, deli and cheese counters are available to assist shoppers.

You can even try an exclusive cocktail, made just for the venue.

Here are some of the highlights.

THE GROCER BAR

The spirit library has a wide assortment of alcoholic drinks, with a bigger range of premium-tier spirits and wine at The Centrepoint.

The Grocer Bar will have an on-site bartender to serve fresh alcoholic cocktails, premium tap beer, and snacks, including hot deli, cheese platters and oysters.

And there is the exclusive signature cocktail named “The Centrepoint”.

The store offers shelf-to-table services, which means customers can pick any wine from the shelves to be opened and consumed at the bar. Glasses will be provided for a flat service charge.

The craft beer on tap is by RedDot, with drinks such as Monster Green, a green spirulina infused lager or Yuzu Craze Pilsner, which has a malt, light, clean and crisp feel to it.

WINE IT UP

At this event, running at FairPrice Finest at The Centrepoint till Wednesday (Sept 7), customers receive two pours of wine, a $15 cheese platter, half a dozen oysters and assorted snacks.

For Just Wine Club (JWC) members this is $30 and for others it is $60.

However, if you sign up for a one-year JWC membership for $20, you get to attend this event for a total of $50, saving $10. And you also get the perks of being a JWC member in future wine promos.

There will be free wine tasting sessions with connoisseur Ch’ng Poh Tiong on Friday (Sept 2) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm, and Saturday (Sept 3) at 4pm, 5pm and 6pm.

Customers can sign up for this at the Centrepoint store.

The event is limited to 10 customers for each session, on a first-come-first-served basis.

CHEESE COUNTER

The store includes a manned counter with cut cheese and charcuterie services.

Cheese platters are available at $15, $25 and $45.

Prefixed for easy selection, these come with the pairings such as crackers, olives, nuts and salami, along with seasonal fruits.

Alternatively, customers can select and build their own cheese/cold cut platter, with add-on pairings available at $4, $5 and $6, inclusive of the packaging.

SEAFOOD BAY – LIVE SEAFOOD TANK

The Centrepoint store has a three-tier live seafood tank with an assortment of Canadian oysters, abalone and Boston lobsters.

With shucking services available, customers can select the oysters they would like to have on site at The Grocer Bar.

Service staff can shuck the oysters on the spot, to be delivered to you at the lounge area, to go with an alcoholic drink of your choice.

DELI/MEAT SECTION

At the delicatessen area, aside from the usual ready-to-eat meat, the store offers a range of premium meat cuts.

The manned counter has various beef cuts available, ranging from mid- to high-tier.

It even offers ageing services. Customers can request ageing for up to 30 days, with a service charge of $1/100g.

LUXURY CONCIERGE

FairPrice Finest at The Centrepoint has service ambassadors who can help if customers need any recommendations. For example, if a customer needs to hold a BBQ event, the service ambassadors can make recommendations based on the requirements and budget given.

For product enquiries and reservations, customers can call the concierge counter.

Gift baskets are available and the service ambassadors can help to curate items suitable for the occasion and pack the basket.

Gift baskets start from $80, with both self-collection and delivery available.

The store is also introducing new gift packaging. Instead of the usual cane basket, the selected items are packed in a box with a premium look. It has a see-through cover that shows the items inside.

Here are some of the product promotions at the new store.

Chateau La Conseillante 2017 750ml

Usual price $390, on sale for $320 till Sept 13.

La Conseillante, as an estate, boasts certain exceptional features.

Firstly, its location is unique, in the Pomerol appellation landscape where it enjoys an original mix of soils and sub-soils.

Secondly, the wines of La Conseillante, through faithful expression of the place where the grapes are grown and the meticulous attention lavished on them, are easily recognised by wine lovers.

Vintage after vintage, La Conseillante’s wines are eagerly sought-after and appreciated for their extreme finesse and soft texture and their characteristic intense bouquet expressing notes of violets and truffles.

Chateau Cos D’Estournel 2014 750ml

Usual price $343, on sale for $280 till Sept 13.

This blend of 65 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 per cent Merlot and 2 per cent Cabernet Franc has a deep garnet-purple colour, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore.

Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, and a long savoury finish.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2009 750ml

Usual price $2,701, on sale for $1,900 till Sept 13.

The deep garnet coloured 2009 Lafite Rothschild bursts from the glass with red and black currant preserves, warm plums, mulberries and kirsch scents plus suggestions of sweaty leather, cigar box and menthol.

