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June 2008 |
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| August 2008 »
| The issue of The Wine Magazine that you hold in your hands is bigger than previous issues. We seem to be running out of pages all the time! There is so much to report about the world of wine that I have a hard time selecting topics and maintaining a balance between stories of interest to newcomers and established players in the wine business – articles that are informative, educational or newsy and yet entertaining. Your issue should have reached you by now.
Sommelier India is a friendly guide and does not purport to be a textbook. Reva Singh discusses the latest issue. Subscribe today |
| Here’s a hot tip for those of you who enjoy fine dining and Indian food. The new place to eat is Varq at the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. The very name, “Varq” which refers to the edible gold and silver foil traditionally used to embellish certain Indian sweets, rich biryanis and curries, calls to mind refinement and luxury. The restaurant’s ambience and culinary style is both modern and traditional Indian. |  |
 | The first Christie's Wine Auction to be held in Asia since 2001, will take place on November 29th, 2008 and it will open Christie's Hong Kong Fall 2008 Sale Season. Given the wines that will be auctioned off, for the serious Indian wine lover, it is probably worth a trip from India. Christie's International Wine Department will conduct a focused sale of fine wine including select offerings from the cellars of first growth, Château Latour. |
| The Government of Karnataka has recently notified the rules under which their Wine Policy (announced a year back) is to be implemented. Essentially, while reducing licence fees and liberalising the issue of licences for new wineries and 'Wine Taverns', the state government will increase the import fee on wines from outside Karnataka (made in India) from Rs 10 to Rs 300 per litre. Alok Chandra reports on the import fee. |  |
 | This September, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island will treat guests to a taste of France with a two-day event hosted by world-renowned wine-maker Grand Cru Château Palmer. Thomas Duroux, CEO of the acclaimed Bordeaux vineyard will head under-water to host a dinner in Ithaa, the resort's renowned all-glass under-sea restaurant. |
| Recently, the Centre called for an important meeting with the representatives of the European wines and spirits industry to find out what's the exact "discrimination" they are allegedly facing in many Indian states. And in a related significant development, Maharashtra and Goa (two very important liquor markets) have agreed on according national treatment to European wine companies. This means that the EU/US companies would get the same tax treatment as local firms. The Financial Express has the full story. |  |
The exclusive Wine Society of Delhi is holding two events in August. The first will be a "walk around tasting" at The Lutyens where award winning wines from five different wineries will be tasted. Over 20 wines will be tasted during the event.
| In addition to the many fine classic labels imported into the country, India is now seeing a variety of new wine products coming in. XL Wines with its tall elegant bottles reminiscent of the world of perfumes is one of them. Cool Cache with its top quality semi-sparkling wines in cans is another and so is the Royal Kiss range. Avininder Singh reports on these new imports from Eppur Impex. |  |
 | Three Oberoi hotels have been ranked amongst the six best in the world in Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2008. The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur; The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur and The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra have been rated 2nd, 4th and 6th respectively. The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards are acknowledged amongst the most revered rankings in the international travel industry. Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman, The Oberoi Group said, “I am delighted and proud of these rankings. |
Last month we launched two new features and this month we have another one - a brand new search function (available in the top right corner of the home page). You can now search the Sommelier India blog archives that go back to February of 2005 when the magazine started. These archives serve as a definitive record of all the important news and activities regarding the Indian wine scene.
The Sommelier India blog was a pioneer at a time when there was virtually no online truly independent email newsletters or any wine news websites that weren't a promotional one for a specific club, a consultancy or a winemaker. As testament to the influence of Sommelier India, the magazine often sets the wine news agenda. Articles that are published in our magazine or on the blog frequently serve as inspiration for stories in the mainstream press and trade publications. As always, our thanks go to the support of our readers, contributors and the industry as a whole.
 | Like clockwork, the latest issue of Sommelier India hit the newsstands last week. The issue was also mailed out to subscribers around the world.
