Winemakers, sommeliers and many noteworthy people from the wine fraternity congregated at The Pullman Aerocity for the delWine Excellence Awards on September 14th. Organised by delWine and Indian Wine Academy president Subhash Arora, noted food columnist and restaurant critic Sourish Bhattacharya and Sonal Holland MW, the awards that were divided into three distinct categories – jury awards, popular perception awards and delWine editor’s choice awards were announced at a well-attended ceremony.
The jury, apart from Subhash, Sonal and Sourish comprised Tristan Beau de Lomenie, General Manager Delegate, Pullman and Novotel, New Delhi Aerocity; Yasho Saboo, CEO, Ethos Watch Studios and Founder, Chandigarh Wine Club; drinks journalist Rojita Tiwari; Commercial Attaché of the Embassy of Spain, Juan Antonio Obregón; Goa-based hotelier Radhika Bahl; senior Delhi Wine Club member Ranganathan Parthiban and F&B professional, Rifaquat Ali Khan Mirza.
In the the voting-based Public Perception Awards, Sula bagged the wine producer, winemaker and wine tourism winery of the year award while the The Wine Company from Cyber Hub, Gurgaon received four awards in the standalone restaurant section. Kapil Grover, Chairman, Grover Zampa Vineyards was felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award; in his speech, he made a clarion call to the Indian government and the wine industry to support the wine grape farmers and extend all possible benefits to them.
Co-chaired by Sonal and Subhash, the event commenced with a “World of Wine” showcase where more than 120 labels were made available for tasting. This was followed by a lovely sit-down dinner for the attendees. Sommelier India was represented by Editor-Publisher, Reva K. Singh and her husband, Kulbir Singh, who stayed till the end of the Award ceremony even though they had accepted a prior engagement.
At the event, Sonal also apprised the crowd about the Mumbai edition of the delWine Excellence Awards, which is slated to be held in Mumbai, at the beginning of next year. It will be followed by the India Wine Awards, where for the first time, a group of international experts will meet, blind taste and rate Indian wines in Nashik.
Speaking about the event, co-founder Subhash Arora commented, “The biggest compliment came from Amit Arora of The Cellar, who took home the Retailer of the Year (Delhi) trophy. I met him on the podium for the first time ever. He could not believe he got an award without anyone from delWine coming to meet him. ‘I have never seen something like this ever!’ he exclaimed.”
Here’s a complete list of winners from the Delhi edition:
Jury awards
- Delhi’s Wine Destination of the Year (Five-Star Hotel) – The Leela Palace New Delhi
- Delhi’s Wine Destination of the Year (Standalone Restaurant) – Masala Library, Janpath
- NCR’S Wine Destination of the Year (Five-Star Hotel) – The Leela Ambience Gurgaon
- NCR’S Wine Destination of the Year (Standalone Restaurant) – The Wine Company, Gurgaon
- Beverage Manager/Sommelier of the Year (Delhi-NCR/Five-Star Hotels) – Ankur Chawla, J.W. Marriott, New Delhi Aerocity
- Beverage Manager/Sommelier of the Year (Delhi-NCR/Five-Star Hotels) – Kriti Malhotra, Pullman-Novotel, New Delhi Aerocity
- Beverage Manager/Sommelier of the Year (Delhi-NCR/Standalone Restaurants) – Prateek Arora, Qla, Mehrauli
- Best Indian Wine Selection (Delhi-NCR/Five-Star Hotels) – Diya, The Leela Ambience Gurgaon
- Best Indian Wine Selection (Delhi-NCR/Standalone Restaurants) – The Wine Company, Gurgaon
- Best International Wine Selection (Delhi-NCR/Five-Star Hotels) – Le Cirque, The Leela Palace New Delhi
- Best International Wine Selection (Delhi-NCR/Standalone Restaurants) – Diva Italian, Greater Kailash-II
- Indian Cuisine Restaurant with Best Wine List (Delhi-NCR/Five-Star Hotels) – Baluchi, The Lalit
- Indian Cuisine Restaurant with Best Wine List (Delhi-NCR/Standalone Restaurants) – Gulati’s Spice Market, Saket
Popular Perception Awards
- Indian Wine Producer of the Year – Sula Vineyards
- Indian Winemaker of the Year – Ajoy Shaw, Sula Vineyards
- Wine Tourism Winery of the Year – Sula Vineyards
- Wine Importer of the Year – The Wine Park
- Wine Importer of the Year – Brindco
- Wine Retailer of the Year (Delhi) – The Cellar
- Wine Retailer of the Year (NCR) – Spencer’s
- Wine List of the Year (Delhi-NCR / Five Star Hotels) – Taj Palace
- Wine List of the Year (Delhi-NCR / Standalone Restaurants) – The Wine Company, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon
- Best Wine Service (Delhi-NCR / Five-Star Hotel) – The Taj Mahal Hotel
- Best Wine Service (Delhi-NCR / Standalone Restaurant) – The Wine Company, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon
- Best Wine Events (Delhi-NCR / Five Star Hotel) – JW Marriott, New Delhi Aerocity
- Best Wine Events (Delhi-NCR / Standalone Restaurant) – Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mehrauli
delWine Editor’s Choice Awards
- Best Value for Money Wine List (Standalone Restaurant) – Diva, Greater Kailash-II
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Kapil Grover, Chairman, Grover Zampa Vineyards