Are footballers overpaid these days?
Definitely a lot of people would say that the football players are overpaid these days. However, football is ultimately a global game and footballers do have a short career span.

How has the English Premier League changed in the past decade or so?
The premier league has changed in a few ways. I think the game is quicker, the players are true athletes and the media coverage is huge. I'm not sure if all these have made the league any better but it is still the most exciting league in the world.

Has technology dampened the spirit of the game in any way?
No, I don't think technology has ruined the game at all. The game is still hugely entertaining and captivating for millions of people.

Do you get more criticism now as a football pundit?
No, I don't really get criticism as a pundit. Everyone’s very friendly.

What was the least memorable moment in your career?
Probably the worst thing that happened was my knee injury at Leeds that put me out for a year.

On the flipside, what’s the highest point in your footballing career?
I had a few high points so it's hard to pick one out. The Cup Winners Cup final was amazing as was my hat-trick at arsenal.  Another moment was winning the title for the first time and my first England cap. To be a part of a great winning team was awesome.

To you, why is football the most beautiful game in the world?
Football is a great game, both to watch and be a part of.  It brings people together and bonds people as fans. The dressing room is an amazing place to be, and playing it tests you in every department – whether mentally or physically. You really have to be part of the team.

How are you keeping fit these days?
[Chuckling] I am planning on a new exercise routine. It’s not enough for keeping fit but I’m playing lots of golf which is a bit of an obsession.

What do you think of clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea and so on that are washed with money?
The clubs that bring lots of money to the table are just creating new challenges. It proves after last season that it doesn't necessarily buy you success but it certainly helps. You still need a top manager and a group of players that bond and play well together.

What are you most looking forward to about playing in the masters football sixes?
I'm looking forward to meeting up with my old mates and playing competitive football. No matter how old and fat we are we all still having that 'want to win' mentality.

How do you think these kind of tournaments help build interest in the game?
These tournaments are great for fans to meet some of their favorite players and for the clubs to build relationships. Like I said before, it's a global game and fans and clubs need tournaments like this one to keep growing and prosper.

Catch Lee Sharpe and other footballing legends in the IG MastersFootball 6's Singapore Cup happening on October 20 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Purchase your tickets on SISTIC.

How did you get remotely interested in the sport?
I chanced upon a DVD at the night market and wondering what this Brazilian jujitsu was all about. I also watched the World Wrestling Federation with my dad and it all came together after that.

Any fears before entering the ring?
By training hard, I don’t’ worry about getting injured. I have a gameplan such as keeping the opponent away and ensuring my guards are up. These days, I think more about my fight strategy and calming myself down. So there are different phases of thought. I haven’t suffered any major injuries except for the whiplash that prevented me from debuting last year.

Do you prefer sizing up your opponent first or just focusing on yourself?
I have no preference. He’s only human. I know he’s trying to kill me but I’ll just focus on what I’m going to do to him.

How's your diet?
I’m currently doing a paleo diet—mimicking how a caveman would eat. I try to eat unprocessed and raw food as it’s for my longevity as well.

The fightcard says you’re up against Alex Lim from Malaysia. What do you know about him?
He’s pretty experienced in striking, especially with his accolades in muay thai and boxing. I can expect him to throw punches at me and so he’s dangerous. But overall, I think I’ll win.

How's the fairer sex doing in the professional fighting scene?
In the scene, it's still like a baby. I know quite a lot of female fighters in Singapore and they’re just waiting for the opportunity to break through. I’ve wrestled with girls in my gym and they’re really technical with their approach. When it comes to fighting women, it’s different, they tend to go all out and their cardio levels are high whereas men are a little more cautious and reserved. We have good female fighters around the region as well and they tend to be good grapplers with wrestling or jujitsu backgrounds. 

Have you been getting a lot of attention from the ground?
I’ve been getting a lot of texts and messages on facebook from old friends who’re surprised at my status at the moment! That aside, I’m just trying to balance the time between training and the media coverage.

Are you single? Any weird overtures from your female fandom?
Yes I am. Well so far, there hasn’t been any. Many of my fans are old friends and they still know me as the goofy Juan.

What happens during the off-season?
I still train but it's more relaxed. I can go ahead and have some pizza and some of my favorite burgers. I’m pretty ordinary actually—I hang out in clubs with my friends, watch movies and go for buffets.

You definitely won’t have trouble defending yourself in clubs in the case of a fight…
[laughs] My friends actually train together with me. We spar together and sit around talking about training methods.

How do you finish off a day?
A good dinner, beer and a movie will be great.

What do your parents think about you in MMA?
They weren’t supportive at first but now they’re okay with things. The good results lessened their worries!

What do you think of the paper chase in Singapore?
Singaporeans in general are spoilt for choices. We’re relatively smart because of the kiasu spirit that drives us in self-preservation and sustenance. We're great with backup plans but everything revolves around the dollar.

