Prego, the Italian restaurant at Pune's all-new luxury hotel The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, hosted an enjoyable wine dinner on 21st December 2009 to announce its presence on the city's culinary map. And what could be more apt than an offering of Italian wines to pair with authentic Italian specialities? writes Brinda Gill.

Sunshine, cheer, wine, food, music and art warmed the lawns of Rohi Villa Palace, Koregaon Park, Pune, as the third Pune Wine Tasting Festival progressed over the weekend of 19th and 20th December 2009, reports Brinda Gill. As in the previous two years, the festival was hosted by the Pune Gourmet Club, an informal group of food and wine lovers, who enjoy cooking and sharing their efforts with each other and guests.

The Times of India announced 25 trends that made the last decade different. The trends included "Justice versus Media", "Luv my SUV", "Big Fat Indian Wedding", "Cheap Wings" and "High Spirits" representing the alcohol and beverage industry. To quote, "From 300,000 cases of wine in 1999, including 15,000 imported cases, Indians guzzled 1.5 million cases in 2009." See all the other trends here.

Wine clubs are popping up across the country at a frenzied pace as interest in wine grows. And as consumers deepen their appreciation for wine, the clubs are getting more specialized. The most recent club entry is W-3 - Wine, Women and Wit launched by importer Dharti Desai of FineWinesnMore and Chandni Dhall of Dhall Food and Beverages at the Rendezvous, Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai recently. Shiv Singh comments. Pictured are guests at the launch party.

In the midst of a heavy year-end work schedule and the exhausting social whirl that Delhi is at this time of the year, one afternoon stands apart. The tutored tasting of German wines hosted at his residence by the German Ambassador to India, Mr Thomas Matussek, in early December. By Reva K.Singh

Sommelier India tastes the wines of Murcia

The dulcet notes of Doris Day's Que Sera Sera were an apt prelude to Sommelier India's inaugural Tasting Panel tasting. For months Reva Singh had been toying with the idea of creating a regular tasting panel for the publication, and it was with much excitement that a motley crew of five experience palates was able to convene at SI headquarters on a chilly winter's evening in January for a tasting of Monastrell from Murcia in Spain. The panel comprised Rukn Luthra, a rep of the Indian wine trade, Vice President at Pernod Ricard, India, and head of all the company's wine business; Andrew Steele,wine aficionado and General Manager of The Shangri-La, New Delhi; Bill Marchetti, chef and restaurant entrepreneur in India and Australia; Reva Singh, Editor of Sommelier India The Wine Magazine and Harshal Shah, sommelier. The panel,as it turned out, had a good balance between experienced tasters and wine judges as well as those who could provide a perspective on behalf of the Indian consumer.
There were eight wines to assess, seven Monastrells from Murcia and one other wine the 'red herring' for the night which was 2005 Bardou Saint Chinian Languedoc. The unanimous favourite was the now famous wine number 88, whose number was the result of a witty system devised by the trusty stewards for the evening. All the wines were served blind in no particular order and the labels were only revealed at the end of the tasting.- HS

Sommelier India, the Wine Magazine, organized an exclusive wine dinner recently in conjunction with the Opera Consortium (a cooperative of Italian wine and agricultural products) to introduce a selection of fine Italian wines to Delhi's oenophiles. Pictured right are Roberto Toscano, the Ambassador of Italy to India, and Mrs Toscano with members of the consortium.

Steven Spurrier was in Mumbai but thinking of Paris. He is the British wine expert best known for organizing the so-called "Judgment of Paris" -- a 1976 blind tasting between French and U.S. wines in which the Americans improbably came out on top. The contest was a sensation, and sparked the explosion of the American wine market. Now, 33 years later, Spurrier is hoping to witness another revolution, this time in India. Jyoti Thottam who was at the Sommelier India Wine Competition in Mumbai and Elliot Hannon report for Time in the Indian alcohol scene.

At the end of last month, I spent a day tasting some 75-odd international and Indian wines -- that arrived in a seemingly interminable series of flights -- at the Sommelier India Wine Challenge in Mumbai. It may sound like an easy day's work, but by 9 p.m., when we were finally done, I was so exhausted and so done with fermented grape that I would have accepted a can of Coke in lieu of a glass of 1947 Cheval Blanc. Mukund Padmanabhan discusses the Sommelier India Wine Competition in a piece for The Hindu newspaper and excerpted here.

