Paid subscribers can email for access to these pages.
<
|
«
April 2006 |
Blog Home
| June 2006 »
| Have you ever tried "M" the innovative fine dining restaurant at Grand Hyatt? "M" houses Mumbai's first wine library. The restaurant boasts of fresh-off-the-grills delicacies like prawns in white wine sauce, baked potatoes in dil and basil dressing and Indonesian Trout making culinary waves, paired with classic wines from the world over.
Another restuarant worth trying in Mumbai is "Stella", the newest Italian fine dining restaurant at The Leela Kempinski. An extensive wine list coupled with some imaginative cooking by Chef Maximiliano makes this a must visit. |  |
The Guardian is reporting that a bid by India's United Breweries to take over the French champagne group Taittinger has sparked concern among wine professionals in the company's home region in Northern France. The $660-million bid is seen as a threat to the French system of locality-based appellations for wine. The UB Group is the world's third largest spirit producer with ownership of Kingfisher beer. Taittinger is the world's ninth champagne producer, with 4.5 million bottles sold per year, 62,5% of them outside France.
Sopexa, the Food and Beverage Marketing and Promotion Board of France, the French Embassy in India and the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will hold the “Apéritif à la française” on June 1st 2006. In its third edition, this international celebration of simplicity and fun will bring together a selection of French fine foods, wines and spirits. Set up in a panoramic room at the majestic Qutab Minar, this seasonal grocery market will be “open” to all lovers of France’s fine food culture.
As reported by Decanter Magazine, a handful of Californian wines have once again beaten their French counterparts in the re-run of the Paris Tasting of 1976 organized by Steven Spurrier. Ridge Monte Bello 1971, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973, Mayacamas 71, Heitz 70 and Clos du Val 72 – were voted superior to their rivals in Bordeaux. Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Matthew Jukes, Michel Bettane, Michael Broadbent, Spurrier himself and other eminent critics, pitted Leoville Las Cases 71, Mouton 70, Haut Brion and Montrose 70 against the Californian wines.
Grover Vineyards plans to aggressively target first time wine buyers this fall when it introduces two new wines. The Chenin Blanc will be priced at Rs 300 while the Shiraz will be priced at Rs. 200 for a 750ml bottle. Grover hopes to sell 1.5 lakh bottles of these two wines during the first full year of their launch.
A new issue will be reaching print subscribers soon. It includes our usual mix of interesting columns and features including information about wines available in India that you might wish to try this summer, a restaurant recommendation from Mumbai, a report on Spain as a wine producing country, as well as an account of the not so well known region of Languedoc-Roussillon in France.
Talking of which, did you know that this region in the south of France produces more wine than all of California? The next time you're with friends drinking wine, drop this factoid and you'll catch their attention. View a sample issue and subscribe to Sommelier India so that you always have something new to share with your friends about wine. |  |
Sommelier India is visiting Vinexpo in Hong Kong this week. We're combing the exhibition halls to learn how the wine industry is looking to quench India's thirst for world class wines. Vinexpo is Asia's largest wine exhibition with nearly 600 producers from 28 countries and regions including France, Italy, Germany, the United States, China and some Latin American countries exhibiting their wine and spirit products.
As reported by Decanter Magazine, an unbreakable wine glass made of a new material called Kwarx was launched at Vinexpo. Kwarx glass is handblown crystal and is supposed to retain lustre and transparency as well as being unbreakable. Journalists at Vinexpo were given an opportunity to break the glass. Non succeeded. We'll keep you informed as to when this important revolution comes to India.
At VinItaly 2006 in April, several international wines that are now available in India were recognized. One of these wines was Sartori Di Verona's Valpolicella Classico Superiore Vigneti di Montegradella 2003. Sartori Di Verona also exhibited at the Indian Food & Wine Show as a part of the Vinitaly tastings.Sartori Di Verona is distributed by Brindco in India.
Prosecco wines were launched at the Italian Cultural Center in New Delhi earlier this month. The Riccardo Prosecco IGT wines are produced from grapes grown on the hills surrounding Valdobbiadene, in the north-eastern region of Veneto, and the Riccardo Azienda Agricola is the first company to guarantee their products with the food chain traceability certification to ensure quality and safety.
| A Winemaker's dinner was recently held at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel where Joseph Drouhin (Burgundy) wines were tasted. The event was organized by Global Tax Free Traders. The wines served included the Pouilly-Fuissé and the Meursault. Pouilly-Fuissé is a dry, medium-full bodied, white wine from the Burgundy wine-producing region of France. |  |
Deccan Harvest, a fine dining restaurant situated in the vicinity of Magarpatta City in Pune organized a three day wine festival on their lawns on the 19th, 20th and 21st April. The country’s three leading wine companies Chateau Indage, Grover’s and Sula took part in the festival.
| Chataeu Indage won a bronze award for their "Indage Vineyard Merlot" at the recently held London Wine Fair. Indian wine is steadily gaining more and more acceptance internationally and this is another step in that direction. |  |
Scientists now say wine may supply antioxidants that protect the delicate hairs of the inner ear that are essential for hearing. According to an article in New Scientist magazine by Andy Coghlan, oxygen free radicals produced over the course of a lifetime, or in response to loud noise or certain antibiotics, damage the inner ear hairs.
