Wine enthusiasts and people in the business turn to Sommelier India – The Wine Magazine for a variety of reasons and I hope the publication continues to surprise and please you with something of interest for everyone. As you pick up this issue you will notice that it offers a bumper crop.
Like Brian McGuigan who set up a vineyard in the City of London, we want to bring our readers closer to wine, build up their confidence and bring wine to life. On page 10, Sandra Westbrooke describes how Londoners responded to McGuigan Wines vineyard in their midst.
Reva Singh discusses the latest issue which is being printed as we speak. Subscribe today!.
Did you know that a red wine grape can be used to make white wine but a white wine grape cannot make red wine? The juice of red, white and pink wine grapes is clear in color. Red wine is red because the juice is left in contact with the red or black grape skin until it achieves the degree of color that pleases the winemaker.
If a perspective in Business Standard is to be believed, Indian wines need to do more to meet international standards. Australian wine technologist and viticulturist Diana Davidson expressed concerns over Indian wine and predicted that wine-makers from China, Argentina, Chile and South Africa could easily wipe out Indian wine from the international market. Do you agree?
The global wine map could look very different in 2058, according to Berry Bros & Rudd. The amount of vineyard land in England could potentially rival that of France by 2058. What’s more, if English sparkling wine becomes popular with drinkers and has sufficient demand to bring prices down, it might one day rival Champagne. Pictured to the right is an English Vineyard.
So you have a half finished bottle of wine. It’s one of your favourite wines and you’d like to keep it for a couple of days to drink later. Well, now you can.With Sowine, EuroCave’s latest home wine bar, you can keep opened bottles for up to 10 days in good condition.
Once again, there's hyperbole about the potential of the Asian wine market and specifically the opportunities in China, Russia and India. Officials in Hong Kong expect wine imports into Asia to touch $1.5 billion by 2017. Yes, we do have over a billion people here in India but that doesn't mean everybody is going to become a wine drinker.
As we hit harvest times in Europe, one region doesn't seem to be fairing too well thanks to difficult weather. Apparently, grapes in Burgundy were affected by a cold and wet spring and may not ripen appropriately. Two hailstorms in July and early August only made matters worse. Pictured to the left is the label of Romanée-Conti, one of the most exclusive wines in the world.
For example, you may learn that at Christie’s in 1808, 12 bottles of “Hock” (Rieslings from Hochheim) sold for 10 British pounds, which was the highest price paid for any wine between 1766 and 1880.
The next time you're planning a vacation, consider a trip to Bordeaux - one of the most sacred of wine regions in the world. With packaged tours and guides available to take you to your favorite vineyards and help learn about historic cities like St. Emillion (listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage), you'll find the wine holiday both engaging, different and enjoyable.
One such tour operator to consider is 33 Tours with their charming guides. We've tried them and have been suitably impressed.
Sommelier India wishes all its readers a Happy Independence Day for August 15th. If you are wondering how to celebrate it, considering the country has just won an Olympic Gold, here's the scoop. Head Sommelier Stephane Soret at The Imperial, Delhi has received 12 bottles of 1947 Bas-Armagnac from Marc Darroze in France just in time to celebrate Independence day.
If you're looking to buy first growth wines en primeur but have always found them to be too expensive, you now have another alternative. Sharecase.com lets you buy fine wines enprimeur, by the bottle allowing you to mix your cases to build a diverse and eclectic cellar of the world's greatest wines. However, they currently ship to the UK only.
Bangalore Wine Club events are becoming something to look forward to as far as its members are concerned. And the evening of Saturday 9th August named Daawat or 'grand feast', was no exception, reports Ruma Singh. Hotel Grand Ashok was the venue for an evening which saw the unusual pairing of Baluchi food with Reveilo wines' Reserve range.
Bottle Shock, the new “wine film” based on the actual “Judgment of Paris” 1976 Tasting, has hit movie theaters across America. The New York Times gives it a mixed review explaining that it's a fascinating story that the filmmakers try to force into a specific screen genre. As a result, the movie flops around between madcap comedy and rousing drama. Using wine parlance, one could say it lacks structure. Read what Steven Spurrier told us about it.
An Australian vacation, 17 acres of vineyards in the Nashik valley and Italian wine imported into India under a local label – Vikash Gupta, Director, Vinner Enoteca Pvt. Ltd., tells Avininder Singh how he got into the wine business.
The Wine Society, New Delhi held an Expo of Award Winning Indian Wines at 'Lutyens' on Sunday night. Enthusiastic members who had registered to attend showed up despite heavy traffic congestion. A total of 18 varietals from Sula, Nine Hills, Grovers and Château Indage were showcased and members had a great opportunity to test their palates and determine what they liked.
As a testament to how much of a wine geek I am, my dinning room has the popular De Long's Grape Varietal Table framed on one wall. 184 of the world's favourite grapes organised by body and acidity. It looks a lot like the Periodic Table of Elements that you may remember from Chemistry class in school. But there are just 13 grapes that you really need to know.
