“This is where we want our wines to be tasted’ was the response of wineries when we started working towards hosting the second Pune Wine Tasting Festival”, gushed B. Shankarnarayan, Moderator, Pune Gourmet Club.

The efforts of the Pune Gourmet Club members, who generously gave of their time and resources was held at Rohi Villa Palace, Koregaon Park, Pune, on the weekend of Dec 13-14. The participating wineries were Century Wines Pvt. Ltd., Chateau d’Ori, Chateau Indage, Four Seasons, Nira Valley Grape Wines, Reveilo, Seagram’s Nine Hills, Sula, Tiger Hill, Vin & Vouloir, Vinsura and Zampa.

Each wine tasting pass was thoughtfully accompanied with a souvenir wine glass, an informative wine guide and voting card. Colourful garden umbrellas - gently shading scores of wine bottles and bread baskets- invited visitors to see, swirl, sip and taste wines, while informal seating at the lawns and in the hall were ideal to relax over the tastings, increase their knowledge of wine and spend a sunny winter afternoon.

Adding to the buzz were counters of delectable finger foods including Oriental cuisine from Silk Route restaurant; assorted vegetarian, non-vegetarian and seafood platters from Post 91 restaurant; Cajun blackened fish and chicken being enthusiastically prepared by Shankarnarayan.

Boursin cheese tastings; a demonstration of `Cooking with Indian Wine’ by Chef Parag Kanhare; an interaction with Ranjit Dhuru from Chateau d’Ori about his successful foray into the wine industry though he is from an IT background; interactions with wine maker Paul Bailey (Zampa) and sommeliers; wine accessories and barbeque equipment for purchase; delicious offerings from Ti Amo Gelato and hand crafted chocolates; information on vineyard tours from Tulleeho; and souvenirs to take away…ensured a good time was had by all as the weekend passed away all too fast.