Orchard Wine Shop With 1,000 Labels: 1855 The Bottle Shop

1855 The Bottle Shop calls itself Singapore's leading specialist wine and spirit retailer, and its Paragon branch is the one most Orchard Road shoppers pass. It is at 290 Orchard Road, #B1-13 Paragon, Singapore 238859, on the mall's basement level. With more than 1,000 labels across the chain and long opening hours every day, it is a practical place to buy wine for a Christmas dinner or a corporate gift between other errands on Orchard Road.

The shop's credentials come from the trade press. It won Singapore Tatler's Best Wine Retailer award three years in a row, from 2017 to 2019. The range runs to more than 1,000 premium labels, from Bordeaux and Burgundy to New World wines and spirits. It also sells wine accessories, including Coravin systems and Riedel glassware, which makes it a one-stop shop for a gift.

The chain has grown across the island. Besides Paragon, there are branches at ION Orchard, Marina Bay Sands, Marina One, Suntec City, i12 Katong and Sixth Avenue. The Marina Bay Sands shop is styled like a library and holds the rarest bottles, but Paragon is easier to reach for most people shopping on Orchard Road.

The shop's best-value list has some strong picks. Alheit Cartology Western Cape Chenin Blanc 2023 costs S$74, a white from Chris and Suzaan Alheit's much-praised Cape winery. It has the richness to stand up to a roast or a cheese course. Burn Cottage Sauvage Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 from Central Otago in New Zealand is S$89, a light, perfumed red that suits turkey, duck or salmon.

For Bordeaux lovers, Annonce de Belair-Monange 2020 from Saint-Émilion is S$108, the second wine of a top estate at a fraction of its price. Baronesa P. by Baron Philippe de Rothschild 2019 is S$118, a Chilean red from the family behind Mouton Rothschild, which suits steak or a slow-cooked beef dish.

If the festive dinner calls for something grand, Alter Ego de Palmer Margaux 2020 costs S$185. It is the second wine of Château Palmer, one of the most famous estates in Margaux, and the 2020 vintage was widely praised. It is the bottle to open with a Christmas roast of beef or lamb, and it will also keep for a few more years if you want to give it as a gift.

For larger collections and rare vintages, the staff can point you to the Marina Bay Sands branch. Paragon is the easier stop for a quick festive purchase, especially if you are already shopping on Orchard Road.

A simple way to shop for the holidays here is to build one mixed case from the bottles above. Two bottles of the Chenin Blanc for starters and seafood, two of the Burn Cottage Pinot Noir for turkey or duck, two of the Saint-Émilion for red meat, and one bottle of Alter Ego for the main event covers a full Christmas dinner and a couple of smaller gatherings. Add a few bottles of fizz for arrivals and toasts.

The total comfortably passes the S$200 free shipping threshold, so you can have it delivered rather than carrying heavy bags through the mall. If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner in late November, buy the same way, with a little more white wine for the side dishes.

Because the shop also stocks Coravin systems and Riedel glassware, it is useful when a bottle alone feels too small as a present. A Coravin lets a wine lover pour a single glass without pulling the cork, which suits someone who likes to open good bottles slowly. A pair of Riedel glasses with a bottle of Burgundy or Bordeaux makes a neat gift for a colleague or a host.

The company runs wine dinners with producers at restaurants in the city, and the autumn calendar has been busy. A Domaine Roux dinner is set for Monday 26 October 2026 at 7pm at JADE in The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. Earlier this month, a Franck Bonville Champagne dinner at Madame Fan in The NCO Club sold out, and September brought two more.

These dinners are a way to taste the shop's wines with food before buying for the holidays. Tickets are sold on the shop's website, and popular ones go quickly, so look early if you want to join one before the end of the year. The shop also runs a membership programme called Club 1855.

For bulk orders, free shipping applies once you spend S$200, which is easy to reach with a few bottles. Normal deliveries run from Monday to Friday between 12pm and 6pm, excluding public holidays. With Christmas Day and New Year's Day both public holidays, order well before the last week of December if you want the wine to arrive in time.

For corporate gifts, the Paragon shop is a convenient place to choose in person and see the bottles before you commit to a large order. Tell the staff your budget per gift, and they can suggest bottles that look and taste the part.

Paragon sits in the middle of Orchard Road, between Orchard and Somerset MRT stations on the North-South Line. Both are an easy walk. In the run-up to Christmas, the length of Orchard Road is decorated with lights, and an evening stroll from one end to the other is part of the festive season for many Singapore families.

For a quieter detour, walk a few minutes east to Emerald Hill, a short street of restored Peranakan shophouses with ornate tiles and wooden shutters. At its foot, a few bars and cafés make a good stop before or after shopping, and the street is a calm contrast to the malls on either side.

1855 The Bottle Shop, 290 Orchard Road, #B1-13 Paragon, Singapore 238859. Opening hours are Monday to Sunday 10am to 9:30pm. The nearest MRT stations are Orchard and Somerset on the North-South Line. Free shipping applies to orders of S$200 or more, and deliveries run Monday to Friday between 12pm and 6pm. The Domaine Roux dinner at JADE is on 26 October at 7pm.