Continue reading the Editor's Note from the latest issue of Sommelier India and Subscribe to receive your copy. This issue at 84 pages is chockablock full with feature stories, news, tips and more on wine and the culture surrounding it. Some of the best wine writers from India and around the world are published in Sommelier India. The magazine is required reading for Indians around the world who enjoy the good life.

Not surprisingly, cost is always a major consideration and even stumbling block. I haven't had much success in persuading Club committees that an Enomatic system for serving more wines by the glass is a worthwhile investment. When that finally happens it will mark a quantum leap in the growth of wine culture.

With the approach of summer, thoughts turn naturally to holidays and travel abroad. This issue, therefore, has several articles for the wine traveller. Wine holidays and vineyard visits make a wonderful break from city living. Most wineries welcome visitors and wine producers are typically great hosts. Our special travel section starting on page 16, will steer you in the right direction.

Regardless of the chronic problems besetting the wine industry in India, wine producers are undeterred, and Indian wines continue to improve in quality. I'm looking forward to tasting the first vintage of Alpine Wineries which Alok Chandra writes about so enthusiastically (page 39). David Cobbold's straightforward analysis of Bordeaux's En Primeur system of selling wine (page 68) is both interesting and informative as is Priyanka Dhar's article on barrel-making on page 52.

Finally, with so much else going on in your wine life, be sure you don't overlook the bi-monthly offering of entertaining and informative reading in Sommelier India as you partake of other vinous pleasures!

View the Table of Contents or Subscribe to the Sommelier India WINE Magazine.

Read the complete report on http://www.independent.ie/health/diet-fitness/red-wine-helps-weight-loss-new-study-3079876.html

The upper level of the newly-renovated Diva is an excellent venue for small wine dinners, like this. The "wall of wine" (pictured left) at one end of the room sets the perfect vinous atmosphere, which is completed by impeccable wine service. Although the gathering was a professional one (journalists, F&B folks etc), the mood was decidedly casual. Lechanoine and Anthony Gourmel (BPDR's Asia-Pacific Export Director) kept the conversation flowing as well as the wine. They shared vignettes from their personal experiences representing BPDR - providing the attendees with a view of the "family culture", the affiliation with art (an Anish Kapoor drawing adorns the label of Château Mouton Rothschild 2009), and the company's overall philosophy.

The opening courses were accompanied during the meal by the Mouton Cadet Blanc 2010 and the Mouton Cadet Rouge 2010 - both good introductions to Bordeaux. The Escudo Rojo 2009 (a red blend of Carmenère, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon), provided an enticingly delicious demonstration of why Old World companies like BPDR are venturing to Chile. Though an entry-level wine which is cheaper than the Mouton Cadet range - it clearly punches above its weight. Rich, full, brimming with black fruit, and distinctly spicy - it was easy to see the potential of the wine with spicy Indian food. The main course was accompanied by the 2008 Château d'Armailhac and the 1999 Château Mouton Rothschild. The evening ended with the Mouton Cadet reserve Sauternes 2008.

This was Lechanoine's first visit to India but he stressed that he expects to be here more often. He sees the Indian wine culture developing in a more sustainable and less faddish manner than other markets that have suddenly seen explosive growth (clearly China). In the Indian market, BPDR's main focus is going to be on developing its branded business (Mouton Cadet and Escudo Rojo) as these wines will come in at much more accessible price points than the Grand Cru Classé wines.

The girl took her discovery to the king who became so enamored with this new "wine" beverage that he not only accepted the girl back into his harem but also decreed that all grapes grown in Persepolis would be devoted to winemaking. While most wine historians view this story as pure legend even though it makes for a great tale, there is archaeological evidence that wine was known and extensively traded by the early Persian kings.

For more on wine in Persia and its influence on the world of wine, read From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table.

Many people think that since our weather is not as extreme as it can be in Europe, we get the same growing conditions every year. Not true. Like any other agricultural or plantation crop, grapes too are subject to the vicissitudes of rain and bugs and mildew, and the quality of each year's harvest or "vintage" varies.

"For me, 2012 will be remembered as the best white wine vintage of the past 5-6 years", says Rajeev Samant, MD and head of Sula. "Overall, this harvest was excellent - much better than the very difficult harvests of 2010 and 2011. There was no unseasonal rain in November unlike the previous two years, so there was no downy mildew and resulting crop loss."

