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January 2007 |
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| March 2007 »
| It was a perfect ending to a year full of interesting experiences, fine dining and great wine for the members of the Bangalore Wine Club. This Valentine's Eve dinner had all the right ingredients, it was an evening under the stars at the Taj West End's expansive Prince of Wales lawns. |  |
A setting where 75 people – members and their guests - enjoyed a sit-down dinner by candlelight.
 | At an exclusive tasting of Kendall Jackson wines at The Enoteca, The Oberoi, New Delhi, recently visiting General Manager for Asia, Jeff Cook, noted that wine was a natural beverage with food and not a drink that people consumed to get intoxicated but drank for the pure enjoyment of it. There was no doubt that the wines Mr. Cook had us taste fitted that description. |
The Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay and the Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Pinot Noir were most enjoyable.
| We were invited to attend a Decanter French Fine Wine Encounter on Saturday, February 24th 2007 in London. It was an opportunity to taste some of the best French wines in the world and talk about them with the producers. Blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec teased our taste buds throughout the day. |  |
 | Rajeev Samant and the Sula team tells us that Haiko supermarket in Hiranandani Gardens Powai is first off the blocks in obtaining the new wine retail license, recently announced by the Maharashtra Government, which allows supermarkets to sell wine for the first time. As seen on the left they are carrying a range of Sula wines. |
Also listen to an audio interview of Rajeev Samant conducted by journalist Kamla Bhatt at the TIE Entreprenurial Summit. On a separate note, Sula's Cabernet Shiraz 2005 and Dindori Reserve Shiraz 2003 were featured in the greatest-quality wine list in Asia Wine Report 2007. The report which covers the Asian Wine Industry also mentions Chateau Indage and Grover Vineyards in other categories.
| Celebrate Valentine's Day with a seductive expression of love - Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial. A harmonious blend of the three grape varieties, with an emphasis on Pinot Noir, this wine embodies a fruity and daring character. And if that's not enough, participate in the Sula Wines Valentine's Day contest and win a romantic getaway at the vineyards.
Or maybe make sure she remembers you year round with a gift subscription to Sommelier India. It's a gift you could never go wrong with! |  |
| Whom did we meet earlier this week? None other than the distinguished and indefatigable Angelo Gaja who was in India on a whirlwind three-city tour of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Pictured to the left is Angelo Gaja at the Ca Marcanda vineyards in Tuscany, Italy. |
During the meeting he spoke about his family’s history in wine, the growing profile of Italian wines on the international market, the tension between tradition and modernity and the importance of maintaining both. Ca Marcanda means "endless negotiations" in Italian and that's what he named the vineyard after negotiating with his brothers for it. Gaja wines are imported by Brindco Ltd.
Thinking about the roots of wines culture and Europe pops up in our minds. France, Italy and Spain put together produce approximately 270 million hector litres of wine (2003) per annum and of which they consume 230 million hecto litres (approx 70%)of their produce so there is an excess of 30% that needs to be exported. Ashwini Avate tells us about a wine masters program in France.
 | Queensland (Australia) Wine Industry Development Minister Margaret Keech is in India at the moment to encourage luxury hotels to stock their wines. She discussed their virtues with the former Bangalore Wine Club President on a visit to Grover Vineyards. Currently no Queensland wines are exported to India. To learn more visit their Wine Industry Association. |
This does beg the question, will India at some point in the future need state and central wine ministers? Officials who can speak on behalf of the industry and help promote Indian wines around the world? Some government officials are already taking the initiative.
It seems to get better and better for wine lovers everyday. Yet another study on red wine and its health benefits came out recently. This one suggests that red wine may be effective in slowing the human aging process. Spanish researchers believe that the high concentration of melatonin in the grape skin is responsible for the benefits. So if you happen to need an excuse to drink red wine, just say that you must to stay young!
The Bombay Wine Club recently held an event in which they blind tasted several Indian white wines. They tasted 8 Sauvignon Blancs, 6 Chenin Blancs and 3 Chardonnays & Viogniers. 20 members participated and ranked the wines. Please note, these results are the opinions of the Bombay Wine Club and do not reflect Sommelier India's views.
Scientists unequivocally believe that humans are causing the earth's temperature to rise. The global weather system has already gotten more unpredictable. And even insignificant climate changes can have dramatic effects on wine. In fact, by the end of the century, global warming may decrease the areas in the U.S. in which wine can be produced by 81%. Grape production in France doesn't look very promising either. However, grape production in England, being further to the north, is expected to benefit from global warming.
What about India? States like Himachel Pradesh which are slightly cooler may start producing better wines. It is left to be seen what impact this has on places like Nasik. As this LA Times article points out, in a not too distant future the best sparkling may not come from Champagne but from Surrey, England.
| Recently, Sommelier India attended a special wine dinner to launch Angove in India. The dinner was hosted by the Hyatt Regency's speciality Indian restaurant. Angove is the 10th largest winery in Australia and the 8th largest Australian wine exporter by volume. In 2006, the company crushed a record of 21,000 tonnes of fruit. The wines are imported by Sanjiv K singh of TT&G Trading.
On the right is Victoria Angove posing with her wines just after the wine dinner. |  |
 | Do not ask too much or too little of your wine. Unique fine wines for instance should be reserved for occasions when they can be enjoyed with deliberate awareness of the unusual pleasure they provide. Save them for a contemplative evening with other wine lovers says Reva K Singh, editor and publisher of Sommelier India in her column for Outlook Magazine. |
 | Minister Counsellor, Marc Fonbaustier from the French Embassy said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be here at the inauguration of the 5th edition of “India food & Wine Show 2007”, an event that has certainly come a long way since its inception in 2002. When Rajiv Malhotra, Director of Lotus Exhibition, presented his salon project in 2002, specially focusing on wines and fine food at the Embassy of France in India, the market was far different from what it is today. |
| The largest wine exhibition in India, the India Food & Wine Show was held between January 18th till the 20th, 2007. It was not just an exhibition of products but a comprehensive show with wine tastings and more. This included participation from wine producing countries such as Italy, France, South Africa, USA, Argentina, Spain and Portugal. In total 150 participants from 17 countries participated. |
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 | Kapil Grover recent lunched with Subir Roy of Business Standard to discuss his passion for wine and the Indian wine industry. In an enlightening interview he discussed the industry, production, wine culture and drinking.
" Kanwal Grover, who has marketed high end machine tools all his life, paid innumerable visits to France during the seventies and eighties until the French industry lost out to the Japanese. His great desire was to introduce fellow Indians to the joys of wine drinking." Read the full article at the Business Standard. |
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