The Italian ‘Firewater’ or ‘Healthy Water’ has many stories and folklore to its origin.
One fact that stands true is that the winemakers were sipping on this Aqua Vitae while crafting the fine wines. Made from the leftovers of the wine industry, Grappa has been around for ages but got its name only in the 19th CE. Sommelier Magandeep SINGH + Gagan SHARMA talk about the journey of this spirit, taste one, and also share how to enjoy it.
France and wines are synonyms just like India and kebabs, or slumdog millionaires. France has gifted many wine wonders to the world and one of them is the Loire Valley. Apart from the world heritage city certification and breath-taking landscapes, Chenin Blanc and Cabernets also earn it its respect. South of Paris, Loire Valley is predominantly a cool climate region that produces wines of elegance and finesse.
Lately, Wi-Not was visited by Madame Evelyne de Pontbriand, proud owner of Chateau Des Vaults of Loire Valley, and she even took time to introduce her wines to us. Apart from its gigantic ‘80s style chateau, beautifully located vineyard, lush vines and constant smell of wine being made, ‘Closel’ is also a certified organic vineyard and an official wildlife refuge. Mainly managed by women, they also follow biodynamic winemaking practices. Mme. Pontbriand believes deeply in the concept of ‘terroir’ and has accordingly planted the vines of the same variety (Chenin Blanc) to make different styles of wines in the same vintage.
We were lucky to have a portion of these wines to taste, here are the notes:
La Jalousie – White wine – Chenin Blanc: The wine maker calls it ‘a wine for conversation’ and so it is. It is an easily approachable citrusy wine with a solid minerally hit on the nose and palate. A smooth young wine with high acidity and fullness of fruits, hit of orange zest, white fruits, respectful balance and moderate aftertaste. A good wine to pair with cheese, salads, antipasti, and crunchy starters. It can also be enjoyed with grilled fish dishes, most white seafood preparations and Med-style grilled vegetable platters. Or best, by itself. The name, ‘jealousy’ has an interesting story but we shall refrain from repeating it here. Mme. Pontbriand tells it best.
Anjou Village – Red Wine – Cabernet Franc + Cabernet Sauvignon: The Loire Valley definitely makes some impressive and competitive reds. This wine proves it. A blend between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it is a playful wine and hard to not enjoy. Although not needed, it can be held for a bit and would drink well with food. A good pairing could be with grilled red meats like tenderloin, lamb chops, or game. Vegetarians may select charcoal mushrooms or grilled pepper cottage cheese steaks.
Clos du Papillon moelleux – White Wine – Chenin Blanc: Late harvest wines from Chenin are appreciated all around the world but this one wasn’t a late harvest produce. This highly aromatic wine comes from the most lauded of terroirs where the cold winds gives the grape an added personality. Predominantly a fruity wine with notes of peaches, green apple, pear, asparagus, stewed plums, hints of honey and figs. The wine has controlled residual sweetness that keeps it away from falling in the family of a sweet/dessert wine. Think more off-dry. Sharp balance between acid and sweetness entices you to come back to the wine, leaving a long fruity aftertaste. Could definitely complement spices well. We concur with the winemaker in calling it ‘a wine for gastronomy’.
Wines, Eiffel tower, gastronomy, landscapes, cheese, fashion, and Laetitia Casta are some of the things that come to mind when you think of France. Were Wi-Not to rank them, wine would certainly be placed on top (though some might prefer women there). Loire then would be one solid reason to reaffirm such an accolade for French wines. Santé!
For those who are already in the wine business in India, we can make ourselves available for all wine-centric marketing and promotional strategies and their subsequent execution. These can include institutional events like tutored tastings and wine dinners to more retail-specific activities. From conceptualising and designing the promotion and all related POS to sourcing staff for such and supervising the event on-ground, we aim to provide a comprehensive solution which presents the brands and its products in the best possible manner. Here is a slightly more detailed (albeit boring) read on the same.
We do hope this helps make the terms of our possible association more precise. Please do not hesitate to get in touch for more details.
If we at IWBS had a penny for every badly written wine list in the country, we would have retired long ago. But we are still in business and ironically, the hardest time and the longest meetings we have are to convince outlets why they need a new wine list!
The IWBS team already handles the wine scenario for several prestigious F&B establishments nationally and so far, we haven’t had people abandon ship for lack of service or aptitude.
