The Wine Society of Delhi held a Cooking with Wine dinner at the Park Hotel on September 17th, 2007. Their French Chef, Alain Andre, led the guests through several food and wine combinations. The wines served were Jacob Creek's selection of a sparkling, a rose', a Chardonnay Reserve and a Shiraz Reserve. Pictured is Prem Behl and Anita Sawhney of The Wine Society with Chef Alain Andre.
The hotbed of Shi'ite militancy in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon is also a promising wine growing region. Alcohol production might seem out of place in the Middle East but viniculture has a long history in the Bekaa valley. In fact, the Romans built a temple to the wine god Bacchus here thousands of years ago. And it was the Arabs who invented the art of distilling fermented beverages into alcoholic spirits.
The other day I read an article in a major Indian newspaper that explained that Indians shy away from spending more than Rs 1,000 on good wine because they have difficulty in understanding the value of it. While we are all entitled to our opinions, I wondered whether that was indeed the case. What do you think? Would you spend more than Rs 1,000 on a good bottle of wine?
I believe that as Indians, we are value conscious but that doesn't necessarily mean we don't know our wine. I've found that the informed wine drinkers across the country are very comfortable paying more for good wine. But many of them purchase their wines abroad when they travel. That way they spend their money on the wine itself not on taxes too.
Having said that, I also believe that you can get a lot of happiness from wines that cost $10 (Rs.500) or less. Just ask Eric Asimov who explains how rationality and irrationality factor into wine purchasing decisions. For example, did you know that the second cheapest wine on a wine menu is usually the most popular? This is because no one wants to appear cheap when they are ordering wine. However, wine purchasing in a retail store (sans judgmental friends and business associates) is a different story.
US based filmmaker, Simone Ahuja produced a documentary series titled, "Untold Stories of India" for the Asia Society in New York. This clip covers rugby, wine and snake boat races in Kerala. If you have friends abroad who don't believe the Indian wine story, this can serve as a nice introduction both to India and to wine. Rajeev Samant of Sula Vineyards, importer Sanjay Menon and Rahul Akerkar of Indigo Restaurant are featured.
The Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of the United States and Asia.
The Sommelier India publishers were invited to judge the Rick's Annual Bartender of the Year Competition a few weeks ago in Delhi. Each major hotel could nominate one participant for the competition. This head to head performance had the bartenders being evaluated on style, technique, tastings and presentation. The participants were required to make two entirely new cocktails and could bring their own CDs to be played during the process.
Nitin Tewari of The Taj Mahal Hotel was recognized as Rick's bartender of the year as well as the most stylish bartender. Dikshit Khanna of the Taj Palace was the runner up. The Best Cocktail creator was Manjeet of the Claridges. Congratulations!
Christie's International Wine Department has announced its Fall 2007 season of sales in the America's. For the first time, Christie's wine sales will be open to Internet bidding too allowing Indian buyers to participate over the Internet.
Over 3000 lots with an estimated value in excess of $15 million will cross the auction table at the first planned spirits auction to be held in New York since Prohibition. The first of these auctions was held in New York on September 15th, 2007. Continue reading for information on the other events.
Red or white, the wine industry in India is sparkling, with a rising growth rate of nearly 30 per cent says Express India. As more and more Indians raise their glasses to the finest in Indian and foreign vintage, new vistas have opened in the relatively uncharted world of wine making. From wine tourism to wine tasting and even wine journalism, the options are plenty for anyone with a passion and expertise in vintage. Find the complete article at Express India.
As I discovered on a recent visit to Tuscany, the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, plays a very important role in the functioning of the wine producing estates that lie within its territory. Covering a total of 70,000 ha (172,900 acres) stretching south from Florence to Siena, the area is one of exquisite beauty dotted with cypress and olive trees in between vineyards interspersed with stone homesteads and imposing castella. Terrain, altitude and climate combine in a unique fashion to produce wine of a quality that is strictly monitored by the consortium. — Reva K Singh. Read further for more information.
Decanter Magazine in the UK has just announced its World Wine Awards. Their awards are among the most prestigious in the world. Visit their website and browse through the awards. A few of the winners are available in India. If a wine that you want isn't, just pick it up on a trip abroad. Sometimes these winners are cheaper than you expect them to be.
Canard Duchêne, a French Champange label was launched at the Hyatt Regency in Delhi last week. It will be joining the existing bouquet of the exclusive 130 labels from Finewinesnmore in India.
Sommelier India was invited to the exclusive launch event at which a selection of Canard Duchêne wines were tasted.
According to an Indian Express article, Mumbai appears to be really suffering from the changes in the taxation structure for wine. The 150-200 percent tax is pushing up the prices of the big brands while the government officials say that it is leveling the playing field. Under the new rules, the hotels must pay 150 percent of the bottle's assessed value which can translate into duty of as much as Rs. 7,000 per bottle. The net result - hotels and restaurants aren't carrying as much wine as they used to and the wine enthusiast is left with fewer choices. In fact, rumor has it that hotels have slashed their wine lists down to 50 bottles from the normal 200 bottles on their menus.
