The Season for Visiting Winemakers

V Sanjay Kumar recently attended a tasting of Tenuta Sant Antonio wines by a visiting member of the family at Lupa restaurant in Bengaluru.

It is the season for visiting winemakers. On the night of 25th November 2024, it was Armando Castegnedi, one of four brothers who own and manage the vineyards of Tenuta Sant Antonio in Italy. The Bangalore visit was hosted by Alok Chandra of Wine Park at Lupa, Manu Chandra’s fine dining outpost on MG Road. The Familia Castagnedi makes a range of wines from local and international grapes in the Veneto region.

Lupa is a buzzy place on Friday night, a live band was helming aging soft rock, one has to squeeze through a narrow circular staircase to get to the cellar, an intimate space lined with wine chillers. A small group gathered grazing elbows in the modest seating area, and trained staff assembled varieties of bread cheese preserves, and cold cuts. The glassware at Lupa is stately and the service is impeccable; the pouring was done with serviette protection.

The wine sequence followed tradition. The first, the Scaia white has 50 Garganega and 50 Chardonnay and is very expressive. The Scaia Rosé is unique. Armando smelled the vats years ago, which held three grape options for the planned rosé. He found the Corvina too fruity, and the Corvinone too green. He chose the Rondinella. The wine is onion skin in colour with a green mineral undertone. The third wine, a crowd favourite, was the Scaia Corvina which was fresh and juicy, it is birthed and schooled in stainless steel only and retains Corvina’s delightful characteristics.

Next was the Paradiso, a Cabernet Sauvignon-infused blend that had richness, oak credentials, and ripe tannins. The last was the 2018 Amarone, the signature expression from nice-sounding local grapes like Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Croatina, and Oseleta. Just 15 % alcohol compared to others at 16 and 16.5, not as dense as well, a complex wine that flits from flower to fruit, earth to wood.

Castegnedis are aware of the Amarone landscape which has famous names like Giuseppe Quintarelli and Dal Forno Romano. Marion is their neighbour, Zyme, the ex-student of Quintarelli isn’t too far away. The Castegnedis have another Amarone which wasn’t on offer. Their Reserva, called Lilium Est, is held back for ten years before release and is made only in good years. The 2012 is in the market, the 2015 will follow. It seems 2013 did not merit a Reserva, and 2014 was a disaster. The grapes for the Reserva come from a small plot with aged vines. One will have to travel overseas to taste it.