Grover Vineyards has started manufacturing Stelvin capped bottles for customers of its wines. This is the first time this innovation is being introduced into the country. Grover made this announcement just before the Grape Escapade festival in Goa.
The Stelvin cap (screw cap) maintains the quality and integrity of wines without running the risk of the wines getting "corked." It is a metal screw-cap originally developed by the Alcan Packaging company to replace wine corks to reduce the occurrence of cork tainting. It also incorporates a small ventilation system to allow tiny amounts of air into the wine bottle to aid the wine maturation.
Sula Vineyards has set a target of producing 15 lakh bottles in 2006-07. Last year 11 lakh bottles were produced. According to the Sula Vineyards CEO Rajiv Samant, consumption of wine as an alternative to liquor has grown from 25 percent to 30 percent in the country. The company was setup in the year 2000 and California wine consultant Kerry Damskey advises it.
| The Aaj Ki Fimly Khabar channel features Raveena Tandon talking about her wine eposide last winter in which she poured wine on on husband distributor Anil Thadani's ex-wife Natasha Sippy. Apparently, Natasha was trying to get close to Anil. Raveena mentioned that she enjoyed pouring the wine and said that it wasn't impulsive but planned.
The episode airs on Wednesday, 10th May 2006 at 7:30 pm. We do not know what wine was used. |  |
German scientists have produced a seaweed wine which will apparently help improve eczema. Seaweed is fat-free, low calorie and full of vital minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine and sodium. Seaweed also removes radioactive strontium and other heavy metals from the body and improve eczema. We do not know how good the wine is but at least it is healthy.
The Goa Tourism Development Corporation is hosting a three day wine festival between May 12th and May 14th. This is their second festival in two years. Wineries such as Grover Vineyards, Chateau Indage, Blue Star Agro winery, Renaissance Wineries, Pedro Vincent Vaz and Springfield Distilleries will be participating
Wine production has increased to 94 lakh litres in Maharashtra alone according to the Times of India. This is half of all wine produced across India. Chateau Indage (Pune) continues to be the largest wine producer followed by Sula which is also in Maharashtra. A key ingredient for this exponential growth has been the consistnet investment by the state government over the last five years.
Sommelier India contributor and wine consultant Alok Chandra who was quoted in the article emphasized that wine faces the same 20% sales tax as hard liquor which limits the overall size of the market.
| E&J Gallo, the second-biggest wine company in the world behind Constellation Brands, is reinventing its brand to become Gallo Family Vineyards, according to Decanter magazine. The E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. The brothers founded the winery after their father's wine business failed. In their early days, the brothers' goal was to strictly rescue the family name and payback their father's debts. |  |
A delegation of 57 French musicians, from nine to 50 years of age, is presently in Nashik for an Indo-French music workshop and festival. This has been organised by the Indo-French Cultural Association (IFCA), Nashik. First came the wine, and then came the music. The world is certainly a small place.
Did you know that the Champagne in the Maldives is as popular as it is in India? The Maldives has a population of just 350,000 compared to India's 1.2 Billion but as Ashwin Deo mentioned in a recent Economic Times article, " In spite of a reduction of tax and duties (155-240%), the Maldives size of the champagne market is equal in size to the Indian one at around 10,000 cases." The tourists who visit the Maldives mostly drink Moet & Hennessey, Moet & Chandon Krug, Dom Perignon and Veuve Cliquot.
Steven Spurrier and two associates are starting a wine club in Mumbai to help consumers get access to good wines. His team will choose six wines from the stock of wine importers Sansula, who the club has tied up with, which he will suggest to members to try as a combined package at a certain price. Payment and delivery will be done via existing retailers in Mumbai so that no laws are broken.
According to the Economic Times, the first case consistent of two French (Laroche Chardonnay 2005, Laroche Merlot 2004), one Italian (Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio DOC Alto Adige 2005), one Australian (Oxford Landing Cabernet-Shiraz 2004), one Chilean (Paso de Luz Cabernet Sauvignon 2003), and even one Indian wine (Aambe Bahula Chenin Blanc 2005), will be priced between Rs 5,500-6,000 and should be available in July.
If you're wondering who Stephen Spurrier is, he is the person who organized the infamous 1976 Judment of Paris Wine Tasting that pittied Californian wines against the best of the French. Since then Spurrier has founded the Academie du Vin and Christie's Wine Course in addition to authoring and co-authoring over a dozen books on wine.
| The Raffles Hotel, a venerable landmark and world-famous for its Singapore Sling, recently listed its first ever Indian wine - Sula Chenin Blanc. So the next time you pop over to Singi for the weekend, visit the wonderful Tiffin Room at The Raffles for a glass of some Indian wine. Each year the hotel also celebrates the Raffle Hotel Wine, Food & Arts Experience and at the last one in February 2006 several Michelin Star confferred chefs graced the event. |  |
© Copyright 2008. Consolidated Media Intl. All rights reserved.
|
Lijit Search
 Subscribe in a RSS reader
Advocacy
 |
Subscribe in a reader
|
