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Launches & Interviews
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 | Introducing Italian cuisine to an Indian audience, Ritu Dalmia, chef and owner of Diva, one of Delhi's most beloved Italian restaurants, has all the answers on Italian cooking in her first cookbook. For example, you will learn how to substitute lemon with lime, use chili (authentically!) with your pasta and dress your mutton as lamb. It also offers a wide range of options for vegetarians. |
The book launches on July 15th but the Sommelier India editors attended an exclusive sneak peak event where guests did some Italian cooking for themselves.
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| Diageo India plans to roll out high-end wines like Justerini & Brooks in the coming year. It is currently launching the Thomas Barton range which has already launched in Mumbai and will be available in Delhi and Bangalore soon. The Justerini & Brooks is in the $1,000 (Rs 40,000) range. |  |
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Here are two clarets of excellent provenance that you should know about, which we hope will soon be available in the country, Château Clauset and Château de Côme from Saint-Estèphe. Baron Maurice Velge of Château Clauset was in Delhi in April when I had the privilege of meeting him soon after returning from the en primeur tastings in Bordeaux.
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| The influential Bordeaux oenologist, Michel Rolland was in Bangalore recently for his annual visit to Grover Vineyards. Sommelier India interviewed Rolland and found his comments that India makes much better quality wine compared to the cheap international wines encouraging. |  |
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The Economic Times is reporting that Zampa wines from Valle de vin, Deepak Roy's 35-acre vineyard on the periphery of Nashik. are set to launch soon. Most interesting is the direct response initiative which is the first of its kind in the business. Mr. Roy picked up a select group of wine connoisseurs, about 1,000 of them and sent a miniature wooden cask filled with varietal wines from his vineyard. This followed with a couple of bottles of red and white wines. Mr Roy is heading the Kishore Chhabria group company which produces Officer’s Choice whisky.
The portfolio includes Zampa white of Chenin Blanc, Zampa Red of Shiraz, sparkling rose wine, sparkling red wine of cabernet sauvignon, etc. Prices range from Rs 600-650.Read the whole story here.
 | “I have been impressed by the rapid growth of the Indian economy, and the booming indian wine market”.
South Australia, with its capital at Adelaide, produces 50% of all Australian wines: its 563 wineries made 724 million litres in 2007 (out of a total of 1.4 billion) and exported wine worth A$ 1.4 billion (Rs. 5,180 crore). Its wine regions are legion: the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra are home to many of Australia’s best-known wineries. |
These include Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Petuluma, Shaw & Smith, Torbreck, Grosset, Majella, d’Arenberg, Hardys, and Sepplt (to name just a few). Loxton winery which Champagne Indage bought is also based in South Australia. The Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, who was in India in mid-March 2008 leading a 26-strong delegation of businessmen and industrialists to promote investment, education and migration, spoke to Alok Chandra in an exclusive interview for Sommelier India about wines from his state, the wine market in India, and areas where the two could meet.
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After launching brands like Blossom Hill, Barton and Guestier and Piat d'Or earlier in India, Diageo has made its entry into the Indian wine segment with the launch of Nilaya, its first domestic wine.
Diageo India MD Asif Adi, "We are proud to present Nilaya which is a bold, unique and an interesting wine meant for a contemporary India. Nilaya exemplifies a cherished lifestyle for everyday living. Nilaya is a celebration of individuality, everyday, everywhere."
UK-based Diageo had recently tied-up with retail giants Reliance Fresh and Shoprite Hyper to distribute its wines portfolio in cities like Mumbai and Pune. It is also planning a tie-up with the Aditya Birla-promoted retail venture 'More' to sell its wines across the country.
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While General Bilimoria is keen to quickl expand its Cobra beer presence in India, it is also looking at the wine market. According to sources, a pilot study has already been conducted and the company plans to enter the Indian market under the General Bilimoria brand. The company plans to launch its wine business within the next three years.
