April 2008 Archives

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April 12, 2008

Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc on the Indian Market

While at Bordeaux En Primeur 2007, the Sommelier India team had an opportunity to talk to Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc about the Indian wine market. Peirre Lurton whose name is synonymous with Bordeaux divides his time between Cheval Blanc and Chateau d'Yquem. He felt that the Indian market was important but was concerned about the tax structure. Also hear him discuss the vintage.

The James Bond Vintage, Bordeaux 2007

We also caught up with Ch'ng Poh Tiong, a Sommelier India columnist and publisher of South East Asia's oldest wine magazine, The Wine Review. Not surprisingly, he had an interesting perspective on the 2007 vintage telling us that it certainly isn't an exceptional vintage. He was most impressed by the white wines from the Graves and he also had some Asian food pairing suggestions.

David Patrick Launay of Chateau Gruaud Larcose on the Wine Drinker

David Patrick Launay of Chateau Gruaud Larcose explains how classified growth wines are luxury products available to high end wine drinkers across India. In his opinion, these consumers expect to have access to the best wines and are willing to pay for them.

He also discusses the best way for wine drinkers to further develop their palate and interest in wine..

Count Stephan von Neipperg shares his love for India and talks wine

Stephan von Neipperg of Chateau Canon-La Gaffelière discusses the 2007 vintage and his impressions of the Indian wine scene. Interestingly, Neipperg is a descendant of Franconian nobility and his family has been making wine for over eight centuries. He is credited with turning around Canon-La Gaffelière working in tandem with the renowned oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt. A colorful personality, Neipperg is universally popular in St.-Emilion.

Roy Moorfield discusses the 2007 vintage

Sommelier India contributor Roy Moorfield is the Australian adviser to Cathay Pacific and winemaking consultant for Chinkara wines. Chinkara Wines is the house wine of the Oberoi Hotels. Here Moorfield provides Sommelier India with his impressions of the 2007 vintage. Expect to hear how he thinks each of the Bordeaux appellations did.

Sardar shopkeeper scares attacker with bottle of red wine

A brave shopkeeper picked up a £4.99 bottle of Blossom Hill red wine by the neck and chased an attacker out of his store in Suffolk, UK according to the Daily Mirror. The thug was left empty handed as he fled while Jasvinder Bains sprinted after him waving the bottle above his head. Bains has owned Bains Store in Pakefield, Suffolk, since he came to Britain from Punjab, India, 17 years ago.

He certainly made good use of his wine! The thug's seven inch blade obviously could not deter the brave shopkeeper.

Find Sommelier India in a bookshop near you!

Did you know that Sommelier India, The Wine Magazine is available in select retail outlets across the country? For example, you can find the magazine in any of the Oberoi Hotel bookshops in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkota, Bangalore and Delhi. The magazine is also available at the Taj Hotel's Nalanda bookshop in Mumbai. Good Earth Stores in Mumbai and Delhi carries the magazine as does Mumbai's Indigo Delicatessen. The magazine is also available at Khan Market in New Delhi. Read the Table of Contents and subscribe today. It makes learning about wine fun!

ND Wines launches in Maharashtra

ND Wines was launched in Maharashtra recently. This marks the 13th state in India where they have a presence. As Manik Patil pointed out to the Indian Express, Maharashtra is a good state to launch a domestic wine as licenses are more easily available. Duties are also lower in the state. ND Wines will be selling its Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. These wines were launched in Delhi last November. ND Wines are produced under the direction of French wine maker Mr. Jean Manual Jacquinot.

Wines News across the web

Indian Stories

The Economic Times is reporting that Distell, South Africa's largest wine maker is planning to launch high-end premium wines of its flagship brand, Nederburg in India before the year-end.

Live Mintcovers the new wine club at the Shangri-La Hotel in New Delhi . Interestingly, the sessions were run by Harshal Shah who has written on Chardonnay in the latest issue of Sommelier India.

The Indian Express talks about the wine clubs in Delhi too and discusses how the Wine Society and the Delhi Wine Club both are attracting younger members.

International Stories

Wine Spectator explains that Allegrini is withdrawing Wine from DOC over Screw Cap. Marilisa Allegrini says, "We think a $14 to $15 non-Classico Valpolicella with a screw cap has a better chance on the market than a Valpolicella Classico, with a cork, costing 20 percent more."

Wine Spectator also ranks its top ten wines of 2007. At the top of the list is the Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 which gets 90 points and costs $80. That's not a bad price for such a highly rated wine.

Decanter Magazine reports that Brunello is stepping up controls following the shocking fraud investigation in which hundreds of thousands of bottles of top Brunello were impounded - and the sale of the 2003 vintage suspended.

April 3, 2008

The 2007 En Primeur Season. An Introduction

We were first to bring you the results of the India Wine Challenge and we're the first to bring you highlights of Bordeaux En Primeur 2007. Your Sommelier India Team was invited to Bordeaux for the second year running to participate in these exclusive tastings. Bordeaux En Primeur 2007 was officially kicked off on March 31st with a welcome dinner with representatives from the Chateaux of the Union de Grands Crus (UGC).

In what has become a tradition, many Chateaux owners personally attended the dinner so that they could mix with the journalists and talk about their wines and the vintage. Earlier in the day, tastings of the Sauternes and Barsac wines were held at Chateau Doisy Verines. Those tastings were followed by a special one at Chateau d'Yquem which is an honorary member of the UGC. Continue reading.

For more on En Primeur click here and watch the blog for updates on each appellation.

Bordeaux's Indian Summer saves the 2007 Vintage

The word on the street about the 2007 harvest. The white wines were a pleasant surprise. Each year they get stronger and stronger. The weather was perfect for harvesting them. And they did well. Among the reds, the Cabernet Sauvignon was the strongest with difficulty encompassing the Merlot. Knowing when to harvest the red grapes was a difficult decision as August was a terrible month for the weather. More on the weather.

India's wine industry takes root

Bulls lumber down dusty roads, cow-dung patties bake in the sun, and women in bright saris pluck grapes from manicured fields, their bangles jangling with every toss. Welcome to India's wine country. This sleepy town in western India, long famous for its grapes, has become the subcontinent's Sonoma Valley, the heart of a $100 million industry that has seen annual growth of more than 25 percent annually since 2003. Read the CNN/Associated Press article for more statistics.