Robert Parker's newsletter, The Wine Advocate recently featured the 2000 Lungarotti San Giorgio Vino da Tavola Umbria and the 2001 Lungarotti Rubesco Rosso di Torgiano giving them 91 points and 87 points respectively. These wines are distributed by Sovereign Impex in India and are available in major hotels and restaurants across the country.
'The Chancery Pavilion' is a new five star business hotel that's opened in Banglore. It is positioned as a contemporary, chic, five star tech-savvy business hotel where guests can recharge, repose and reflect according to an article in the Hindustan Times. But most interestingly, the hotel includes a Wine and Cheese Lounge.
If you're looking for a place in Bombay (Mumbai) to buy wine, surf over to Bombay Cakes. You can now buy your wine online and have it delivered directly to your doorstop or to a friend's if it is a gift. You can also reach them by calling +91.22.24942116.
It is no surprise that Indian wine makers are aggressively targeting the US and UK markets for their wines. A report from the Internatioanl Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) claims that the US and UK markets are the fastest growing. In fact, the US market is expected to overtake the French market as the world's biggest wine drinking nation within three years.
Even though the Bordeaux elite has resisted the celebration of the legencdary 1976 Paris Tasting, plans are afoot for the event to happen as scheduled but in London this time. The event will be a blind tasting of the best of French and Californian wine in rememberance of the original tasting which shocked the world. BBC's flagship news programme, Newsnight will be looking at the history of the tasting in a special show on Tuesday, May 2nd.
The winning red wine in 1976 was from Stag Leap's Wine Cellars, a Napa Valley winery established by Warren Winiarski in 1972. Stag Leap's Wine Cellars is available in major hotels across India and is distributed by Brindco Ltd.
Our second issue of 2006 is being dispatched to subscribers. This issue includes articles on personal wine get-togethers, premium wines from Australia, Indian restaurants in London that serve good wine, where to find good wine in India and lots more. Subscribe now so that you start receiving your copies immediately and renew your subscription if it is ending. And help us spread the word about Sommelier India across the country. With your support the publication is getting stronger and stronger everyday.
Thank you for participating in Sommelier India's Reader Survey earlier this year. We were flattered by some of the compliments and loved your ideas on how to make the publication stronger still.
The Bangalore Wine Club organised a visit to Grover Vineyards on
Sunday 9th April - with a difference. About 80 people drove down to the winery (which is 1 1/2 hrs from the city)
in the evening reports Alok Chandra. Teams of 6 were organised, and a grape picking competition was held to see which team could harvest the most grapes (they were Cabernet Sauvignon, from one of the oldest parcels of land) in 10 minutes.
In a departure from tradition, Bordeaux winemakers have started displaying the grape varietals on their bottle labels. While in the past the labels only displayed a fancy crest and French regulatory information, many winemakers are including descriptions of the actual contents - information that can help American consumers understand French wines better.
CVBG Dourthe-Kressmann and other winemakers from Saint-Emilion, Médoc and other Bordeaux areas have taken this step to make their wines more attractive to Americans. Today most Americans make their wine purchasing decisions based on the grape varietal and not the vineyard or the region.
The tasting room looks out over rows of vines stretching out toward the mountains. Cool breezes waft across the balcony as the winemaker pours a glass of his reserve Shiraz. A sip reveals a mellow wine with lots of red fruit and just enough tannin to allow it to continue developing for several years. After buying a case of the wine and stashing it in the car boot, it's off to the next winery down the road. Read The Wall Street Journal's recent coverage of the Indian wine scene.
“We’re targeting the 25-to-35 year old young executive for our Chenin and Shiraz. The Cabernet Classic is aimed at mature drinkers who’ve drunk over 200 bottles of wine, because it is a more complex wine,” says Shailendra Pai of Renaissance wines which is attempting to compete directly with three major Indian wine producers Grovers, Sula and Indage.
Ajay Gothwal who is a wine connoisseur and a manager at an a major Indian wine producer sent us this interesting note on Punting Champagne.
" In my years of travel across the globe I have seen 90 percent of waiters in the world pour Champagne by holding the bottles with thumbs inserted in the punts, or the small indentations in the bottom of the bottles. I don’t know how, when and where it started."