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World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, discussed how Indians are perceived globally in a Times of India article. He argued that there are two differing perceptions. The first is driven by economics and cites a German mayor who told him that he liked Indian tourists because they stayed in expensive hotels and drank fine wine.
The Rotarians’ Wine Fellowship of India (RWFI) launched its first ever wine club in India recently with a wine tasting dinner by Big Banyan Wines. This is the official wine club of Rotary District 3190 and all Rotarians of the district are eligible to become its members. According to Devesh Agarwal and Chandar Mannar, co-chairmen of the RWFI will be contributing about Rs 62,500 which will be matched by the Global Rotarian’s Wine Fellowship. This article first appeared in Deccan Herald on September 1st, 2007. Devesh Agarwal is a wine enthusiast, publisher of a PDF booklet on demystifying wine and a Sommelier India subscriber.
Forbes published a list of the most expensive restaurants in India not too long ago. Do you think these restaurants are worth their prices? What about their wine lists? Would you recommend them? In Delhi Sakura (Nikko), Travertino (Oberoi), Dum Pukht (ITC Maurya Sheraton), Orient Express (Taj Palace) and San Gimigano (The Imperial) were included.
Mumbai was represented by Zodiac Grill (Taj Mahal Palace), Celini (Grand Hyatt), Pure (Taj Lands End) and Wasabi by Morimoto (Taj Mahal Palace). Zen (Leela Kempinski) from Bangalore was also included in the list. Pictured above is San Gimigano (The Imperial) which serves the hotel's own label.
Located in Andheri (West) Vanilla Café & Garden Grill has opened in style. The restaurant is retro with a variety of cuisines. But more interestingly for the wine lover, each table includes a specially designed wine chiller embedded into the table. This allows you to enjoy wine at a perfect temperature while still being able to maintain eye contact with your companions. The wine selection includes wines from Chile, Australia, Italy and France. It also includes Sula and Chateau Indage wines. For more information call 022 67104411.
Grover Vineyards recently launched their wines in Ludhiana, Punjab. Their La Reserve and Shiraz Rose will be available in leading retail outlets and restaurants. The wines are priced between Rs. 450 and Rs. 650 with more varieties to be launched soon. Grover Vineyards is targeting sales of 1,500 by the end of their financial year.
In separate news, the Economic Times is reporting that Grover Vineyards is signing a first of its kind deal with a consortium of wine growers in Maharashtra, to put up a new winery in the state. “The farmers will own the winery; we will be in-charge of production,” said director of Grover Vineyards Kapil Grover. The company is investing close to Rs 1 crore on plant and machinery in the new winery, Mr Grover said.
The mainstream news outlets are reporting that the major wine producers in India are busy tying up with the retail chains like Hypercity that are entering the Indian market. The logic is simple. Traditional liquor shops only devote 5-10% of their shelf space to wine and there are no guarantees whether the wine will be properly stored. In contrast to this, the retail chains can offer more space and better storage conditions.
Reliance Retail has entered into agreements with Diageo, Champagne Indage and the UB group. Grover Vineyards is also talking to Reliance, Spencer's and Metro Cash and Carry. This will represent a win for Indian consumers who shudder at the thought of purchasing wines from the existing liquor shops many of which are dark and seedy affairs.
According to CH’NG Poh Tiong, Singapore Airlines A380 inaugural flight on October 25th to Sydney will be serving Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1982 on its First Class. Known as the Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe, Louis Gaspard d'Estournel made sure that his wines in the 17th century exceeded the prices of the most prestigious wines and was exported as far as India. The classification of 1955 placed Cos d'Estournel at the head of the Saint-Estèphes.
Domestic wine consumption is expected to touch around nine million litres by 2010 growing at a CAGR of around 22 percent per annum according to a new study. It is currently estimated at five million a year with Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Bangaluru drinking the most. Currently India's wine market is at the equivalent of 200 people sharing one bottle per year. 63 percent of volume sales are still through off-trade channels in the five star hotels, pubs and bar restaurants says the study.
For more information, read the DNA Mumbai story which discussed the study in detail.
Champagne Indage is partnering with the University of Adelaide and the Maharashtra government to setup a wine institute to train individuals interested in working in the sector. It will be set up at Narayangaon near Pune and hopes to start training within the next three years.
According to industry experts, India's wine industry will require 10,000 skilled viticulturists, 5,000 winery staff operations, 1,000 wine makers and 500 wine experts and marketing, serving and financial professionals by 2020.
The University of Adelaide runs Australia's National Wine Center which is a public exhibition about wine making and the Australian wine industry. Oenology courses are offered through the School of Agriculture.
Decanter Magazine, which rarely covers Indian wine, is reporting that Howling Wolves has set up a joint venture to produce wine in India with distiller and distributor Brihans. The Howling Wolves CEO, Damian Knowles, is quoted as saying that ninety-five percent of locally- produced wine is average or below average because the Indian growers are conditioned to growing quantity not quality. Do you agree?
The vineyard is at Sreepur about 300km south of Mumbai. Knowles says the climate is half way between Western Australia's Margaret River and the Swan Valley near Perth. He argues that producing wine locally is a way to reach the lucrative Indian market and avoid some of the duties.
