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 | The 14th Vinexpo in Bordeaux (the world’s largest wine and spirits fair,) was once again an excellent meeting ground and business forum for international professionals and businessmen. The exhibition is also a useful platform for sharing knowledge and expertise in the constantly evolving business of wine and spirits. Pictured here is the Château Mouton Rothschild logo at the Club du Lac. |
| Formerly co-owner and manager of Château Cheval Blanc, Dominique Hébrard bought Château Bellefont-Belcier in Saint Emilion when his family sold Cheval Blanc. He is now producing impressive award-winning wines at Bellefont-Belcier, raising the property to the level of the Grands Crus Classés of Saint Emilion in 2006. His other winery is Château Trianon, which he restored to its former glory. This was done after investing heavily in both the vineyards and the cellars. |  |
 | With sparkling wine, white sangria and a new anniversary menu, Indigo Deli plans to celebrate its second anniversary on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st, 2007. They will be open from 9:00am to 1:00am at their Mumbai location and are accepting reservations (Call 66551010). Congratulations! |
 | My wine experience during my stay in India was eye-opening. If you told me five years ago that Indians would put down their bottles of Johnny Walker Black Label for a glass of Shiraz, I would laugh. After spending a few days in Chennai, my concept of an Indian wine shop was bleak: a wine stand (see photo) with men standing around in lungis all day, taking shots of “wine” i.e. liquor or port. |
Dini Rao formerly in the wine department at Christie’s, and a personal friend, sent us this report. This was first published on Dr. Vino
Everybody in the west is nervous about climate change. Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth and The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change in the UK have recently highlighted the dangers. The wine industry is still trying to understand what this means for them. However, there are some indisputable facts.
| The Wall Street Journal asked Aman Sharma of the Taj Group what wine pairs well with rich Punjabi food. His response - Reislings because they are fresh with high acidity. He felt that the Kabinett level wines specifically are a good match and that the sweet Rieslings pair well with deserts. For savory vegetable dishes such as palak paneer, he suggests Sauvignon Blanc. |  |
The study of wine fascinates me. The more I study the more I know how little I know. This, however, cannot stop me from pursuing the subject of my choice. For, knowledge is infinite--knowledge is power- and I wish to be as powerful as one can be.
Jasbeer Sachdev is a wine professional currently working for Brindco Limited.
 | Approximately 50,000 people from 140 countries attended Vinexpo in Bordeaux this year. Vinexpo which is held every two years in Bordeaux, France is the largest wine exhibition in the world. This industry exhibition is primarily about producers trying to get the attention of negociants and other buyers while everyone else spends time networking, learning more about wine, gossiping and discussing the latest vintages. The Sommelier India Team was at Vinexpo this year and spoke to several prominent wine producers and luminaries about the Indian market. |
Expect to find our coverage in the print edition with snippets being published online. In the meantime, here are a few good articles for an overview.
Vinexpo Bordeaux Starts Off Under Stormy Skies from Wine Spectator
A Vinexpo Diary from Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Vinexpo opens in rainy Bordeaux from Drinks International
| Reva K Singh of Sommelier India was featured on NDTV recently discussing wine in India and the growth of wine related journalism. NDTV also published an accompanying news story in which they said, "Wine journalism is maturing fast, thanks to pioneers like Reva Singh. Two years ago she launched the magazine Sommelier India. She said that she wanted to demystify wine." |
It is the practice of removing unripe bunches of grapes in midsummer in order to reduce the yield per plant and increase the quality. Unlike other plants which will abort excess fruit, such as the peach, the vine will try and ripen the whole crop - which if large will increase the likelihood of producing a dilute wine.
It is a good sign for Indian wine when it is being featured in the media in places as far away as Canada. Straight, which is Canada's largest urban weekly, recently featured Sula Vineyards Chenin Blanc (2004) as a wine to try and said -
"This one proudly announces itself as “India’s first Chenin Blanc [grown] 100 miles from Bombay, 2,000 feet above sea level…cold-fermented in stainless steel”. It’s much sweeter at the front of the palate than most of the others in this lineup, but there is something appealing about it, even though it shows an odd aftertaste in the finish."
| Have you ever imagined yourself soaking away your stress in a bathtub that is filled with wine? Or maybe taking a shower where instead of water there's champagne oozing out? Well, the Chateau Indage Estate Vineyard Winery Resort and Spa that is coming up near Narayangaon hopes to bring those extravagances to you. |  |
The Indian Express broke this story and explain that its not all about decadence. The therapies are supposed to help with anti-ageing and de-stressing. Yes, its the anti-oxidants that are going to force you to take a Champagne shower! I've never had one and cannot imagine what it would feel like. Have you?
The Associated Press reported that India blocked a World Trade Organisation investigation of its import duties on American wine and spirits last Monday, temporarily delaying a US government complaint over allegations that Indian rules discriminate against products such as Napa Valley wine and Jack Daniel's whiskey. The article was picked up by news outlets around the world and sheds light on the issue.
 | Pune city witnessed an enthusiastic gathering of wine aficionados sampling wines along with oriental food. Renaissance launched their wines (which have been getting great reviews) in Zen, the oriental restaurant in hotel Aurora Towers on this occasion. Amol Palekar, Gauri and Hemant Naiknavare and Swetta Jumaani attended the event along with several other wine enthusiasts in the city. |
There's no shortage of imagination in the wine industry. All you have to do is to study a couple of bottle labels or even taste a range of wines to know that. Well, now LVMH seems to have taken it to a new level with the launch of skin-care products made from the grapes of Château d'Yquem. £250 gets you Dior's L'Or de Vie, a premium skin cream derived from the sameSauvignon grapes as the wine. As more of a wine enthusiast and less of a skin-care consumer, I do wonder whether the grapes are being put to good use. It's Château d'Yquem was the only producer classified as a Premier Cru Supérieur back in 1855.
The Economic Times is reporting that the Indian government has decided to scrap additional customs duty on wines and spirits. This is as per India's committment at the WTO. The bound duties still hold at 100%-150% depending upon the type of liquor. States can still levy their own taxes. Combined duties and taxes for wines are currently at 264%. They will be capped at 150% in the future.
| The India Wine Show team just sent us this announcement. The Show will be held this November in Nashik, Maharashtra. The show includes trade seminars, conferences, master classes, vineyard tours, wine tastings and wine awards for the best Indian and imported wines. Sommelier India is a media partner for the show and will be covering on the blog. |  |
In May both The Wine Society and the Delhi Wine Club held their anniversary dinners. The Wine Society held its annual general meeting and hosted a cooking with wine event at The Park, New Delhi. The Wine Society is 9 years old. It was the 5th year celebration for the Delhi Wine Club which marked the event with a dinner at The Orient Express.
Robert Parker is recognized as probably the most formidable wine critic in the world. His opinions make or break vintages. Now not only is he going to formidable now but omnipresent too. As the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers have reported, Robert Parker tasting notes will be laminated onto airplane pull-down tray tables as part of a deal to sell advertising on US Airways planes.
These tasting notes will be from Robert Parker's column in Businessweek. One can't help but wonder whether US Airways will serve wine that is criticized on the pull out trays. Arguably, this is more a reflection of the dire financial straits that the American airline industry is in than it is of the growth of wine in America.
On a separate note, if you're wondering what wine Virgin Airways serves in economy on its Delhi-London sector, we have the answer for you. It's a French Vin de pays bottled by Berry Brothers & Rudd.
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