Allow us then, dear restaurateur or hotelier, to show you how we can help change the profile of your outlet and increase the satisfaction quotient for your clients just by tweaking the wine list. Normally, this is how it works. We come in, we try the food, look at the current wine lists and mark out the anomalies. Then we make a plan to move out the stock we don’t wish to see again. Simultaneously we train the staff. The new list is gradually put in place, pairings are proposed and the staff is made to memorise it all. It all ends with a nice gala where the patrons are invited to try the new improved experience with us to guide everyone through it all. Normally, and in all modesty, we manage Fairy tale endings.
Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB), Food & Wines from Spain, Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural Marine Affairs (MARM) along with the Spanish High Commission in Delhi organised the first ‘Discover Spanish Taste’ event. Predominantly a Spanish food, gastronomy and wine (of course!) promotion event was held at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mann Singh Road, on December 1st, at the Long Champ. Apart from wines, varied collection of olives, olive oils, cheese and dairy products, poultry, packaged pastas and spices, biscuits, chocolates, and what not got the Spanish taste-buds under one roof. There was enough to lure all.
The event started early in the day, with a busy and bustling tasting area that was preceded by a press conference. As it rolled towards a relaxed evening, it called for nice wines to wrap the day. Sommelier Magandeep SINGH made a presentation on Spanish wine regions and followed it up with a guided tasting session. The session talked not only about the wines but also food, culture, stories, dances and architecture from the country and it was packed with hoteliers, importers, chefs, investors, delegates and enthusiasts. The presentation broke down wines to their basics, blending in some finer aspects of the regions and their produce. From debatable Rioja and Ribera del Duero reds to discussing Garnacha, equal time was dedicated to covering every possible aspect of this diverse wine country. It was almost ironic when Magan spoke at length of fortified wines and made out mouths water but didn’t taste any. Funny anecdotes and Magan’s ease of delivery made learning and remembering easier and fun even in the presence of some high-on-alcohol wines.
During the session we tasted seven wines. Our notes, compiled during the tasting, follow:
•2008 COPABOCA WHITE – VERDEJO – RUEDA: Young cool climate white with a light lemon colour having a hint green tinge. Fruity sweet bouquet with dominant cut grass, raw grapes and white fruits. Refreshing acidity and balance. Ideal wine to start the evening with. Catch it while young.
•2008 COPABOCA ROSÉ – TEMPRANILLO (80%) + GRENACHE (20%) – CASTILLA Y LEÓN: Light rosy colour with young fading rims. Light wine with sweet hint of caramel and floral notes. Clean and balanced. Notes of rose, raspberry and cranberry. Easy kitty party wine.
•2009 MENGOBA CRIANZA – MENCIA – BIERZO: Cannot go without complimenting the label. Dark ruby colour with fresh, dusty, oak. Almost smells like a pigeons’ nest. Very tannic, mainly young and green, peppery with chunks of cherries and black berries. Good character wines that yells for food. Wine made to age, keep for 3-4 years. Too heavy to be drunk by itself.
•2003 MONTE AMAN RESERVA – TINTA DEL PAIS – AIRES DEL DUERO: Very approachable dark cherry coloured wine. Light bodied, soft wine, with high spirit/ vanish impact on the nose. Notes of plum, stewed apricots. Young dusty tannins, oak, leather, tobacco, medium alcohol and acidity. Slightly off-balanced. Age for 2-3 years. Needs meat
•2008 COPABOCA RED – TEMPRANILLO (80%) + GRENACHE (20%) – CASTILLA Y LEÓN: Dark ruby medium bodied wine. Fairly young but drinkable. Tempranillo dominance and Grenache fruity backbone character. Plum cherry, red berries, oak, sweet spices. Medium tannins that are young and makes mouth stiff. High alcohol but balanced
•2006 ROMPESEDAS – TINTA DE TORO – TORO: Glass staining purple colour, with medium to high body. Notes of stewed plums, glycerine, aloe vera, subtle tannins and crunchy oak. Smoky, dark fruits and black character with bitter finish. Soave. Great food wine to pair with grilled or braised wet meat dishes.
•2008 ALGES – TEMPRANILLO + GARNACHA + SYRAH – L’ALBAGES: Dark red core with light purple rim. Black, sweet cola notes, candied, smoky, tar, herbaceous, kidney beans, liquorice. Complex but not lavish. Balanced medium bodied wine with young green tannins. Good aftertaste. Needs food.
Spain and Spanish tickled everyones’ fancy and palate. In a country where European wines have always reserved a top spot, a wine-friendly country such as Spain has only slightly made an impact. This phenomenon of the ‘underdog’ Spanish wines having a very small portion of wine lists across the country is truly beyond explanation. Even after comparatively simpler appellation systems, easy-to-name grape varieties, competitive reds, refreshing whites, romantic rosés, and deliciously sweet fortified wines, this wine country struggles to find true representation of its core value. Sessions and tastings like these will definitely help enthusiasts develop a keener interest and understanding of Vinos de España.