Sula, of course, has both its own vineyards and also sources grapes and wine from a number of growers in the Nashik area. Samant reports that because of favourable weather this year, yields as well as quality, were significantly better than the previous two years, particularly for white wines resulting in "... beautiful flavours and great acidity".

However, he adds that "the winter was very cool -- the coldest in the last five years (down to 5°C), so initial ripening was slow, and the harvest was delayed by about two weeks. This led to a problem for some red grapes (although the reds overall are still very good),"

As everyone is probably aware, Sula is the market leader in India, and should have finished 2011-12 with sales of over 400,000 cases of wine -- its portfolio extends across the entire gamut of wine types and price-points, from Rs 125 to Rs 1,200 per bottle.

The harvest report from Fratelli Vineyards (located 150 km south of Pune) is similar: Alessio Secci says that "we had a very dry monsoon, making it possible to prune two weeks early, but low temperatures up to January, with a minimum 13°C, allowed slow ripening and a late harvest. However, temperatures rose dramatically in early February to 38°C, making it important to do daily checks for harvesting."

Fratelli grows not only Sauvignon Blanc but also white wine grapes like Gewürztraminer, Müller Thurgau, and Chardonnay, and in 2012 is looking to also produce both a Sparkling and a Late Harvest wine for the first time. One looks forward with interest to its 2012 vintage hitting the shelves, particularly as previous vintages displayed terrific improvements each year.

The harvest conditions in North Karnataka would be different as is the climate and soil. The terroir of the grape-growing areas near Bangalore is quite different due to its higher altitude, a more moderate climate (it never goes below 10°C), and a different soil composition with more schist or gravel.

However, the harvest report this year seems to be quite similar: D N Raju of Bangalore's Soma Vineyards reports a good vintage in 2012 -- no unseasonal rains and a cool extended winter that favoured the development of complexity and flavours in the grapes allowed him to complete his harvest by end-March. These conditions would be similar for Grover Vineyards, which sources its grapes from the 'Nandi Valley' area, the region close to Nandi Hills.

So expect some good wines this year -- I'll share the tasting notes of the wines when I get them.

The market for such wines, he notes, opens in the spring following the harvest, and may continue for up to a year, depending on demand and availability for each wine. The purchaser of these futures will have paid, in exchange for advancing the funds, a price which he hopes to be lower than the wine's in-bottle release price. After all, he is taking a risk on a product that he does not yet fully own and which he has not even tasted. In this form of trade, confidence and guarantees are naturally paramount. There have, unfortunately, been cases of dishonest traders taking the money and running, quite literally!

This futures market only concerns a relatively small number of wines, under the "château" designation. It is hard to give a precise number for the châteaux who sell a sizeable part of their wine in this way, as this will vary according to the reputation of the vintage. The market is elastic, and will expand for a vintage considered to be very good. Conversely, it will shrink for a vintage with a poor reputation. All the wines sold in futures are at the top end of the Bordeaux market, and nearly all are classified growths or their equivalents. One could say that this activity represents between 2% and 5% of the total volume of wine produced in Bordeaux, but between 10% and 20% of the value, and perhaps 50% of the media coverage. In other words, it is not only about selling, it is also about image.

Former more about Bordeaux En Primeur read the Q&A with David Cobbold in Sommelier India Issue 3, 2012

Pernod Ricard's worldwide brands, having recently re-structured, is now represented by "House of Brands", of which wines are a separate category. Pernod Ricard has grouped its four premium wine brands into a wine entity. These include Jacob's Creek from southeast Australia, Brancott Estate from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, Campo Viejo from Rioja in Spain and Graffigna - the oldest winery in the San Juan region of Argentina. In addition, they also have an investment in the burgeoning market of China. In India, they have been producing a range of wines, both white and red, under the Nine Hills brand since 2006.

Philip Deverell overseas the viticultural practices for all the above wine brands, providing technical inputs and expertise in the management of pests and diseases, canopy, irrigation, fertilizer and harvesting logistics. Understandably, he has a very busy schedule, particularly during the harvest season. He travels to the represented regions trying to coincide his visit with the timing of the grape plucking and processing. Add to that, the time spent on the airplane shuttling between Australia, India, China, Argentina, Spain and back to New Zealand, and you will realize that they don't call them flying winemakers for nothing!

