Response to the annual, three-week-long gastronomic event, which starts on Monday, has been rousing this year. About 60 per cent of the tickets have been snapped up since they became available mid-March.

Three other events have also sold out. They are an 80-seat foie gras dinner on April 19 at the Glasshouse, a private function space in Sentosa Cove run by the Sentosa Leisure Group, the dinner on April 25 cooked by three-Michelin-star French chef Anne-Sophie Pic at the Grand Hyatt for 120, and the Chateau de Beaucastel vintner dinner on April 24 for 80 people at the St Regis.

'Ticket sales have been very positive and it is slightly higher than the same period last year,' says Mr Peter Knipp, 53, director of Peter Knipp Holdings, which is the event organiser.

He adds: 'Tickets to the headlining dinner usually sell out several days before the event. This year, however, Anne-Sophie Pic's dinner is already fully booked more than three weeks in advance.'

With some 40 people on the wait list for Herme's masterclass on April 19, baking enthusiast Collin Chan, 19, is relieved that he secured a ticket to the event.

'I've been able to ogle Pierre Herme's pastries only online. The masterclass, however, allows me to not only watch the famous patissier cook, but also sample his creations,' says the national serviceman.

He adds: 'I recently bought Chocolate Desserts which Pierre Herme co-authored and I hope to have him autograph the cookbook at the session.'

Madam Clara Chan, 45, is similarly glad she bought tickets to the Pic dinner the day they went on sale as there are some 20 people on the wait list for the dinner.

'I've tried many times in previous years to make bookings for the dinners, but I was always too slow and they ended up being sold out,' says the housewife, who will be attending the dinner with her husband.

As to whether it was difficult to justify splurging $728 per person, she says: 'It's not every day one gets to eat the food cooked by a three-Michelin-star chef here.'

Despite the overwhelming response to these events, the organisers are unable to extend their duration or provide additional seating.

Mr Knipp says: 'Most of the invited chefs run their own restaurants back home so it is not easy for them to extend their limited stay here.

'Also, the chefs are comfortable serving a certain capacity of diners, so adding tables to the dinners is not possible.'

Other events that are selling out fast include a truffle dinner featuring the fungus by Pebeyre, a reputed French supplier, on April 22 and the Unilever culinary workshops with local chefs Emmanuel Stroobant, Sam Leong and Roberto Galetti.

Mr Shailesh Baidwan, vice-president of card and lending at American Express International, which has been sponsoring the event for five years, says: 'WGS is an excellent lifestyle feast for local gourmet and wine lovers and it fits well with Singapore's aspiration to become the region's lifestyle hub.'

Mr Knipp adds: 'Ticket sales typically pick up four days before each specific event. Given the positive take-up so far, I believe that attendance at this year's WGS will be higher than previous years.'