The July/August issue is our largest yet and includes engaging and entertaining stories on wine and the culture around wine. For a list of contributors in the most recent issue, visit the contributors page. We also welcome to our pages Santa Margherita and Big Banyan along with Ethos Watches, Brancaia, Nine Hills, Bouvet Ladubay, Dubai Duty Free and HP Computers. Subscribe today! |
| It was the recreation of a historic moment in the history of the world of wine – the Wine Society of India (WSI) hosted a blind tasting of New World versus Old World wines at the Taj Residency in Bangalore, led by the inimitable wine expert, Steven Spurrier, chairman of the Board of Wine Advisors, WSI, who is otherwise famous for leading the blind tasting event in Paris in 1976. Ruma Singh reports from Bangalore | 
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 | On the occasion of Steven Spurrier’s visit to India, exclusive wine dinners were held in Mumbai and Bangalore. Read the blog write-ups contributed by Sonal Holland (below) and Ruma Singh (previous).
Fine wine with great food is truly a match made in heaven. What adds to this pleasure are guide notes on the wines, including interesting stories about the history and making of the wine, with comments on why the wines matched so beautifully with the food. |
| Two summer visitor attractions in the UK are giving champagne-lovers a taste of the high life. Observation wheels offering rides in a private capsule with a bottle of Moet & Chandon Réserve included have been set up at London’s Greenwich, close to the Prime Meridian, and also near Windsor Castle. |  |
 | You may remember reading about this haven of peace and beauty in the pages of SI – The Wine Magazine (Sept/Oct 2008). Well, Kumarakom Lake Resort is in the news again. This time because it has been named India’s Leading Resort in 2008, for the third time in a row by the organisers of the World Travel Awards at a ceremony held in Shanghai last month. |
The Indian Institute of Vine and Wine at Narayangaon is tentatively slated to begin its operations in July 2009, reports Brinda Gill. The institute, India’s first wine institute and a non-profit making venture, is being set up on a 60-acre site by Champagne Indage, 80 kms north of Pune, where the company has its sprawling vineyards and winery – the largest wine production facility in India.
| Two winemaker dinners were held in May at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai and Shangri La, New Delhi, spotlighting fine Bordeaux wines (or claret as the British call them) from the portfolio of Maison Ginestet. Founded in 1897 and now owned by the Merlaut family, Maison Ginestet is one of the largest wine merchant companies in Bordeaux. |  |
The occasion was the visit of some of the chateaux owners to India at the invitation of Maison Ginestet’s Indian partner, Sundeep Vintners.
The Centre has finalised the setting up of the National Wine Board (NWB) at Pune. This has been much discussed in the press and its finally happened now. The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MFPI) will be its administrative ministry and has defined its mandate.
| With the Indian wine market continuing its bull run, it should come as no surprise that Kingfisher has entered the market with another wine brand. Called Kingfisher Bohemia with the theme no rules, no rituals and no special occasions, Kingfisher aims to bring the good times to the world of wine. We haven't tasted the wines, but this is certainly a dynamic marketing play. Accompanying the launch, is a contest, an NDTV tie in and scheduled wine tastings across the country.
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Wondering how much longer an open bottled of wine stored in a refrigerator lasts compared to one that's stored at room temperature? The answer is 6-16 times longer and if its the summer months, then potentially even longer! Don't leave your wine bottles out in the open. For more on the subject read The Perfect Temperature, Cellar Notes and Wine Lover's Page.