Wine is a recent phenomenon in India, so most people forget that some wines have been around for a fairly long time: Indage since 1986, Grover since 1992 and Sula (which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first harvest) since 1999. Time was when the only "wines" available were either the port-style stuff from Goa (remember "Adega de Velha"?) or Golconda. In 1986 Indage launched "Marquise de Pompadour" -- touted as the first "Indian champagne" (we really didn't know much about wine back then, did we?).

With Barista Lavazza's deal with Sula Vineyards, it seems plausible that they maybe the ones that will do the most to build interest around wine in India. As covered earlier in Sommelier India, Barista has sought state licenses sell liquor in its coffee shops. Certain outlets like the Defence Colony Barista in Delhi already serve wine. Shiv Singh comments on the Barista evolution.

Sangiovese (san-jee-oh-vay-zay): a red grape varietal native to Italy and grown in many parts of the country. In fact, it is the most widely planted red grape in Italy. The best known expression of Sangiovese is from Tuscany, where it forms 85% of the blend in Chianti Classico wines. Chianti wines, which follow a different, less expensive and less laborious method of production have a much lower proportion of Sangiovese, normally about 70%. Harshal Shah explains the grape.

It is only in India that sometimes regulations can seriously get in the way of commerce as was the case at the recently held International Food and Drinks Expo at Pragati Maidan in Delhi. The Delhi Excise Department issued new norms preventing wines and alcoholic beverages registered in Delhi in the current excise year from being displaced in exhibitions. Nevertheless, visitors found the exhibition valuable.

Everyone knows of Verona as the home of Romeo and Juliet; the next time you read the bard, remember Verona is also home to some of the finest Valpolicella wines, says Suneeta Sodhi Kanga. Valpolicella, the "Pearl of Verona" or "The Valley of Cellars", is a hilly agricultural and marble-quarrying region famous for wine production. From Roman times, its hillsides have been known for the production of excellent wine.

While the world's attention is focused on Copenhagen and the climate change conference there, in a quiet corner of Bordeaux, France, steps are being taken to help winemakers around the world to 'go green', writes Ruma Singh. Right: Bordeaux-based wine consultant Olivier Dauga believes that the French can lead the wine world from the front

A fortnight ago wine lovers in Delhi were treated to excellent wines from Bordeaux at a dinner hosted by Brindco at The Aman. The evening began in the Cellar with Champagne Pommery to prime us for the wines to come, writes Reva K. Singh. After that we moved upstairs to the restaurant which was decorated with Autumn leaves in shades of russet gold, strewn on the floor and scattered on dining tables to seat four or six.

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, India was reeling from the Mumbai terrorist attacks. The sudden drop in tourism-related revenue plus the downturn in the economy hurt the wine trade. And now industry insiders are projecting that the wine industry is poised to make a strong comeback. Shiv Singh reports on the changing landscape. (Pictured are SIWC winners who stand to gain as the demand bounces back)

Congratulations to Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV fame. He has been recognized as "Innovator of the Year" by Wine Enthusiast. He's a dynamic personality democratizing the world of wine with his flamboyant, yet down-to-earth and take no prisoners style. With 849,229 followers on Twitter he's also part of the twitterati. Co-publisher, Shiv Singh who's been a speaker at two conferences where Gary has also spoken says that he's even more dynamic in real life. Coincidentally, his book Crush It, was released two weeks before Shiv's Social Media Marketing for Dummies.

Krug: a Champagne house founded in 1843 and still very much a family run company which is left to work undisturbed and independently, despite being owned by the LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) group.

We're launching Wine Facts of the Day from Sommelier India contributor Harshal Shah. Expect to see many more educational posts in the weeks ahead from Harshal.

Wine Park, an importer and marketer of premium wines in India recently organised a series of wine events at the Four Seasons Hotel to celebrate Truffles week and the unique pairing of their wines with truffle-laden gourmet dishes. Sonal Holland had the pleasure of attending a rather interesting wine-tasting evening tutored by Paulo Bianchi of Agricola Querciabella, a family owned winery in Tuscany.