On 7th April, 2006, the world famous cognac makers Hennessy of France, showcased their six top varietals to a select group of Delhi connoisseurs at the elegant Sky Lounge of the ITC Maurya Sheraton Welcomgroup in New Delhi, where Sommelier India was a special invitee. Altogether there were about 50 people.
Vinitaly, Italy’s largest and premium wine and spirits trade fair celebrated its 40th birthday recently with a 10%-15% increase in global business. “It has been the best Vinitlay in 30 years,” commented Angelo Gaja.
“It has been a very positive Vinitaly,” echoed Sandro Boscaini, CEO of Masi- “There was a notable increase in premium foreign buyers from Asia, Central America and other far-placed countries. Finally we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and pull-out of the prevailing slump.” Read more coverage in our next print edition.
Can you imagine a wine store with a selection of 8,000 kinds of wine, 2,000 types of spirits and 1,000 different beers. And what if the wines cost an average of $7.99 or Rs. 350 each? South Florida certainly has that in its first superstore Total Wine & More. Here in India, shopping for wine can be a challenging experience to say that least. However, things are starting to change. Watch this space for more as we highlight the new retail outlets.
If you were hoping to get your hands on Bordeaux 2005 wines at reasonable prices, you're are going to be in for a shock. Prices for the top Bordeaux wines are expected to go through the roof according to industry insiders. 2005 has been rated an excellent vintage and its not surprising that prices are going to soar.
The US wine market serves as an interesting guide to how the Indian wine market may evolve in years to come. Both are new world markets without a historical affinity for wines. Until the 1960s and 1970s wine making in the US was a small, marginalized affair largely thanks to the shadow of prohibition in the early 1920s.
Today a lot has changed and US wines stand as equals to the stalwarts of the old world wines. Wine consumption now exceeds hard liquor drinking across the country. In light of this, Decanter magazine's recent findings that foreign wines particularly European and New Zealand wines are doing better was surprising. According to Decanter, European table wines showed strong growth at 9.4% even though the average price increased by 5.5% to $7.14 in 2005. It is left to be seen how foreign wines will do in India over the long term.
Chile is becoming a destination of choice for amateur wine enthusiasts. The size of the country's vineyards has doubled in the past 15 years. A California-like climate is ideal for making wine in Chile, which has a Pacific coastline stretching over 2,600 miles. In 2006, wine exports from Chile are expected to top $1 billion for the first time -- with most of it bound for the United States. If you are interested in visiting Chile, go to http://www.visit-chile.org/
If you're having difficulty choosing which to drink, coffee or wine, then this snippet on red wine from the Times in the UK may help you. Want to know the key takeaway - neither is really bad for you - two cups of coffee a day won't hurt and red wine in moderation can help
The Hyderabad Wine Club will be hosting a wine tasting where 4-5 five wines from Sula Vineyards including a sparkling with main idea of 'Compare and Contrast' will b served. The food will be Western Continental. Dress Code: Smart Casuals. Members are encouraged to register tastes of grape varietals with the sole idea of participating in 'prize winning blind tasting' in near future as one of the club events.
The event will take place at 7:30pm on April 23rd, 2006 at the Hotel Manohar, Begumpet. Rs. 400 pp members Rs. 1500/- per guest couple To learn more, email balajiraobk@indianwine.com.
Subhash Arora of the Indian Wine Academy was invited to be a Juror at Vinitaly as one of 40 journalists. He served on the international jury for the International Wine Competition, Verona. Congratulations!
Forty members of The Wine Society and their guests attended a wine dinner at "Tonino" on March 14, 2006. Here is a report from The Wine Society.
"We had a great time at Tonino on the night before Holi. The evening was planned for the terrace as it was to be a full moon night but the weather gods played spoilsport and the sky remained overcast for most of the evening so the dinner was moved indoors, but the aperitifs were served outside. Tonino lends itself to such get-togethers beautifully and contributed greatly to the convivial atmoshere in conjunction with the wine.