Did you know about Santé, the specialty wine store? It's already here! For decades, the Indian ‘Wine Shop’ was anything but, stocking hard liquor and strong beer, but hardly any wine. Now that’s changing – and our friends at Sula tell us that SANTÉ, has opened at 8 locations across Maharashtra already, with plans for another 20 stores by year-end. Its air-conditioned and with a wide selection and tasting notes for each wine.
 | Introducing Italian cuisine to an Indian audience, Ritu Dalmia, chef and owner of Diva, one of Delhi's most beloved Italian restaurants, has all the answers on Italian cooking in her first cookbook. For example, you will learn how to substitute lemon with lime, use chili (authentically!) with your pasta and dress your mutton as lamb. It also offers a wide range of options for vegetarians. |
The book launches on July 15th but the Sommelier India editors attended an exclusive sneak peak event where guests did some Italian cooking for themselves.
| Diageo India plans to roll out high-end wines like Justerini & Brooks in the coming year. It is currently launching the Thomas Barton range which has already launched in Mumbai and will be available in Delhi and Bangalore soon. The Justerini & Brooks is in the $1,000 (Rs 40,000) range. |  |
 | Pio Cesare is no stranger to us. We, at SI -The Wine Magazine, have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting the producer Pio Boffa and tasting his wines on his last visit to the capital. The occasion was a special wine dinner orchestrated at the Hyatt with their usual panache. Now we've just learned that the 2004 vintage of Barolo, Barolo Ornato, Barbaresco and Barbaresco Il Bricco have been highly rated by Wine Spectator magazine. |
| It was the perfect ambience for tasting some of the best from Kiwi country – the candlelit setting and moonlight at Bangalore's Olive Beach was just perfect to offset the delightfully light, fruity New Zealand sauvignon blancs being launched by New Zealand exporters Index represented by Tina Thomas and Jennifer Woods. The wines are being imported via United Vintners Ltd and will be available in India very soon. Ruma Singh reports |  |
 | Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the celebrated photographer of “Earth from Above” (published in 30 languages with 3 million copies in print), has produced a modern and original view of the 1855 great classified growths. He presents a personalized view of 86 bottles from Bordeaux’s most prestigious winemaking properties on a poster priced at 20 euros (of which 1 euro will go to the “GoodPlanet” association.) |
| Here are two clarets of excellent provenance that you should know about, which we hope will soon be available in the country, Château Clauset and Château de Côme from Saint-Estèphe. Baron Maurice Velge of Château Clauset was in Delhi in April when I had the privilege of meeting him soon after returning from the en primeur tastings in Bordeaux.
Château Clauset and Château de Côme are two wines that complement each other very well.
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| Did you know that the bill for a celebration party for the 55 drafters of the US Constitution was for 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 bottles of whiskey, 22 bottles of port, 8 bottles of hard cider, 12 beers and seven bowls of alcohol punch large enough that "ducks could swim in them?" | 
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| Wine enthusiasts had the opportunity to drink Nine Hills wine and chat with winemaker Jean-Paul Jacquinot (Read his interview, "I was born in a barrel", SI-The Wine Magazine, March/April 2008) at dinners held in Mumbai, Delhi and Gurgaon. Suneeta Sodhi Kanga reports from Mumbai. Flamboyante was not overly dressed up for the wine tasting. In fact, the Arcade in Mumbai’s World Trade seemed decidedly small. |
| After much debate and controversy, the St. Emilion classification has finally been ruled invalid. Chateaux must remove the classifications of Premier Grand Cru Classé A or B, or Grand Cru Classé - which should have applied from the 2006 vintage up to 2016 - from labels on wines dating from the 2006 vintage. |  |
The judge blamed the mechanism and not the tasters for the problem. Wine producers see this as a catastrophe. In the old system Chateau Cheval Blanc and Ausone were the only two Premiers Grands Crus Classés A. The Telegraph, AFP and Decanter have the story.
Constellation Brands Inc. said Tuesday its fiscal first-quarter profit jumped 50 percent, lifted by price increases as well as strong sales of new higher-margin wine brands such as Clos du Bois and Wild Horse. he company's 300-plus brands run from jug wines to coveted California reds, beer imports such as Corona and St. Pauli Girl and liquors like Fleischmann's vodka and Black Velvet Canadian whiskey. Associated Press has the story.
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