¡Salud!
After a lot of queries and even more asking around, we try and crumble the Delhi Excise code and how it works.
Below is the MRP calculation in Excel sheet and explanation of how it works:
If you promise to give us good wine to taste & leave us your e-mail we will even send you the formula for calculating this in Excel sheet. So, here it goes….with the new policy the Excise fees is applicable and calculated as a percentage of declared MRP. This is 30% for a wine having a MRP of Rs 2000. However, for a wine having a higher MRP (more than Rs 2000) for example Rs 3000, the excise would be Rs 600 ( Till Rs 2000, 30% = .30*2000 = Rs 600) and Rs 200 ( 20% on the higher amount – Rs 3000 – Rs 2000= Rs 1000 @ 20% = Rs 200). Total Excise would be Rs 800.
In addition to this there would be161 % import duty including 150% duty + cess etc. With this new policy, we can safely assume that the retail price for a 5 Euro wine will be Rs 3000- 3200 in New Delhi.
Who says Indian wines do not have much mettle? We at Wi-Not Beverage Solutions believe the competition in the wine world has evoked the Indian winemaking scene and will be something to watch out for in the near future. To further this conviction, sommelier Magandeep SINGH, hosted an Indian wine tasting. Wine lover and admirer Mr. Dirk Reinhardt, EAM, The Claridges Hotel, helped out with what can only be described as the perfect venue: a light breezy afternoon with lush trees formed the backdrop of the setting at the outdoorsy Sevilla restaurant. The silent walk-around tasting was organised on the 26th of November 2009 and for this “test of taste”, attendees comprised both professionals and wine-lovers. Industry enthusiasts and wine aficionados were equally encouraged to come by and taste for their own learning experience. Another highlight was the absence of winemakers thus making it completely neutral.
It all started with Magan being approached to write about the Indian wine industry for a foreign publication. We wanted to have first-hand information and experiences involving all the players in the market. The wineries were invited to send a mixed bag of their wine samples. The response was overwhelming and so were the wines. 59 wines from nine houses were featured. Some of the luminous were Mr. Rubal Chaudhry, Mr. Angelo De Ioia and Mrs. Reva Singh.
Here are some excerpts from the tasting; a general consensus round-up about the wine houses and their wines:
FOUR SEASONS: The latest trend setter in the industry, they are definitely making the right noise with their wines. They offer two ranges: Classic and Barrique ‘Reserve’ Collection. The classic series does not carry the vintage year. The wines are very New-World style with a major Australian influence, even casting a shadow of suspicion as to their origin. The Viognier was universally appreciated as also the 2008 Reserve Shiraz. The other wines on tasting were – Classic Sauvignon Blanc & Blush (Rosé) and 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The company also has Chenin Blanc in its offering
VINTAGE WINES: Their sole brand ‘Reveilo’ offers two levels of wines: Regular and Reserve. These wines are made under the jurisdiction of an Italian winemaker. Regular range included 2008 Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. 2006 Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon make up their Reserve range. The strongest contender from this house was the 2006 Reserve Chardonnay. This crisp green-tinged wine has a nice powdered touch of oak and crisp acidity to compliment the fresh citrus and fruity flavours. The reds were strong and aromatic but may need some work in the ‘finish’ department.
MERCURY WINES: The stylishly labelled wine named ‘Aarya’ comes from a new house in Nasik. Mercury Wines also have two more labels to their profile, namely, Ex and Mex. The wines included 2007 Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are only now becoming locally available, earlier having been exclusively for exports. These well priced wines should hit the local stands soon. The flavours were intense, with great concentration and complexity. Not easy sippers like certain others; more weighty.
INDAGE VINTNERS: This house needs no introduction. They have lately revived and revamped their wine labels and image. Their brand Tiger Hill too is keeping them busy. The wines were divided into four main labels: 2006 Tiger Hill Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Select Range 2007 Chenin Blanc, Gold Range 2007 Chardonnay Semillon and Shiraz Cabernet, Platinum Range 2007 Merlot Syrah. Along with Tiger hill Cabernet Sauvignon, the Platinum Range Merlot Syrah was well received. This light ruby coloured wine has a very soave mix of dusty tannins, coat of French oak and great body marked by a strong spicy feel. Missed their famous sparkling.