"How is it that India, located north of the equator in the northern hemisphere which typically harvests between September to November, follows a vineyard cycle similar to regions in the southern hemisphere?" I asked out of curiosity. His response was a technical revelation.

"Growing wine grapes in India is a unique proposition. Climatically, I classify Nashik as having a dry and a wet season. We try and do as much in the vineyards during the dry seasons, as the monsoon rains and excessive summer heat pose restrictions. The winter season of November to mid-February in Nashik has temperatures between 18 and 24oC; similar to the summer temperatures in Europe and California. Grapes enjoy the dry, cool ripening period allowing them to develop flavour intensity during this time. The grapes are then harvested in February and March before we hit the scorching summer heat again."

I realized I had dived deep into a discussion, rich and full of viticulture wisdom. And, like a true cynic, I questioned him about the credibility of the Nashik terroir as well as his choice of an ideal terroir given an opportunity to re-plant within India. Philip shared his candid views on the challenges involved in growing vitis vinifera grape varietals in Nashik, some of the common mistakes that growers make, the viability of making organic and biodynamic wines in India, and the need for an appellation or quality system.

"Why are we Indians the worst critics of our own wines?" I asked. He seemed calm and unflustered. "It is not unusual for an emerging country in its early stages of wine-drinking to show some level of uncertainty and dislike towards their own wines. I have seen this trend in Australia too. But the pride for one's indigenous product develops once the wines start to command global recognition and acceptance. I am not saying that Indian wines cannot be improved but it is a process that requires a few years of learning through experience, until you start producing consistently well-balanced wines that consumers enjoy."

Philip believes in the India story. He believes that India has the potential to grow better quality grapes as the industry ages and so do the vines. Read more about his views and experiences of the Indian soil, as well as why he believes that at this point, growing wine grapes in India is slightly more rewarding than in China, in the next issue of Sommelier India Wine magazine.

The idea of turning this into an easy-access app soon followed. Over the years, Yvonne has become an expert on the best restaurants for every price range, how to book Champagne and culinary tours, and ideas on travel around the region. It seemed natural to put that expertise into a handy app for smart phones. "It also contains many videos of small and large Champagne producers, and our personal network of contacts, which will give insights into places and people you wouldn't necessarily discover if on your own, " says Yvonne.

The well-designed app combines attractive visuals with easy headers to help the Champagne traveller get the information requires. This includes Champagne tours and tasting details (from major houses, to smaller growers and even the best Champagne bars in Reims & Epernay), where to stay (hotel or B&B/ in Grand Cru villages with addresses, maps, complete with emails, phone numbers and GPS coordinates etc).

Other sub-heads include Culture & Heritage of the Champagne region, Activities, Events, Shopping and other information. Yvonne intends to update the information based on feedback. The photo gallery contains attractive photographs of famous sights around Reims and Epernay, all to whet the appetite of those to whom a visit to Champagne is a must-do part of their wine travels.

This year, Cavalli is here to promote is his Merlot, which he feels "is a unique and different wine". "This is a wine that gets ready very quickly. It's aged in the barrel for six to eight months. But it has the ambition to be more aged," he adds. "It is more elegant and full-bodied."

Unlike some of his other wines, which he was told once "were too perfect", he's striving to break away from the textbook formula. "I want to bring out a wine that can be talked about and can arouse curiosity. What is the point of bringing a wine that makes no noise at all?

The new wine is a 13° alcohol, 2008 vintage, and like all his other wines, this too is low in alcohol and fresh. Tommaso's father, designer Roberto Cavalli has designed most of his previous labels, and this bottle's label, too, will be designed by him. This time, however, the labels carry a geometric pattern and the 'Cavalli' brand will not be as prominent as before.

One of the reasons he feels it's time for a change is because things are changing in his vineyard as well. When his winemaking assistant left him last year, Cavalli had to do a lot of the blending on his own. Although Carlo Ferrini, one of Tuscany's top wine consultants, oversees the winemaking, Tommaso feels his personal touch is making all the difference.

"Of course, there's a lot of effort and time that I am putting in, but I am pleased with the result. Very pleased indeed."

Cavalli wines are imported into the country by Aspri Wines and Spirits and are available in most leading restaurants and five star hotels.

