What I Drink: Bharat Talwar

Bharat Singh Talwar grew up in Lucknow,India, attended the Doon School in Dehradun and moved to the US in 1996, right after his undergraduate degree at Delhi University’s Sriram College of Commerce. He lives just outside Boston and is founder and CEO of a technology and pharmaceutical solutions firm, TalentBurst. Bharat enjoys French Bordeaux, Spanish Riojas, California Pinot Noirs and Argentinian Malbecs. Tempranillo is the main grape in Rioja, the most important region for premium Spanish reds. The wine is a medium or full-bodied red, with medium acidity, medium tannins and red fruit flavours (strawberry). It can range from a light Crianza with a little oak ageing to a rich dark Gran Reserva with extended ageing in oak barrels. Oak softens the tannins and gives sweet coconut and vanilla flavours. American Tempranillo has lots of cherry and tomato based flavours along with chunky tannins.

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend an Audi driver training school at the Sonoma Raceway in California. I seized the opportunity as it was simply the best mix of driving high performance cars (R-8, TTS and S-5) at a great location, accompanied by perfect weather and some of the best wine in the world. After wrapping up our day of racing, I decided to enjoy the tasting room at Gundlach Bundschu winery. It is a sixth generation family-owned vineyard on over 320 acres of farm land located 35 miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area. This location is ideal for growing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Zinfandel and
Chardonnay grapes.