TV Star Simone Singh has launched Chateau d'Ori's range of local wines in Mumbai. The wines include a Viva, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernot Merlot and Cabernet Syrah. The collection of two whites and three reds are priced between Rs.350 and Rs.650. These wines will be first available in the Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru & Kolkata markets with Delhi to follow soon after that. Simone Star is an Indian actress who played the title role in the popular television series Heena. She has also starred in Ek Rishta: The Bond of Love.

Speaking on the occasion, Ranjit Dhuru, Chairman and MD, d’Ori Winery Pvt. Ltd said: “Chateau d’Ori has endeavored to incorporate the best viticulture and winery practices from the Bordeaux region of France – home of the finest wines in the world – right from the cultivation of grapes to the winemaking process – we believe its a first in India.”

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A wine appreciation event was held on October 25th, in Spice Island, Le Meridien, Pune's fine dining restaurant to showcase wines from Château d'Ori. Chateaux d'Ori imports French style wines from the Bordeaux region. These were paired with a five course sit down dinner.

The meal included smoked salmon quiche with Greek salad, tomato, crabmeat and egg drop soup, mandarin sorbet, bresse chicken en croute with morel sauce and caramelized pear pie with green tea ice cream.Pictured above are guests at the wine dinner. Read more...

The private wine dinner at Longchamps at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi on November 29, 2007, was a night to remember. Most of Bordeaux's first growths from the host's extraordinary private collection were served at the dinner. The wines were excellent vintages from Chateau Margaux, Lafitte, Latour, La Mission, Haut Brion, and Mouton Rothschild.

Tasting notes culled from some of the world's best and most distinguished wine writers framed for the benefit of guests Read more...

“I hope that with the help of publications like Sommelier India and hotels like the Hyatt, the India Wine challenge will become a widely used reference source for Indian professionals and consumers” says Robert Joseph in a wide ranging Sommelier India interview discussing the first India Wine Challenge. Read the interview to also learn about his disappointment with the small number of Indian entries and the hope that more participate in the years to come.

The winners of the India Wine Challenge will be announced during IFE India 2007 which is being held a at Pragati Maidan Exhibition Grounds in the heart of New Delhi from 06 - 08 December 2007.

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An exclusive Burgundy wine tasting was held on November 29th, 2007 at the Taj Man Singh Hotel in New Delhi. 25 wines from 3 great producers - Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils, Domaine Faiveley and Château de Fuissé, covering a vast range of wines, were tasted. The wines included mostly a selection of top Premier Cru sites, some Grand Cru's and featured two horizontals from the same appellation to explain the impact of terroir and the climat as each sub-plot is referred to in Burgundy.

Sanjay Menon pictured above with Stephane Soret, Head Sommelier at The Imperial, New Delhi and Varun Maniktala, the Spice Route Manager

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The Wine Society of India and Steven Spurrier held a special wine tasting at the JW Marriot in Mumbai on November 23rd, 2007. Members of the Wine Society of India had an opportunity to taste premium wines from Australia and New Zealand. HDFC Bank Imperia sponsored the event.

The India Wine Show is being held between November 29th and December 3rd in Nashik, Maharashtra. It includes wine tastings, conference sessions, and vineyard tours. The show is supported by the Ministry for Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra. Sommelier India is the official wine publication of the show. Download the detailed programme (PDF).

And don't miss the show!

N.D. Wines launched its revolutionary wines in New Delhi on 15th November 2007. The evening included wine tasting and a dinner. There was live salsa dance entertainment throughout the evening. The dancers included Sameer, Kash, Idres, Vaidyehi, Akshat and Suzanne, the members of the Salsa dance troupe from UK, “salsa es vida”.

The grapes are grown in the Sahyadri Hills in a 700 acre vineyard. Read more...

Mr. Bernard de Laage de Meux, Marketing Director of Château Palmer is in Delhi for an exclusive tasting on November 15th, 2007 at the Shangri La hotel. The wines being tasted include Alter Ego 2004, Alter Ego 2003, Château Palmer 3eme Grand Cru Classe, Margaux 2002, 2000, 1998 and 1995.

Château Palmer was originally established by General Charles Palmer who served under Wellington in the English army. It is situated in the Haut-Médoc district, in close proximity of Château Margaux, Château Rauzan-Ségla and Château Rauzan-Gassies, and its wine is considered to be one of the two most popular Third Growths.

During the time of Louis XV, it was known as Château de Gasq and the wine was said to be a favourite at the court of Versailles, along with Château Lafite.

N.D. Wines is launching in Delhi at a press conference and wine dinner on November 15th, 2007. The launch is taking place at Amaltas, India Habitat Centre. The winery at N.D Wines has a tank capacity of 9,000 litres.

Bouvet-Ladubay in association with Sommelier India - The Wine Magazine, are hosting a wine appreciation dinner with five Bouvet-Ladubay wines and a five-course western meal at The Intercontinental, Grand Hotel in New Delhi on November 17th, 2007. Guests from the Wine Society and the Delhi Wine Club have been invited.

For more information please email info@sommelierindia.com.

Bordeaux & Aquitaine Wine, India 2007 will be held in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore between November 13th and 17th this year. 34 Aquitaine producers and negociants will meet approximately 120 Indian importers and buyers during this period. Aquitaine is one of the 26 regions in France along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range bordering Spain. The major Aquitaine cities include Bordeaux, Pau, Bayonne, Mont-de-Marsan, Biarritz, Bergerac, and Périgueux.

The Wine Park held a dinner at The Leela Kempenski, Bangalore recently. It was a sit down dinner with around 30 people with a 9 course tapas style dinner matched with 13 wines from their portfolio. Executive Chef Mr. Bradley did the food matching. Find a list of wines they import at their website.

The Wine Society of Delhi held a Cooking with Wine dinner at the Park Hotel on September 17th, 2007. Their French Chef, Alain Andre, led the guests through several food and wine combinations. The wines served were Jacob Creek's selection of a sparkling, a rose', a Chardonnay Reserve and a Shiraz Reserve. Pictured is Prem Behl and Anita Sawhney of The Wine Society with Chef Alain Andre.

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The Rotarians’ Wine Fellowship of India (RWFI) launched its first ever wine club in India recently with a wine tasting dinner by Big Banyan Wines. This is the official wine club of Rotary District 3190 and all Rotarians of the district are eligible to become its members. According to Devesh Agarwal and Chandar Mannar, co-chairmen of the RWFI will be contributing about Rs 62,500 which will be matched by the Global Rotarian’s Wine Fellowship. This article first appeared in Deccan Herald on September 1st, 2007.

Devesh Agarwal is a wine enthusiast, publisher of a PDF booklet on demystifying wine and a Sommelier India subscriber.

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