Medium-bodied, elegant and firmly structured, it has wonderful freshness and a long earthy/meaty finish.

Martell Noblige SG City Limited Edition 700ml

Usual price $228, on sale for $208 till Sept 13.

This is a masculine and elegant cognac. All Martell cognacs are distilled exclusively from clear wines, cleared from all sediments, which gives them their unparalleled finesse and roundness.

Martell Noblige cradles a selection of more than 70 eaux-de-vie from the most prestigious crus of Cognac.

Thanks to its fruity and spicy aromas, Martell Noblige is perfectly served in cocktails. It can also be enjoyed neat, over ice or in long drinks.

The sleek shape of its transparent bottle gives Martell Noblige a contemporary design which carries strong cues of elegance and sophistication.

Chivas XV Balmain 700ml

Usual price $170, on sale for $158 till Sept 13.

The Chivas XV is selectively finished in French cognac casks, making it the natural partner to luxury French fashion house Balmain.

Chivas XV is aged for 15 years, bringing rich and fruity flavours of sultanas, warm cinnamon and butterscotch to the palate.

It comes in a limited edition bottle.

Serious Popcorn 70g-100g Sea Salt/Dark Chocolate Drizzle/Sweet & Salty/Real Butter/Salted Caramel

Usual price $4.35-$5.45, on sale for $3.55-$4.65 till Sept 14.

Serious Popcorn is a light and healthy snack made from organic corn, popped by hand and seasoned to perfection.

No refined sugar, artificial colourings, flavours or preservatives are used. And it is gluten free.

HoneyWorld Mānuka UMF10+ lollipops 12pcs Orange/Grape

Usual price $16.80, buy-one-get-one-free offer valid till Sept 30.

HoneyWorld Orange/Grape flavour lollipops combine the goodness of premium Mānuka UMF 10+ and organic ingredients.

Each lollipop is individually wrapped and packed into a pouch for hygiene.

The UMF rating system independently certifies natural components found in Mānuka honey to assure potency, purity, authenticity and freshness.

Traditional Cheese Co Irish Whiskey Cheddar

$13.70 per pack.

This Irish Cheddar with Whiskey is made with the finest ingredients, says the company.

The milk that goes into the making of the cheese is produced by cows grazing on green and lush pastures all year round.

Tartufi Jimmy Summer Truffle Whole 50g

$34 per bottle. Redeem a free bottle of Tartufi Jimmy Truffle Pasta Sauce 180g worth $8.50 with every purchase till Sept 30, while stocks last.

This is first-quality Black Summer Truffle carefully selected and preserved in water. It is said to be the most used truffle in the Italian culinary tradition, and is very versatile, thanks to its delicate taste that goes with any recipe.

It is ideal for the preparation of filled pasta, meat rolls and sauces for pasta dishes or simply in thin strips for bruschetta.

Autentica Organic Baby Spinach / Mesclun mix / Wild Rocket 125g

$5.30 per pack. Mix and match, and buy one, get one free, till Sept 6.

The wild lettuce from Italy, with long, straight soft green leaves and a dark red stem, is particularly nutritious and known for cancer fighting properties.

Wild rocket has a slightly rougher texture, and its flavour is a little more peppery.

Typically eaten raw in salads, wraps and sandwiches, it can also be lightly steamed or tossed through pasta, risotto and frittata or served on top of gourmet pizza.

The primary characteristic of mesclun is that it includes a diverse mixture of greens, and as they are young, they tend to be extremely tender and often highly flavorful.

Mesclun can include endive, chicory, frisee, dandelion greens, lettuce, spinach, sorrel, chard , mustard , arugula , radicchio, chervil, and many more.

In addition to being flavorful and interesting, this includes a rich selection of useful dietary minerals and vitamins.

Autentica is greenhouse-grown and flown in. It provides premium quality at an affordable price for the local consumer.

Mariner’s Choice USA Scallops 363g

Usual price $23.45, on sale for $16.95 till Sept 7.

These scallops are wild caught and fleet harvested from the icy pure waters of the North Atlantic.

Freshly frozen, Mariner’s Choice Scallops are easy to prepare and can be used in a variety of dishes from appetisers to centre-of-the-plate options.

The Mariner’s Choice brand is for customers who want quality scallops - lightly processed and quick frozen - at an affordable price.