The people of Delhi earn more, drink more and die more on its streets, the latest Delhi Statistical Handbook of 2007 reveals according to the Indian Express. The sale of alcohol has seen a steady rise: from 74,703 bottles of foreign liquor and wine in 2005-2006 to 77,582 bottles in 2006-7. Bottles of Indian beer sold in Delhi in 2006-2007 were 80,801. In 2004-2005, that figure was 57,926.
Our last issue of 2007 has just been dispatched to subscribers. It's our largest issue yet. This issue includes articles on Vin Santo, the rise of Riesling, Loire Valley wines, the evolution of supermarkets in India, the role of Scotch, our ever expanding wine listings and lots more.
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The UK's Telegraph is reporting that Hugh Ryman, the maverick English winemaker portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Good Year, has brought another innovation to the wine market – a French wine tailored to the tastes of India's newly prosperous urban classes. Maison Pierre is a joint venture with Sula Vineyards. The article quotes Rajeev Samant as saying, "We've created a brand for the Indian market, which we jointly own. It should ship from France next week.
The movie itself is worth seeing even though it has gotten mixed reviews.
Directed by Ridley Scott, it is a 2006 romantic comedy film set in Provence, in southeastern France and is about an investment expert who takes over a vineyard and gets seduced by the wine lifestyle.
Last week we published a note about Nilaya's wine launch here on the Sommelier India blog. Little did we know that the design team behind all of Nilaya's branding work was reading Sommelier India.
Well, they sent us some of their wine label designs that we felt must be published as they're refreshing and modern. Do wine labels influence your drinking habits? More on their story after the jump including information on how Nilaya was conceptualized.
Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill is passionate about something other than cricket. And he probably needs to be as he's had to make room for Shane Warne over the last few years. MacGill has a 3,000 bottle wine cellar and has become such a connoisseur that he is set to host a show called Stuart MacGill Uncorked on the Australian television channel, Lifestyle Food. Besides exploring the history of Australian wine, he will provide tips on how to become a wine snob.
Imagine if Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Sourav Ganguly had a strong interest in wine. It would do wonders for the growth of wine in India. Best of all if an Indian cricketer talked about his interest, it would demystify wine and maybe remove some of its snobbery.
Sommelier India was presented in the pages of Courrier International in a special wine issue last month. The French weekly magazine which has a circulation of around 160 000 copies covered the burgeoning wine scene in India and the pioneering part played by Sommelier India magazine. In addition to other reports, the Weekly also featured an extract from the latest issue of Sommelier India regarding the pairing of Indian food with Champagne by Prashanth AK. Courrier International selects, translates and publishes articles from around the globe.
The other day I read an article in a major Indian newspaper that explained that Indians shy away from spending more than Rs 1,000 on good wine because they have difficulty in understanding the value of it. While we are all entitled to our opinions, I wondered whether that was indeed the case. What do you think? Would you spend more than Rs 1,000 on a good bottle of wine?
I believe that as Indians, we are value conscious but that doesn't necessarily mean we don't know our wine. I've found that the informed wine drinkers across the country are very comfortable paying more for good wine. But many of them purchase their wines abroad when they travel. That way they spend their money on the wine itself not on taxes too.
Having said that, I also believe that you can get a lot of happiness from wines that cost $10 (Rs.500) or less. Just ask Eric Asimov who explains how rationality and irrationality factor into wine purchasing decisions. For example, did you know that the second cheapest wine on a wine menu is usually the most popular? This is because no one wants to appear cheap when they are ordering wine. However, wine purchasing in a retail store (sans judgmental friends and business associates) is a different story.
US based filmmaker, Simone Ahuja produced a documentary series titled, "Untold Stories of India" for the Asia Society in New York. This clip covers rugby, wine and snake boat races in Kerala. If you have friends abroad who don't believe the Indian wine story, this can serve as a nice introduction both to India and to wine. Rajeev Samant of Sula Vineyards, importer Sanjay Menon and Rahul Akerkar of Indigo Restaurant are featured.
The Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of the United States and Asia.
As I discovered on a recent visit to Tuscany, the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, plays a very important role in the functioning of the wine producing estates that lie within its territory. Covering a total of 70,000 ha (172,900 acres) stretching south from Florence to Siena, the area is one of exquisite beauty dotted with cypress and olive trees in between vineyards interspersed with stone homesteads and imposing castella. Terrain, altitude and climate combine in a unique fashion to produce wine of a quality that is strictly monitored by the consortium. — Reva K Singh. Read further for more information.
World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, discussed how Indians are perceived globally in a Times of India article. He argued that there are two differing perceptions. The first is driven by economics and cites a German mayor who told him that he liked Indian tourists because they stayed in expensive hotels and drank fine wine.
Forbes published a list of the most expensive restaurants in India not too long ago. Do you think these restaurants are worth their prices? What about their wine lists? Would you recommend them? In Delhi Sakura (Nikko), Travertino (Oberoi), Dum Pukht (ITC Maurya Sheraton), Orient Express (Taj Palace) and San Gimigano (The Imperial) were included.
Mumbai was represented by Zodiac Grill (Taj Mahal Palace), Celini (Grand Hyatt), Pure (Taj Lands End) and Wasabi by Morimoto (Taj Mahal Palace). Zen (Leela Kempinski) from Bangalore was also included in the list. Pictured above is San Gimigano (The Imperial) which serves the hotel's own label.
Located in Andheri (West) Vanilla Café & Garden Grill has opened in style. The restaurant is retro with a variety of cuisines. But more interestingly for the wine lover, each table includes a specially designed wine chiller embedded into the table. This allows you to enjoy wine at a perfect temperature while still being able to maintain eye contact with your companions. The wine selection includes wines from Chile, Australia, Italy and France. It also includes Sula and Chateau Indage wines. For more information call 022 67104411.
Wine snobs are often the loudest in professing their love for wine, but the true wine lover loves it quietly, says Ch’ng Poh Tiong. In India too, just as everywhere in the world, we must be wary of the wine snobs who take themselves too seriously through wine. This article first appeared in the July/August issue of Sommelier India. Subscribe to Sommelier India to read more articles by some of the best wine writers in the world.
Rajeev Samant of Sula Vineyards wrote an editorial on the growth of wine for The Times of India which was published a few days ago. Sommelier India has excerpted the thoughtful essay for its readers.
The past five years have seen a dramatic shift in the drinking habits of affluent urban Indians. More and more sophisticated city-dwellers are giving up their old hard liquor habits and switching to the softer option of wine. In the 90s, wine was still an afterthought at celebrations or evenings out at the club, but with increased availability of good, affordable locally produced wine, drinking patterns are changing fast.
The full article is available in the Times of India archives.
Dakshin at the ITC Park Sheraton, Delhi recently matched Kalyera thokku (lobster in an onion-based sauce) with a crisp Riesling. This was preceded by matching mathur Maddur vada, a Mysore vada, with a sauvignon blanc from South Africa. The bold match went down very well with diners. What are your most unusual (and successful!) food and wine matches?