What is happiness to you?
I see an old couple walking down the street and I think that’s happiness.

Catch Juan Wei Jie in action at ONE Fighting Championship: Total Domination taking place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. October 18. 7pm. TIckets from $38-$148 from Sistic. 

What inspired the latest Sauvignon Blanc?
The 2013 vineyard blocks showed great natural fruit palate weight and intensity. So we kept the 2013 on the dry side, focusing on balance. The rich concentrated palate is balanced with a natural freshness.

What food would you pair with the new Sauvignon Blanc?
The 2013 goes extremely well with any seafood dish. The most recent stand out match I had was a Marlborough salmon fillet which had been sous vide in olive oil. The natural freshness really cut through the oiliness of the salmon.

When did you realize you wanted to be a wine maker?
I grew up on a fruit orchard in New Zealand so always understood the concept of growing seasons. From my university days I was always interested in trying new wines so after completing a biochemistry degree at university, winemaking was a given for me.

How do New Zealand wines compare with Old World wines?
We have very young vines still in New Zealand—the oldest being around 30 years. Our style in Marlborough is definitely lively, fresh, crisp, natural wines.

What is your absolute favorite thing to drink and why?
Champagne. It is both delicious and ceremonial.

If you were a wine, what would you be? 
A Champagne—bubbly with great ageability.

What's next for Cloudy Bay?
We are currently building a new wine cellar at the winery specifically designed for pinot noir wine making. It will be ready for the 2015 harvest. 

Sarah Burton's Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is available at Cold Storage.

What have you got planned for the Margaret River Gourmet Escape?
We’re hosting dinner with Aussie celeb chefs like Tetsuya Wakuda and five panel discussion brunches. People can get up close with well known chefs including Heston Blumenthal from The Fat Duck and Alex Atala from award-winning Brazilian restaurant D.O.M.

What’s special about Margaret River wines?
The climate and soil allow white wines retain natural acidity and freshness, while the red wines develop superb tannin structure.

Where do you go for Margaret River wines in Singapore?
Sky on 57—they have a great view.

While at Margaret River for the Gourmet Escape, what else can visitors do?
Get out and explore the natural beauty of the region. Drive and walk through the Boranup forest, explore a cave and get your feet wet on our beaches.

Travis Lemm will be at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape.

Other Asian Wine Festivals...

OCT 31-NOV 3
Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
Visit more than 300 international food and wine booths at a convenient waterfront venue.

OCT 31-NOV 3
Singapore Wine Fiesta 2013
Singapore's largest outdoor wine fair features more than 200 wines and 60 winemakers.

How did you get into coffee?
I've always loved coffee. I lived for quite a few years in Melbourne, the States and Italy. So it was interesting to see how each country does coffee slightly differently. Before starting Bettr Barista Coffee Academy, I'd been running my own web consultancy for 10 years and I thought "why not use my business skills to help people?" It’s senseless to make money and not do anything with it. We started in November 2011.

How did you come up with the idea for #BettrWeek?
We started last year and the idea was to have series of curated events celebrating living, doing and being better. We are after all a social enterprise. The event includes coffee crawls, workshops and dinners, and proceeds benefit disadvantaged women.

What’s new at this year’s event?
Last year’s focus was coffee, so this year, we wanted to branch out and include craft cooking and baking. We’re also spotlighting women crafters—they aren’t given enough publicity. Since we seek to help marginalized women, it falls in line with what we do. Our beneficiary this year is Bukit Ho Swee Family Centre.

What are some highlights?
We have Buy-A-Meal, Give-A-Meal, a pop-up fundraising dinner catered by an all-female team of chefs. I was already friends with the ladies: Shen Tan of PizzaX, Jasmine Cheah of GastroGig, Luan Ee of Kerbside Gourmet, and Daphane Loke of Saybons. So it made sense to get them together. We wanted to hold it at a quirky sort of place and The Training Shed is not quite on most people’s radars. Fingers crossed it doesn’t rain. But if it does, we have a rain plan: a rain dance and tents.

What else does the Bettr Barista Coffee Academy do?
We have a Bettr Cafe@*SCAPE. It’s small and serves the start-up community in the area. Our coffee crawls also start from the cafe and you can pick up our coffee crawl guide there. The guide was a big hit last year and we don’t charge money for it. This year, there are some new cafes in the guide like Dutch Colony at PasarBella. It catergorizes the coffee places by region like “The East” and “In Town”. Many of the cafes are actually run by alums of our coffee program.

What’s special about your coffee?
We roast all our own coffee and co-buy with other roasters. We also have a direct relationship with a farm in Panama.

How does the coffee crawl work?
It’s free and easy. Just grab the guide at *SCAPE and start whenever you want. There are nine places in total, so you can either have nine cups all at one go, or space out your coffee consumption. One lone person can do it, but you can also gather a group.

Pamela Chng runs Bettr Cafe@*SCAPE.