VINSURA: This Nasik-based-house has now been in the business for quite a few vintages. Their labels definitely lack aesthetics: it carries contact details and some very irrelevant data on the front label which was a put-off. Ironically, for all the information and ingredient-list, the wines do not mention a vintage year. The range included Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel and a sparkling white. The sparkling wine was a pleasant surprise, with lovely toasty yeast character. The rest still need to be seriously worked upon.
GOOD EARTH WINERY: New wine house turning heads as it goes. Catchy violin-shaped labels, innovative wine names, Garage-style concentrated wines, impressive yet sincere winemaking; for their first vintage their wines had a lot to say. A small range 2008 vintage included Arohi Sauvignon Blanc, Basso Cabernet Sauvignon, and Brio Shiraz. The Glass-staining reds are still babies. These are wines made to ages well before relishing. We suggest decanting them before relishing and serving at a lower temperature. With no vineyards and winery of their own (yet), this is a commendable produce.
DECCAN PLATEAU: Another impressive band of wines. The range is simple with a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, a Rosé, and reds including 2008 Zinfandel, Shiraz, Trivalli (Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot), and Cabernet-Shiraz. The released wines are their first vintage and are still young. Decanting is definitely suggested. The rosé although still needing some attention, was definitely a star. It has an inviting dark watermelon colour with low alcohol, residual sugar with balancing acidity. The Shiraz component needs some flavour and finesse, and it tends to mar the blends it goes into. The Cabernet, by contrast, is fruity and well-developed, and the pure Cabernet was the preferred red from the house. On a different note, a lot of people at the tasting initially gave the house a miss as the labels were dubbed ‘misleading’. Nobody thought that such visually unappealing labels could house such exquisite wine.
VALLÉE DE VIN: With a wide range of wines, this house had a mixed bag of reviews. Their funky brand name ‘Zampa’ is an eye catcher. The house offered us 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Chenin Blanc, 2008 Rose, Shiraz, Cabernet-Shiraz, sparkling white and rose. ‘Zampagne’ is what the company used to call its sparkling before insecure Champagne went ballistic. Now it is called ‘Soirée’, and we were concerned if consumers will latch on to the French pronunciation of ‘soa-rey’ or just stick with the seemingly-more-phonetic ‘sorry’!? New bottling of the whites were dramatically improved since the 2008 vintage and if the reds turn out the same way, the winery would have found its winning formula.
TERROIR INDIA: Nasik based winery with an array of wines to offer. The company has added another range,‘Mumbai Dreamz’, to their existing ‘Indus’ series. ‘Mumbai Dreamz’ has colourful, young, attractive front and back labels, replicating caricatured scenes from the panorama of its namesake city. The catch point of Indus range is their easy-to-tear foil leaving behind an evenly cut capsule, thereby rendering wine opener blades redundant. The present offerings includes: MD white, rosé, and red, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and a blend, Moksh. Perhaps the most visually exciting labels on the currently market.
By the end, we all had our favourites and discards. We discussed and tried to convince or be convinced. But that really wasn’t the objective. The collection of these wines conveyed just one important message: they marked and highlighted the development of wine culture in India. With another seven wineries’ produce yet to be tasted, the magnitude of options is on a high-roll. Safe to assume then that Indian wines will certainly find more constant feature and representation in our Wi-Not wine blogs. Cheers to that!
It is always exciting to travel and learn about wines and meet new people. It is even more special when it happens to be on foreign shores. Hong Kong Trade Development Council along with leading wine and spirits companies organised the second Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair 2009 in well, Hong Kong. It was a grand affair with organisers, buyers and visitors coming from various backgrounds and over 34 countries. The fair had several luminaries from the wine world. There were plenty of workshops, master classes, tastings, seminars and talks. All this really helped with the footfall. There was much to do, and even more to taste.
The wine fair was organised on the third floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The hall was divided in to colourful pavilions dedicated to different countries. One that captured the attention of most and many was the Indian pavilion. It was for the first time that India had its own pavilion at an international wine fair outside the country. This was an initiative taken by the Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB) involving ten leading wineries of the country. IGBP was born on 2nd January 2009 in Delhi when the Union Cabinet approved its establishment in Pune. Then, on 25th February 2009, the board was launched by Mr. Subodh Kant Sahai with a team of 15 directors.