Taber advises us to trust our own palate while learning to make informed decisions. The book opens with anecdotes about wine critics and judges who have often surprised themselves by embarrassingly rating lesser known and inexpensive wines higher than the acknowledged stars, like a $9.99 bottle of Washington State sparkling wine over a $150 bottle of Dom Perignon in more than one blind tasting! Taber gives a fascinating account of the early days of wine production in America. The fortunes of its pioneers intertwine in unexpected ways resulting sometimes in success stories like that of "Two Buck Chuck".

Bargain winemakers are listed according to country in the book along with lists of Taber's favourite $10 wines and some between $15 to $25. If your personal preference is for, say, a sweet wine that is not regarded as "good" by mainstream wine critics,Taber does not disapprove. When the President of the Wine Society of Delhi wanted to arrange a visit to the Luca factory, some members turned up their noses. This is not real wine, they said. It doesn't come from vitis vinifera grapes. This is just the kind of thinking, "A Toast to Bargain Wines" is trying to discredit. If you like lychee wine, drink lychee wine, until your taste moves towards something else. It's better to drink some wine than no wine.

Another interesting book on a similar subject is "Unquenchable, A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines" by Natalie MacLean. This is an entertaining romp through the wine world with plentiful advice on searching out wine bargains. A self-described descendant of hard-drinking, penny-pinching Scots, MacLean travels the world searching for good wine at good prices, meeting all sorts of wine people along the way, although she sometimes gets carried away with her own enthusiasm in presenting her thesis and tends to generalise.

Take for example her opening chapter, "A Nose for a Bargain," where she states, "Wines from regions such as Tuscany, Bordeaux, and Napa Valley have become too expensive for most of us." This may be true of the very top wines but surely there are plenty of other wines that are both affordable and good. All in all, however, the book is a good, enjoyable read packed with information and well worth adding to your wine book collection. Her other book, the bestseller, Red, White and Drunk All Over, was also reviewed as a "From the Editor's Bookshelf" choice in a past issue of Sommelier India.

The next day saw Mescalito on the deejay console which was followed by Soulmate and Ankur and the Ghalat Family while Sahelj Bakshi and the Dualist Inquiry brought the sessions to an end. However, it was Nitin Sawhney's first ever live performance in India that stole the show and was the highlight of Sulafest.
Pictured: Nitin Sawhney live at Sulafest

It wouldn't have been a Sulafest if the wine and spirits didn't flow in the midst of the grape stomping and entertainment. Visitors were spoilt for choice ranging from Rémy Martin, Balvenie and Hendrick's Gin to Cointreau, Mount Gay Rum and Asahi, not forgetting Sula wine. The food stalls also offered plenty of choice with Indian and international cuisines to go with the drink. The Sulafest Bazaar with many recognizable brands was a further attraction.

Sulafest, from all accounts, was an unqualified success with great entertainment, food and wine. The fun and frolic of the Festival, which was very well attended, was shot by Director Nikhil Advani who plans to produce a Woodstock-style documentary. If you missed it, maybe you'll get a chance to experience some of the excitement.

The small batches of hand-picked, limited edition wines (only 100 to 600 cases or each for a total of 20,000 to 25,000 bottles) are considered über-niche, smart luxury for insiders. The wines are currently listed with prestigious independent wine merchants and restaurants in Europe, the US and Asia. Pictured right: Chêne Bleu rosé, an exceptional wine that paired well with tandoori prawns

Nicole and Xavier Rolet acquired the derelict property a decade ago and painstakingly restored the vineyard and the 9th century priory to the highest international standards. Nicole is chief 'plate spinner' at Chêne Bleu, managing most of the responsibilities beyond viticulture and winemaking, and makes the link between Chêne Bleu and the outside world, travelling to exchange ideas and enjoy the wines with others who share her passion.

Multilingual and multicultural (US, France, Italy, South America), she enjoys scouting for the best ideas from everywhere and weaving them in with those of the team. She started her career in publications, banking and think-tanks in the USA, then got well and truly bitten by the wine bug and trained at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and UC Davis.

Left: Nicole Rolet at The Oberoi, New Delhi

Presented unusually in screen printed bottles without a regular label, Mokssh is a venture started by Moksh Sani who is best known for his 'Living Liquidz' liquor stores. Regarding Mokssh Wines, Sani's very laudable aim (in his own words) is "to make top-notch wines, exclusively flavoured wine and available for the common man to promote the concept of fine wines as part of the urban cosmopolitan lifestyle". Described as a luscious wine with a fresh bouquet, lively acidity, finely textured tannins and a sweet supple finish, Mokssh Blush might be just the wine for your Valentine.

