The inaugural Distil Awards will be held on Wednesday, 13th May at Café de Paris, London, by Distil, the three-day specialist spirit show, which runs alongside the London International Wine Fair. Going by Event Manager Jo Sturdy's comments, it should be a fun evening. And having attended the London International Wine Fair in the past, we know that to be a fact. So if you happen to be in London take yourself to Café de Paris!

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A special wine dinner is being held the Taj Lands End in association with IIWF and Brindco - the 'Grand Cru de Bordeaux' presented by Mr. David Wrigley - Master of Wine, WSET on March 17th at 7:45pm. Twelve Bordeaux wines of the 2004 vintage will be presented at a six course dinner with Perigord Truffles, Artisanal Cheese, Welsh Lamb and Singe Origin Chocolate. The dinner is priced at Rs 5000 per person inclusive of tax. The dress code is semi formal.

Sopexa India, the Indian arm of the food and beverage marketing promotion board of France plans to conduct several engagement programmes with the hospitality industry in Mumbai over the next few months according to Hospitality Biz. It is also planning a familiarisation trip for prime Indian importers to various Chateaus in France.

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Vintage Wines, makers of Reveilo, in association with The Club, Mumbai's prestigious club and UpperCrust magazine came together to make Sunday, 22 February 26, 2009 a very exciting and glamorous one with the first grape crushing event in the ambient surroundings of The Club. Suneeta Kanga joined the grape stompers on Sommelier India's behalf. Pictured to the right are Suneeta Kanga, Alex Kuruvilla, Shweta Keswani and Pooja Bedi.

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Formerly known as the National Wine Board, the Indian Grape Processing Board was launched on 25 February 2009 at Le Meridien, Pune. Our correspondent, Brinda Gill was present. With white mist wafting across the curtain and dramatic music filling the banquet hall, Subodh Kant Sahai, the Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, unveiled the logo of the Indian Grape Processing Board.

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A cool Thursday evening in New Friends Colony in Delhi witnessed a cool gathering of a convivial bunch of people from all over the world. The Yum Yum Tree hosted the evening on the restaurant's intimate terrace (which certainly kept the smokers happy throughout the evening). The wine dinner was themed 'France, France, France!' and was an attempt at matching some classic wine styles from France to the East-Asian cuisine that Yum Yum expounds so well.

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The other night I had the unique privilege of dining with a member of the Frescobaldi family in Delhi at a special wine dinner, writes Reva Singh. Right:Leonardo Frescobaldi, President, Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Societa' Agricola S.r.l. A family of medieval bankers who were prominent in Florentine business and politics and who financed the wars of Edward I and II of England, the Frescobaldi began producing Tuscan wine in 1308 from grapes planted on the hillsides around Florence, and soon acquired some very distinguished customers.

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On Friday, 6th February, Vallee di Vin with their Zampa range of three wines showcased their bouquet to the members of The Wine Society at a wine dinner at the Shangri-la Hotel. Paul Bailey, Zampa's experienced Australian wine maker specially came down from Nashik for the evening. Paul spoke about the wines and his philosophy of winemaking and how wines could be paired with Indian cuisine to a gathering of over 70.

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The build up to the India International Wine Fair 2009 has exceeded the wine industry's expectations and with just a few weeks to go, this event can now boast of being the largest wine event on the continent. 
Sommelier India is the print media partner for the India International Wine Fair 2009. Where else would you rather be from 16th - 18th March?

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The small group of guests who were invited to Olive Beach Bangalore for a wine tasting were in for a big surprise for it was an unusual, even irreverent tasting, reports Ruma Singh. New in India, the wines were from Australian producer Casella Wines' famous [yellow tail] stable.

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At the first ever serious tasting of wines by Sommelier India - The Wine Magazine, a group of wine professionals got together with SI publisher, Reva Singh to taste wines produced from the Monastrell grape in the Murcia region of Spain. The tasting was ably coordinated by SI contributor and sommelier, Harshal Shah. Read more about these wines in Sommelier India, March/April 2009. Also present were Andrew Steele, General Manager, Shangri La Hotel, Rukn Luthra, Asst VP - Wines, Pernod Ricard, India, and Bill Marchetti, chef and restaurateur in India and Australia.

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The growth of a wine culture in India is reflected by the proliferation of wine clubs in the country. Nearly every major city has a wine club or society. The most recent is Terroir -The Madras Wine Club, which was officially launched last week with a wine tasting and dinner at The Taj Coromandel in Chennai. Reva K Singh was at the launch. Pictured is Nirmala Seshadri, dancer and wine club member and Captain Arjun Nair, President of Terroir, The Madras Wine Club.

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If you are someone working in the hospitality industry or influenced by the subject of wines, this is the course for you. The UK Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Foundation Level I Course is a certificate course organized by the KBR School of Wine. WSET offers the most comprehensive and contemporary wine courses worldwide. The next certificate course takes place on January 31 and February 1, 2009 in Mumbai and on February 21st and 22nd in Delhi. Sign up soon because there are limited seats.

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The new chairman of the London International Wine Fair and Distil Advisory Board is Nick Blair, wine director at Pernod Ricard UK. "As the world's leading wine industry event, it is vital that the London International Wine Fair continues to meet the high standards expected from its broad international audience and it is the Advisory Board that challenges the organisers to ensure that these standards are met or exceeded.

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Mahawine 2009, Confederation of Indian Industry's 3rd International Conference & Expo on Grapes & Wines, was held at Yashada, Pune, on 16th and 17th January, reports Brinda Gill our correspondent in Pune. According to Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Maharashtra leads in the cultivation, production and export of grapes.

The total production of wine in India is 2.25 crore litres of which 2.11 crore litres are produced in Maharashtra; there are 62 wineries in India, of which 58 are in Maharashtra. Read more...