The inaugural edition of the India Wine Awards came to an end last week with the awards ceremony at Sofitel BKC in Mumbai. Its three co-founders – Subhash Arora, Sourish Bhattacharyya and Sonal Holland MW wanted to identify and award the best Indian and imported wines through a thorough, unbiased and professional blind tasting, and these awards were a culmination of that dream.
The jury featuring 12 experts comprised Sonal Holland MW as chair; Subhash Arora, President, Indian Wine Academy and Founder-Editor of delWine as Vice-chair; Sourish Bhattacharyya, renowned food writer and blogger; Rojita Tiwari, Founder of Drinks and Destinations; restaurateurs Rahul Akerkar and Gauri Devidayal; wine writers and consultants Alok Chandra and several others.
Apart from inviting participation from Indian wineries, imported wines in India from France, Italy, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Germany were also a part of the competition. Over a period of two days, 301 wines were judged based on budget and varietal; panelists were divided into four groups and each group blind-tasted 75 wines and marked them on appearance, nose and palate.
This is also the first time, food and wine pairing awards were given out in the competition. While inviting entries, wine producers and importers were asked to enter a wine label for any of the six dishes, ranging from mutton seekh kebab, butter chicken to Kerala stew, they felt would match perfectly with their wine.
The result: Seventeen wines won the Diamond award, 55 received Gold while 82 got Silver. Here’s the list of winners:
Sidus Premium White 2016, Fratelli Vineyards
Best Indian Wine – Budget - Gold
Nine Hills Chenin Blanc 2016, Pernod-Ricard India
Best Indian Wine – Superior - Diamond
Sdu Reserva Syrah 2013, Sdu Winery
Best Indian Wine – Premium - Diamond
Grover Zampachenê Grand Reserve 2014
Best Indian Wine – Super-Premium - Diamond
Sensi Collezione Montepulciano D’abruzzo 2015, Italy
Best International Wine – Budget - Gold
Torres Gran Coronas 2012, Spain
Best International Wine – Superior - Diamond
Robert Mondavi Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Usa
Best International Wine – Premium - Diamond
Cesari Amarone Della Valpolicella 2011, Italy
Best International Wine – Super-Premium - Diamond
Renieri Brunello Di Montalcino 2011, Italy
Best International Wine – Super-Premium - Diamond
Krsma Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Best Red Wine – Indian - Diamond
Brut Tropicale Nv, Sula Vineyards
Best Sparkling Wine – Indian - Gold
Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection 2015, Grover Zampa Vineyards
Best White Wine – Indian - Diamond
Dessert Rosé 2016, Soma Vineyards
Best Rose Wine – Indian - Gold
Drappier Carte D’or Brut Champagne, France
Best Sparkling Wine – International - Gold
Robert Mondavi Woodbridge White Zinfandel 2
015, Usa
Best Rosé Wine – International - Gold
Domaine Albert Bichot Chablis Château Long-Depaquit 2015, France
Best White Wine – International - Gold
Sileni Estates Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2015, New Zealand
Best Red Wine – International - Diamond
Winners of food & wine pairing
 Casablanca Vino Spumante Nv, Good Drop Wine Cellars, India
Best Wine Paired with Veg Biryani - Diamond
Good Earth Basso Nv Cabernet Sauvignon, Good Drop Wine Wine Cellars, India
Best Wine Paired with Mutton Seekh Kebab - Diamond
Grover Zampa chenê Grand Reserve 2014, India
Best Wine Paired with Baingan Bharta - Gold
Sileni Estates Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2016, New Zealand
Best Wine Paired with Patrani Fish - Gold
Gmh By Geoff Hardy 2015 Pinot Noir, Australia
Best Wine Paired with Veg Kerala Stew - Gold
Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Brut Nv, Australia
Best Wine Paired with Butter Chicken - Diamond