This piece by James Lamont originally appeared in the Financial Times of London on January 22nd, 2012.

"The market is expanding, particularly at the low end. [It's limited] because of the tax structure which is quite ridiculous," he says. "A €2 to €3 bottle turns into a Rp1,000 (€15.4) one."

International wine traders, however, are increasingly eyeing India as having the potential to follow China as an explosive high-value market. Some view India as a future source of demand to offset drops in other markets and as a pool of wine investment.

But, after a brief rally, the country has failed to deliver. Wine volumes fell 15.7 per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to data from International Wine and Spirit Research. While China serves as an encouraging example, the gap between the two Asian markets is striking, research by UK-based Ditton Wine Traders shows.

China imports 2.5m cases of Bordeaux a year. Recent auctions in Hong Kong - which turned itself into an Asian wine hub by dropping taxes in 2008 - have hit record prices in spite of the economic downturn experienced elsewhere in the world.

By comparison, India's market is undeveloped. Asia's third-largest economy imports only 100,000 cases of wine a year. High quality outlets are few. Indian Ocean island states, such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, import more wine than India, a country of 1.2bn people.

Read the rest of the story at The Financial Times.

Kings of old had people taste their food before they ate, but Raghu Bahadur wonders if it's a good idea for a sommelier to taste the wine before its drunk?

Predictably the view from the other side of the fence, that of the customer, is quite the opposite. I paid for the wine, he argues, so why should I share it with a stranger? This, of course, is the basic, if somewhat coarse and simplistic reasoning for opposing the practice, but there are other reasons that can be put forward on his behalf. In plain, unadorned terms, if a customer is happy drinking the wine that has been served to him without it the matter should be allowed to rest there, even if it somehow transpires that the wine is not completely sound. Perhaps he has drunk, or still drinks, similar wine at home - maybe an open bottle stored improperly for with what he is drinking and is not overly conscious about the quality, then obviously he does not need the service of pre-tasting by the sommelier. On the rare occasion when a customer is served bad wine and he drinks it without demur - very few, I think, will fall into this category - well, then he is drinking his just desserts.

There is one lingering grey area for the customer who does not want his wine to be pre-tasted: What happens if he believes that the wine is suspect but does not call this fact to the sommelier's attention out of sheer limited knowledge or intimidated by the condescending demeanour of the sommelier, a not uncommon occurrence. Whatever the reason, the sad outcome is that the meek customer, far from inheriting the earth, only inherits bad wine.

A practical solution to the problems associated with pre-tasting would be to preface wine lists with the message that the restaurant's trained sommelier is available to pre-taste wines should the customer so desire. Such a message would not tread on customers' sensibilities and may actually usher a role-reversal of sorts that could benefit those who really require the service. At upmarket restaurants, where the practice is most often witnessed, the customer, trusting his own judgement, will quickly learn to ignore the message and the service. At the not-much-lower end, the message may persuade the customer to shed his inhibitions and go for helped no doubt by the fact that the cost of the service is but a small sip.

Beware of the hidden pitfall, though, as the term "small sip" can have different interpretations. There are sommeliers and there are sommeliers, and it is not unknown that some require a larger sip of wine than others to pronounce their judgement on its quality, without the customer being any the wiser. The open bottle is brought to the table held at an angle, ready for the wine to be poured, at which the wine stands. The situation gets only murkier as the evening progresses, the sommelier getting (albeit unwise) with tasting sips graduating into tasting gulps.

Anyway, why do we debate on a subject as puny as a sip of wine? At worst call it unnecessary nit-picking. At best - and this is the part I like - it can be seen as adding to the lore and mystique that surrounds oenophilia. In the world of alcoholic beverages only oenology lends itself to the creation of a vast array of themes, big and small, that stimulate debate, argument, commentary among the experts. The reason for this is not far to seek.

Although the processes involved in the production of wine have evolved to a state of near perfection, there are two stages in the vine cultivation and the transport and storage of the matter what controls are put in place no two vintages will be alike, and hence the same varietal from one vineyard will vary in quality and taste from year to year. As for the last stage it would seem that it is possible to maintain full control to preserve the wine in pristine condition but, such is the nature of the beast, that it is not really so. The smallest lapse in transport and storage is quick to take its toll, leading to deterioration in quality.