“Wine drinking is at a nascent stage in India. There is a lot of curiosity about it, and at times guests are a bit hesitant to try out wines. A lot of mystery has been created around wines by traditional wineries and wine makers”, says Avijit Chaturvedi, Vice President-Operations, The O Hotel, Pune. Brinda Gill has the story for Sommelier India.
Continental Airlines is fast becoming a favorite for NY based NRIs who fly to India regularly. With the direct flights, all of a sudden India seems a lot closer. But what if you're a wine lover? What can you expect to be served when flying business class on Continental to India? Don't expect Indian wine.
Rather the choices are a very forgettable Bordeaux and a very enjoyable Napa Valley wine. The 2003 Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon with its aromas of cassis, cedar and mint is a wine not to be missed. Definitely ask for it.
If some experts are to be believed, China is on track to become one of the world's leading producers with cabernet sauvignons that could give the best Bordeaux wines a run for their money. According to a report by Berry Bros. & Rudd, England's oldest independent wine merchant, China in 50 years will be the world's leading wine supplier and a notable producer of top cabernet sauvignons and chardonnays to compete with the best of France.
As interest in wine grows, Wine Clubs in the country are proliferating. The latest is Wine Club @ Gurgaon. The driving spirit behind it is the indefatigable and enthusiastic Avininder Singh. We wish it every success. The founding members hope to make it a non-commercial congenial venture.
Members will pay an annual fee of Rs. 1,000 and one time registration fee of Rs. 3,500. (Rs. 1,000 will go towards the dues and Rs. 2,500 for the first event). The club is being legally established and will abide by rules established in its charter. For more information contact Avininder Singh at WineClubGurgaon@gmail.com.
Many believe that using alcohol in a cooked dish is a waste of time, because all the good stuff evaporates long before the dish reaches your palate! I love cooking with alcohol and so many times when I feel that the flavour is too weak or too strong for my liking I adjust the quantity accordingly – but use it all the same.
The first Official Pairing Guide of ICCCW was launched on Monday, July 28th 2008. The guide, itself, is a composite of the proceedings of the inaugural International Congress of Chinese Cuisine & Wine, 23 to 25 May 2008 held at China World Hotel Beijing, China. Sommelier India Publisher, Reva Singh was a special invitee. Download the guide and watch the interview with Ch'ng Poh Tiong.
Tucked away on the eighth floor, far away from the buzz of The Leela Kempinski hotel at Sahar, Mumbai, is Stella, an exclusive Italian fine dining restaurant. As you enter the elegant establishment you pass through a wine library which, it is whispered, stocks an incredible 250 labels at any given point of time! writes Suneeta Kanga.
With the Japan Wine Challenge having taken place last month, figuring large on our radar now is the India Wine Challenge which will take place in early December in New Delhi.
The India Wine Challenge is arguably the most professionally run and serious rating of Indian and international wines in India. If you are planning to participate this is the time to gear up for the second edition. Meanwhile, SI correspondent, Brinda Gill reports on the awards received by Champagne Indage.
There are winemaker’s dinners and there are winemaker’s dinners. One that we found particularly worthwhile was when Riesling wines were paired with Indian food at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi. The setting in one of the hotel’s function rooms wasn’t particularly inspiring, but the winemaker’s presentation was illuminating and the food delicious.
The meal was beautifully served on fine pottery in traditional ‘thali’ style, with each item in an individual bowl.
Here’s news that may be of interest to the Indian food/beverages and hospitality industries. The Australian Trade Commission is organising a trade delegation of Indian buyers and inviting participation from F&B importers and distributors; hospitality chains and food processors to explore sourcing and business tie-ups with Australian firms at Fine Food Australia.
Our friends over at Tulleeho pointed us to this new website that encourages users to drink responsibly. TalkingAlcohol.com gives visitors advice about the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. Download
the drinking responsibly handbook.
Sponsored by SAB Miller, it can help your friends and you watch your health as you enjoy drinking wine.
For many in the developing world, drinking wine is a complicated process. For most here in India, the complication borders on being even scary due to the sheer expanse of the perceived fears about its mismatch with Indian food. This keeps many away, besides being unusually judgmental, while considering a wine trial. Kulpreet Yadav reports.
Cannes is the most prestigious film festival in the world. And with India's emergence on the global scene, it serves as an important venue for India to project India's best brands in the entertainment sector.This year Grover Vineyards sponsored the Indian Pavilion at the festival. This follows Sula's earlier sponsorship of the India pavilion at the World Economic Forum.
As with exit polls in India, statistics on the Indian wine industry are sometimes a little confusing. Surveys aren't always audited or professionally analyzed by staticians. So the International Wine & Spirit Record 2008 Handbook's launch is greatly welcomed as it sheds needed light on the Indian wine market.
Some numbers from it - Local still wine sales were 770,000 cases while imported still wines reached 210,000 cases. France supplied 39% of this imported volume. The percentage increase in local volume was 54.6% and in imported volume it was 25.1%. You can buy the full report at the IWSR.
