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What's New
May 11, 2008
First Ever Rating of Indian Wines: The Red Winners
Last week Sommelier India published the ratings of the white wines from Steven Spurrier. This week the ratings of the Reds are being published. Among the Cabernet Sauvignons Vins & Vouloir 2007 came in first followed by Sula Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2007 and Seagrams Nine Hills 2007. Seagrams Nine Hills was the winning red at the Indian Wine Challenge. Read on for the results.
Masala Art at The Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, is arguably the best place in town for wine enthusiasts who love Indian food. With a wine list comprising 408 labels (several available by the glass) and a light, youthful take on traditional, North Indian cuisine, it is ideal for wine matches. A bright, cheerful restaurant with 22 covers, it’s a great favourite with visiting businessmen and professionals who enjoy a glass or two of wine with a nicely presented meal.
As always the Barole of Honour Wine Tasting was meticulously organised by Sanjay Menon, along with a detailed booklet describing the extraordinary wines supported by background information and maps of the region which was of great value. The presentation was clear, punctuated by interesting anecdotes and personal commentary. The audience, in turn, was informed and appreciative.
India's Heavy Duties on Alcohol Under Attack Again
The saga over alcohol tariffs in India continues with the Scottish Whiskey Assocation (SWA) complaining to Indian officials over the duties levied on imported spirits across India. Last year the Scottish industry, won a 20-year battle against the tariff system forcing the central government to lower taxes from 550 percent to 150 percent.
The SWA is complaining that the ruling is being flouted by new levies being imposed by individual states reports the Times of London.
Michel Rolland on Grover and the Indian Wine Market
The influential Bordeaux oenologist, Michel Rolland was in Bangalore recently for his annual visit to Grover Vineyards. Sommelier India interviewed Rolland and found his comments that India makes much better quality wine compared to the cheap international wines encouraging.
The Economic Times is reporting that Zampa wines from Valle de vin, Deepak Roy's 35-acre vineyard on the periphery of Nashik. are set to launch soon. Most interesting is the direct response initiative which is the first of its kind in the business. Mr. Roy picked up a select group of wine connoisseurs, about 1,000 of them and sent a miniature wooden cask filled with varietal wines from his vineyard. This followed with a couple of bottles of red and white wines. Mr Roy is heading the Kishore Chhabria group company which produces Officer’s Choice whisky.
The portfolio includes Zampa white of Chenin Blanc, Zampa Red of Shiraz, sparkling rose wine, sparkling red wine of cabernet sauvignon, etc. Prices range from Rs 600-650.Read the whole story here.
Maharashtra has recorded a 60% growth in its wine production over the last year. The state continues to dominate the country's wine industry, producing 94% of India's grape wine. According to the Times of India which reported the story, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's (MIDC) department of wine production show that 2.11 crore litres of wine were produced across the state's 57 wineries this year, as compared to the 1.32 crore litres produced last year. This represents an annual growth rate of 40%.
The state's total investment in wine-making is around Rs. 328 crore and close to 8,000 acres of land are now under cultivation for wine production. Read the Times of India story for more information.
Do you know a vertical tasting from a horizontal one?
In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted all at once. This emphasizes differences between various vintages. In contrast with a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles.
Releasing the manual “Alcohol Atlas of India” prepared by the Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA), the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss asked the media to create awareness about the adverse social, economic and medical effects of alcohol abuse among the masses. He said the reach of media has multiplied manifold and this issue should form an important agenda of the media.
Some of the highlights - women are catching up with men in alcohol consumption and Indians have an average of five drinks per sitting. The Health Minister's speech is published in its entirety after the jump.
In the latest issue, Steven Spurrier who is a living legend in wine circles around the world, tastes and scores Indian wines. Beware, the results may surprise. Jancis Robinson tries to understand why the Chinese are so fascinated with Lafite among all the first growths. It begs the question, will India develop a special relationship with one of the first growths too? And will that be Lafite?
Inder Raj Ahluwalia takes the reader on a journey to Barossa, the famous wine region of South Australia while Alok Chandra interviews South Australia's premier in an exclusive for Sommelier India.
Raghu Bahadur shares with us his experiences in shopping for wine in the Arabian Gulf and India. Not surprisingly, he finds shopping for liquor an uphill task. Robert Joseph of the Indian Wine Challenge fame, contemplates the impact of global warming on the future of wine and Janaki Bahadur visits Madhu Jaffrey to discover her secrets of success. And if that wasn't enough to read, Brinda Gill interviews Jean-Manuel Jacquinot, food columnist Preah Narang adds flavor and Michele Shah discusses her favorite Tuscans in the new vintage.
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At a tasting of over 40 wines from 11 wineries organized by Rajeev Samant of Sula, Indian wines were rated in a first ever tasting by the famous British wine writer and taster, Steven Spurrier. “It was a unique experience for me,” writes Spurrier in the latest issue of Sommelier India, May/June 2008.
Read the whole story in print. SI is available by subscription and at select locations, including Oberoi Hotel bookshops country wide and at select Taj Hotel bookshops. Meanwhile, given below are the scores on a 20 point scale and Spurrier’s tasting notes for the white wines: 10 = bad; 11 = poor; 12 = mediocre; 13 = acceptable; 14 = fair; 15 = good; 16 = good+; 17 = very good; 18 = very good+; 19 = excellent; 20 = superb.
Watch the blog for tasting notes and scores for the red and rose wines to be published next week. Below are the tasting notes for the whites with Sula's Chenin Blanc doing the best.
Robert Parker has finally released his scores for the Bordeaux 2007 vintage. And his scores aren't going to bring much joy to the Bordeaux En Primeur community. He awarded only three wines 100 points, all of them white wines and among the reds only four got 95 points. With the whites Chateaux Pape Clement Blanc and Haut-Brion Blanc received 96-100 points while Climens was awarded 98-100 points.
Indigo receives Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator
Indigo, a standalone restaurant in Mumbai has been listed among the top five best restaurants in India, as part of San Pellegrino’s World’s Best restaurants 2008 New Regional Recommendations. It also won an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, for the 8th year in a row.
KBR School of Wine conducts the first of WSET Examinations
Seventeen wine enthusiasts sat for an examination on Saturday, the 29th of March ’08 in Mumbai. The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) of UK offers the world’s most comprehensive and contemporary Wine Education Programmes. The good news is that KBR School of Wine is the only wine school in the country to be affiliated and associated with WSET and they offer these courses nation wide. Currently, KBR offers two levels of the WSET courses: Foundation Level I and Intermediate Level II.