In contrast, hard liquor suffers little, if at all, from these disadvantages. Can you imagine commodities like malted barley (for whisky), potato (vodka) or sugar cane (rum) being handicapped by considerations of terroir? And once they have been put through the respective processes the product that emerges is no namby pamby: it is a sturdy spirit capable of withstanding extreme conditions of transport and storage. The explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left behind a few cases of his hut as he hurriedly wound up his Antarctica expedition of the early 1900s. The cases were discovered recently, more than a century later, and the master blender of the distillery that now owns the brand pronounced the whisky to be in excellent condition. Yes, some rare wines do enjoy equally long lives and reveal pristine condition when opened (see Sommelier India Aug-Sep 2011, "Drinking in their original place and remain untouched, and at ideal temperature and humidity, throughout.

So it is that the puny sip of wine gets written about. Order two bottles of the same wine and, if you have opted for the service, you will need to have each of them pre- tasted separately by the sommelier. Would you require similar service for any other beverage? Now you see why all discussion on wine gets elevated to the level of philosophy.

Château Clarke was served in two different vintages: 2007 and 2001. Baron Edmond the Rothschild purchased this historic estate in 1973 and entirely renovated it. Now his son Benjamin keeps on displaying a passion for excellence, producing a concentrated and elegant wine with a majority of Merlot grapes grown in a clay-limestone soil, which is quite unique on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux region. While 2007 distinguishes itself by a very expressive nose and a great energy, the 2001 is a more complex wine, well balanced with silky texture and delicate tannins.

Château Malmaison was presented in two other vintages selected by Florent Mougin and the importer Brindco: 2004 and 1999. This estate located in the Moulis appellation is probably one of the oldest in the Médoc area. The grape variety mix is also dominated by Merlot, which provides smoothness to the wine. During the dinner the 2004 seemed a little bit closed while the 1999 treated us with delightful notes of cedar, rich mocha and leather. It was, however, undeniably a good pairing with the accomplished tenderloin medallion and its cherry compote!

Recently, I had the opportunity to pursue a course at the CIVB's (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) École du Vin and experienced for myself the very reason why Bordeaux sits at the pinnacle of the winemaking world. Set up in 1990, the École du Vin (wine school) aims to introduce wine professionals and enthusiasts to the wonderful world of Bordeaux wines through a variety of courses that it offers at different points of time in the year.

The courses here are extremely practical and move away from typical presentation-led sessions. Alexander Hall, a Bordeaux-based wine professional and ex-winemaker, was our course tutor. I had quite an eclectic bunch of people as batch mates from as far afield as Hong Kong and China, Jordan, Canada and the Philippines, amongst others. Each day of the course was packed with great learning experiences.

Day one saw us make a trip to the right bank to Pomerol, where we spent one afternoon at Château de Sales, the largest vineyard there, and got to interact with the winemaker and owner, Bruno de Lambert, and tasted and discussed his wines over a superb five-course meal! And if you're in wine school in Bordeaux, you'd expect to try some of the finest and most expensive wines, right? Fine wines? Yes. Expensive? No. Most of the wines that we tasted as part of the course were priced between €5-€40 and across various styles. Some of the best wines that were to be had were actually quite reasonable.

Of the many that we tasted, a few stood out for me: a Château Nicot 2010, a Sauvignon-Sémillon blend from the Entre-Deux-Mers - an excellent, easy to drink white; a Château Penin 2010, AOC Bordeaux Clairet; and a Château Vieux Moulins de Chereau 2003, a classic right bank blend. And all under €12!

We did taste others that were priced far higher too. But this just goes to show that good wines needn't be pricey. And our learning didn't end there. Our lunches were organized at some of the top restaurants in the city, and Alex would personally pick wines that we would taste and discuss over lunch. Then came the last day, when we trotted down to the local chef's school and prepared our own food, which we later got to pair with a great selection of wines. A complete gastronomic experience is what it was!

It was a week well spent in a city that has defined the art of winemaking over the centuries, and if you really want to see how the French have made wine such an inherent part of their lifestyle, I suggest that you make a pilgrimage to Bordeaux and its prized parcels of land.

