Features
Potager's World-Class Wine Programme
As the dining scene in Kuala Lumpur evolves, head sommeliers play an undeniable role in upholding these standards.
15 October 2026
Chin Voon Ping, also known as VP, is the Head Sommelier of Potager since 2025. (Photo Credit: Adrian Fong for AWR)
A large part of wine programmes in fine dining concepts are often determined by what their Wine Director or Head Sommelier personally enjoys instead of what is actually suitable for the concept.
Potager, having watched their wine programme from their opening till now, successfully bucked this trend. Sitting in the heart of Bamboo Hills in Kuala Lumpur, the entrance of Potager is a statement of its own. Pushing open its heavy architectural front door feels less like entering a restaurant and more like stepping into a serious, uncompromising sanctuary of food and wine.
It is little surprise, because Potager’s Head Sommelier Chin Voon Ping (also more affectionately known as VP), is as grounded as his wine list proves to be.
In his last four years as a sommelier, VP has worked across concepts in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore the likes of Brasserie Astoria and DC Restaurant, before taking over the 550 label wine cellar at Potager in 2025.
“A wine does not need to be famous or expensive to deserve a place on our list,” shares VP. “It needs character and integrity.”
Wines that appears on the list of Potager are not plucked from thin air, or at the sommelier’s whim. Wine pairing begins at the stage of dish development. Executive Chef Masashi Horiuchi would discuss his ingredients, techniques and flavours over several conversations with VP.
The process of a dish creation and wine pairing boils down to the smallest detail. “As dishes evolve, even small changes in seasoning or sauce can alter the pairing, so we continually taste and refine until both elements bring out the best in each other,” shares VP.
VP views Potager’s wine programme as an extension of the kitchen’s philosophy: origin, craftsmanship, and individuality. From the kitchen of Chef Masashi to the cellar curated by VP, the key focus of Potager centres around “celebrating the hands that laboured”.