To help mark its presence, the first tasting-cum-talk session was conducted by the IGBP at the Wine Gallery. It was a section set in the middle of the hall’s tasting area, hence another aid in catching the eye. Ms. Vinod Kotwal, Director of Ministry of Food Processing Industries and CEO of IGPB headed the session with nine wineries showcasing their star produce. The presenters and wines tasted were as follows:
Mr. Sanjay Roy – Four Seasons Viognier
Mr. Ajoy Shaw – Sula Sauvignon Blanc
Ms. Karishma Grover – Grovers Vineyards Rosѐ
Mr. T.S. Panori – Renaissance Merlot
Mr. Sumeet Rajani – Tiger Hill Shiraz
Mr. Yatin Patil – Reveilo Cabernet Sauvignon
Mr. Girish Kamble – Deccan Plateau Trivalli Shiraz Cabernet Merlot
Dr. D.P. Nerkar – Empire Wines Shiraz
Mr. Kailash Dhuru – Chateau D’Ori Cabernet Merlot
The presentation was appreciated and applauded by all as also were the wines. With the government and wineries coming together, this may mark the start of Indian wines making a global entry. Next time in HK, don’t be surprised if you see some Indian wines on the local shelves there.
L’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux (EVB) is a part of Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), the controlling body of wines in Bordeaux, France. As they are preparing to introduce their courses in India, they came to India with an accreditation program first time around. The idea of the program was to select wine professionals and to certify them as wine trainers for their courses.
As a part of their offerings, EVB offers multiple courses for various needs. They have courses custom-made for different end users called ‘A la carte’ programs. Apart from this, they also have certain fixed courses on offer. This includes a two hour Express Summer Course and Intensive Courses spread over a few days. The courses are practical and extensive including Grand Cru vineyard and Chateau visits.
In order to attract the right crowd, CIVB along with Sopexa India organised a Bordeaux Wine Master Class in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. The session was held on the 23rd of October 2009 at The Oberoi, New Delhi and headed by independent wine trainer, Ms. Wendy Narby. The session was educative and compelling. It covered various aspects of Bordeaux wines: sub-regions, grape varieties, soils, climates, and appellation systems. We also tasted some quality wines from the region in an effort to understand it better. Attendees of this one day master class received a certificate from CIVB and also an opportunity to sit the accreditation program examination. The results of the exams were announced and candidates were called for a panel interview the next morning. With this, Stage One of Indian screening came to a close. The shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a training session in Bordeaux at EVB. Post this session, attendees will have to clear another exam after which they may be certified as wine trainers. With a new breed of sommeliers coming and exploiting the Indian wine market, it will be enticing to see how this initiative turns out to be.
Off again on the katcha roads, our next stop was the new upcoming winery by Mr. Shailendra Pai named Vallonne. The road to the winery is still a muddy one and would not allow you to get through on a vehicle. We took the car half way through and decided to walk for the rest of it. The mud, rain, and dirt were all worth it for the wines we were to taste. What started to come to us was an under construction winery with a well planted vineyards around it. To enlighten us about the set-up was Mr. Saket who showed us the areas of the winery and the newly planted machinery. They make Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. As we went along, we learnt that they use drip irrigation in the vineyards and powdery mildew is something that keeps them on their toes. They have planted the vines east to west rather than north to south to avoid sunburn and provide optimum exposure to the grapes.
Mr. Pai has an extensive experience in the Indian wine industry. He has worked with Chateau Indage as a marketing manager during which he also helped them launch MDP, Chantili and Riviera. He then helped set-up Renaissance winery and operated it for long before he finally decided to own his own facility. Vallonne was setup keeping in mind the future demands of wine tourism. A blend of beautiful site and great viticultural potential was what Mr. Pai was looking for and we agree to it.
The winery has a capacity to keep 2 lac litres which Mr. Pai does not wish to expand in the near future. He claims and wishes to keep it as India’s first and only boutique winery that has everything French, from bottling plant, machinery, wine style, winemaker and likes. The yet to evolve area will see a small wine museum, giant wine cellar, bottling plant, offices, tasting room and a wide spread terrace with a breathtaking view of the dam in front.
As we proceeded to the tasting tables, the wines were poured out of small old whiskey bottles. We were a bit sceptical about what was to come our ways that made us a bit more critical even before analysing the wines. The wines are made by a French winemaker that certainly shows in its style. While the Merlot is 100% oaked, Cabernet Sauvignon comes in two styles-oaked and unoaked. The whites we were offered were by far the cleanest wines we tasted during our trip. Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc both are fruit forward wines with a careful blend of old and new world palate balance. The wines are made to suit the European palates and are something to watch out for. We are hoping to see these wines on the shelves by October. If you are in Nasik, no matter how you do it, the wines cannot be missed.