Enoteca Wine Roster for January and February
January 11 and 13: Livio Felluga
January 18 and 20 : La Roche
January 25 and 27Napa Valley
February 1 and 3: Gaja
February 8 and 10: Leuwin Estate
February 15 and 17: Allegrini
February 22 and 24: Benziger
February 29 and March 2: Marchesi di Barolo

What you get: Three different wines to drink with canapés at Enoteca reserved between 7.00 to 9.00pm for Rs 1000 per head.

2011 was another rewarding year for Sommelier India. We covered more wine news and happenings, tasted a greater number of wines, published richer stories, produced bigger issues and hosted exciting wine events throughout the year for the benefit of our growing readership. Thanks to your lively interest, contributions, participation and loyalty, Sommelier India's reach has grown exponentially. With your continued involvement, we hope 2012 will be even more satisfying and fun-filled in our wine journey together.

To receive the magazine in the mail, please subscribe here. Happy reading! The Sommelier India team.

India has no culture of serving wine with food whereas in Europe and many other countries that is the tradition where they generally serve different with each course to best enjoy both their food and wine.

Although a late entrant, India today has many wines of its own to offer, produced from grapes which are grown here. Some of these wines have won Indian and international accolades, Four Seasons being one of them. The wines are rich, light or full-bodied, depending on the varietal and pair well with both Indian and continental cuisine.

Four Seasons Wine has recently undertaken to organize events in different cities to showcase the art of pairing food with wines, highlighting how the taste of different ingredients in food can be balanced with the taste of a particular wine to create a gastronomical experience. Abhay Kewadkar, Chief Winemaker and Director, Four Seasons Wines Ltd, along with chefs known for their culinary expertise have been taking audiences on a journey of discovering by marrying different wines varietal with the most suitable dishes.

At an event in Delhi recently, Chef Saby of Olive designed a menu to pair his signature dishes with Four Seasons Wine. Filo-wrapped Portobello Smoked Scarmoza Ratatouille, Wild Mushroom Salsa was teamed with a Cabernet Sauvignon Four Seasons Barrique Reserve to prepare the palate for the scrumptious meal that fiollowed. The wine's complex aromas of crushed blackcurrant with a touch of spice goes very well with roasted vegetables.

Next on the menu was the Confit of Duck Leg, red cabbage slaw, caramelized shallot jus, and wine poached prunes which was paired with Four seasons Barrique Reserve Shiraz which has an intense smoky and earthy flavour on the palate and is a full bodied and complex wine. Mature cheeses also pair well this wine.

To round off this experience the chef presented guests with a Winter Choco Spiced Cake that Abhay Kewadkar paired with an off-dry Four Season's Blush which has lovely floral notes with aromas of freshly crushed strawberries and hints of sweet spice.

At another dinner at The Park in Hyderabad, Chef Mandar served Seared Duck Breast with duck confit, carrot purée and apricot tamarind jus. This was teamed with Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Shiraz, whose suppleness stood up well to the multiple flavours in the dish with its khubani infusion which Chef Mandar used to bring in local flavour.

For the vegetarian and health conscious, the chef presented a Raviolo of local greens, lemon and ricotta anolini, with saffron sauce and spinach foam. Representative of Hyderabad's greens, this vegetarian dish was again celebrated with the Shiraz Four Seasons Barrique Reserve whose complexity married well with the spice.

With New Year's eve around the corner, you might choose on dining out once again with special wines and select spirits, or bring in the New Year with a classic gourmet menu recommended by twice Michelin-starred Chef Vineet Bhatia at Ziya, the contemporary Indian restaurant. The signature chef's special menu will be available for Rs. 3750, all inclusive. Or celebrate at The Eau Bar with canapés and live music. If you are in a truly celebratory mood you can do both! The options are: New Year's Eve dinner at Fenix for Rs. 4500, all inclusive; without alcohol Rs. 3250. Guests who dine at Fenix can celebrate further at The Eau Bar for Rs. 7500, all inclusive. For more information contact: richa.thakur@oberoihotels.com. For reservations, call +91 22 6634 2012

At The Aman, New Delhi you can look forward to al fresco and poolside barbecues and brunches. Call, to find out about Festive Season Specials.The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the wine and food superb. The five-course special Christmas Eve menu costs Rs 3000 all inclusive or Rs 5500 paired with exquisite wine. Enjoy Christmas Brunch at The Aman lawns with free flowing Fratelli wines and Grey Goose cocktails for Rs 3500, all inclusive. For reservations, call 011-43633458.

-- RKS