Only two wines were served throughout the evening a St.Julia 'Fuzion' white (a blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay) and the St. Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Argentina. These went down very well and were provideded by Gurpreetesh Maini, who imports them through his company Rhine & Raavi. Gurpreetesh is a Wine Society member. An excellent meal was produced by the restaurant, which belongs to member, Parmeet Sawhney."
Black Tower from one the largest and most popular German Riesling houses Reh Kendermann GMBH is now available in India. Black Tower is the largest selling Riesling in the UK and the largest German global wine brand. In fact, a recent study has shown that Rieslings were a perfect match for the complex, spicy and varied flavours of dishes from India and China. They pair well with seafood and chicken dishes too. The wines are being distributed by Sovereign Impex (P) Ltd.
Ghulam Naqshband is the Chairman Emeritus of Le Passage to India Tours and Travels and has been involved in the Indian Tourism Industry for 45 years. He is the founder of the Alliance Francaise de Delhi and Is Managing Trustee of the Naqshband Educational Trust for Indian Culture.
He has been the Vice President of the International Congress and Convention Association, A,msterdam and Chairman if its Asia Pacific Chapter. Mr Naqshband is widely travelled.
“Wine drinking is a culture that is widespread in many parts of the world and it is only recently catching on in India. I recall the time when Golconda wines came on the scene with little success, followed by the appearance of Bosca wine which got eclipsed after the three wine makers – Grover Vineyards, Indage (India) and Sula Vineyards started marketing their products. They have done much needed service to the country, as their wines are not only consumed here but some of them are even exported, earning foreign exchange.
Everyone wants to grow grapes and crush them these days. Granted, Indian wine consumption is expected to grow at annual rate of 25% but still, is there enough business opportunity here for entreprenuers? There are more than 35 wineries in Maharashtra alone now, most of which came up in the last few years.
According to estimates, per capita consumption of wine in India is about 4.5 ml per year. In comparison, France consumes 42 litre per person per year, and China 375 ml. Maybe that's why the industry is excited about the potential of wine.
Major wine and spirits industry players from all over the world will participate in Vinexpo-Asia-Pacific 2006 in Hong Kong from May 23rd to 25th, 2006. Each year India gets more and more visible at Vinexpo. China and Japan continue to lead Asia in terms of wine consumption though the overall market as depicted below is growing exponentially as more people discover the pleasures in drinking and appreciating wine.
A Deccan Herald reporter certainly believes so. During her visit to Grovers Vineyards at their 15th harvest celebration. According to Abhay Kewadkar, winemaker of Gover Vineyards, "The 2006 harvest is good because of lower temperatures after a good monsoon last year. This has resulted in cooler nights and a humidity of 50% which is good for the grapes. In 2002 to 2004 the monsoons were poor and this caused a higher alcohol percentage which is higher than desired for a good wine. This year the balance will be perfect and the maturing too is being achieved slowly ensuring good character in our wines." Read the article on one of India's wine success stories.
"He's tall, he's French and he's charming," said Reva Singh, Editor of Sommelier India, a publication that is devoted to educating Indians about wine. She was not talking about the bottle, but of the messenger who was bringing it to Chennai for the first time, Thomas Sauzet.
Read about Thomas Sauzet in The Hindu newspaper, as he conducted a wine tasting of Cakebread Cellars of Napa Valley at the Taj Connemara.
Sonoma winery Ray's Station Vineyards is launching a wine specifically aimed at men. Taking a page out of the Malboro Man ad campaign, it aims to appeal specifically to alpha males who traditionally avoided wine as being too feminine. With wines in India still being considered a lady's drink in some circles, do you think an Indian wine maker should introduce a wine specifically targeting men?
In a recent article for the Deccan Herald, Alok Chandra discusses the challenges in buying good wine that hasn't gotten "cooked" due to bad storage. One city that he singles out as an exception to the rule is Bangalore, with its well laid-out, asthetically pleasing designs. Sommelier India is mentioned in the article.
Jancis Robinson MW and the British wine taster is feuding with Robert Parker in the US. They disagreed over a wine (Château Pavie 2003) and Robert Parker hinted that British wine writers constantly slam American wines without reason. Robinson replied in letters published in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune that it simply wasn't true and resented the insuation. Visit Decanter Magazine and Eric Asimov's wine blog at the New York Times to learn more.