According to Karan Bilimoria, when the company enters the Indian market, it will be manufacturing the wine in India through licensing arrangements with existing wineries in the country.
 | Nature’s Bounty Wines and Allied Products launched an array of wines made by Cantine Calatrasi of Sicily at the Tapas restaurant, Vasant Continental Hotel, New Delhi on 14 September 2007. Speaking on the occasion, Amit Burman, chairman, Nature’s Bounty, predicted a bright future for the wine industry in India. “I expect the wine industry to pick up pace and grow even faster than the current growth rate. |
As we have seen in other industries, increase in competition leads to high growth of the industry because every industry participant is investing in not only promoting and distributing its products but also in educating the consumer. I believe the wine industry will take off into the high-growth phase in the near future,” Mr. Burman said. Reporting by Malini Sood for Sommelier India.
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 | Canard Duchêne, a French Champange label was launched at the Hyatt Regency in Delhi last week. It will be joining the existing bouquet of the exclusive 130 labels from Finewinesnmore in India.
Sommelier India was invited to the exclusive launch event at which a selection of Canard Duchêne wines were tasted. |
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Grover Vineyards recently launched their wines in Ludhiana, Punjab. Their La Reserve and Shiraz Rose will be available in leading retail outlets and restaurants. The wines are priced between Rs. 450 and Rs. 650 with more varieties to be launched soon. Grover Vineyards is targeting sales of 1,500 by the end of their financial year.
In separate news, the Economic Times is reporting that Grover Vineyards is signing a first of its kind deal with a consortium of wine growers in Maharashtra, to put up a new winery in the state. “The farmers will own the winery; we will be in-charge of production,” said director of Grover Vineyards Kapil Grover. The company is investing close to Rs 1 crore on plant and machinery in the new winery, Mr Grover said.
 | Wine lovers can now buy Nine Hills wine in Delhi. Labeled “Nine Hills” after the hills of Nashik from where the grapes come, Seagram formally launched their new quartet of Indian wines in the capital in early July, comprising two whites (a Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc) and two reds (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz).
At an exclusive walk-around tasting for 75 members of The Wine Society at Dublin at the ITC Maurya hotel, French winemaker Jean-Manual Jacquinot explained his technique and philosophy. |
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| Have you heard of Big Banyan wine? It’s the new Indian wine from Château de Banyan, a division of John Distilleries Limited, Bangalore and the latest venture from the promoters of Kumarakom Lake Resort. On sale in Goa and Bangalore with five varietals of white and red wine, we reckon we’ll be hearing a great deal more about these wines. So keep a look out for them. Priced betwen Rs 400 and Rs 600 depending on varying state tariffs, Big Banyan wines will be available in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in August to be followed soon in the capital and other metros.
As Indian wines achieve growing recognition in the country, Château de Banyan intends to bring world-class wines to the discerning wine drinker, notes a company press release. |  |
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 | The latest wines to come to my notice are from Luxembourg. The other night I had a deliciously dry and refreshing Riesling followed by an Auxerrois, one of Luxembourg’s most successful grape varieties. The Grand Duchy grows Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir, all of which are produced as varietal wines. |
Well chilled and refreshing, the wines were perfect with paté on toast triangles, cubed pineapple, cheese and cherries on toothpicks, and cucumber sticks, not to mention some moist dhokla! Not one person asked for a beer, a nimbu pani or a diet coke. That says something… about the wines and our changing beverage preferences. Pictured above is Moselle Vineyards in Luxembourg.
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Somrus Wines of Australia held a wine tasting on March 14th, 2007 at the Grand Intercontinental, Barakhramba Road, New Delhi. They source wines from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, King Valley, Goulburn Valley, as well as the Cowra region, in addition to their existing Hunter Valley vineyards.
| Kyndal india has introduced a new wine brand - 30 Latt into the Indian market. The grapes for this wine is sourced from Holkar Estate in Nashik.
But why call the brand 30th Latt? The reason being that historically some of the best wine making grapes have come from 30 degrees latitude or between the 30th and 50th parallels in the northern and southern hemisphere. |  |
The wines are already available in Goa, Chandigarh, Punjab, Pune and Kolkata and are now being introduced in Mumbai and Delhi. The Kyndal wine portfolio currently includes Trinity, Flamingo and now the flagship brand, 30th Latt which contains a Sauvignon Blanc, a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines retail at around Rs. 450 depending upon the city you live in.
Sommelier India tasted these wines and felt that their Cabernet Sauvignon showed the most promise with its silkiness and long finish. Try them and let us know what you think.
© Copyright 2008. Consolidated Media Intl. All rights reserved.
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