​Beverage News from India & the World

From 11–15 March 2019 all eyes will be on Antwerp, where the prestigious world championship competition of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (A.S.I.) will be held. Sixty-five sommeliers from sixty-two countries will vie for the crown of the worldwide brotherhood/sisterhood of sommeliers/sommelières at the fiftieth anniversary edition of the sommelier Olympics. And who will be there leading the way? Wines from Austria.

International top sommeliers focus on Austrian wine As a longstanding partner of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale – of which the Austrian Sommelier Union has been a member since 1988 – the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) has been granted the unique opportunity to participate – along with Inter Rhône – as a platinum sponsor. This means that a wide range of Austrian wines from all of the winegrowing regions will be presented to the competing top sommeliers and the attending international journalists during the tournament from 11–15 March. At every lunch and every dinner – all the way up to the gala feast after
the grand finale – and at the conclusion of every day in the ‘bar des sommeliers’, as well as in two master classes for the sommeliers and members of the trade.
For five days, Austrian wines will be able to shine on the stage of the world’s finest sommeliers and before the avid eyes of international wine journalists – which is sure to heighten interest in the small wine-land and its great wines.
Return to Belgium after fifty years The A.S.I. was founded in 1969 with the objective of helping sommeliers all over the world to reach new levels of achievement in their profession. That same year, the very first Concours de Meilleur Sommelier du Monde was held in Brussels. Fifty years later, the sommelier world championship – held only once every three years – returns to Belgium, where the highly coveted title ‘A.S.I. Best Sommelier of the World’ will beconferred upon the victor.
Great media interest in the title match There will be sixty-five top-drawer international sommeliers competing, who must already have emerged victorious from elimination rounds in their own countries, in a five-day marathon of tastings. Among the contestants will be Austria’s top sommelier, who will be named on 5 November at the ‘Best Sommelier of Austria 2018’ competition. The world championship programme will feature several written tests of knowledge and blind tastings, as well as examinations in facets of wine service and awareness of the international wine market. At the finale on 15 March in Antwerp’s ‘Konigin Elizabethzaal’, the final three candidates must ultimately prove their capabilities in front of some 2,000 attendees. 

( Excerpt from a press release)

Bengaluru, India
Celebrating the global success of the Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection, Grover Zampa Vineyards along with the legend Mr. Vijay Amritraj, hosted an experiential evening over fine wines and conversations at Skydeck, Shangri-La Bangalore on 6th September, 2018. The event, full of fine wines, conversations and delectable meals prepared by the talented chefs at Shangri-La, witnessed socialites, wine aficionados and industry stalwarts who gathered to honor the various achievements earned by the VA collection.

“It has been my utmost pleasure being associated with Grover Zampa Vineyards, witnessing the rising recognition received by the brand in India and overseas. With the growing appreciation for the collection, we are positive about the winning streak to continue with a lot more accolades flowing in.” said Amritraj,  Ranked among India’s finest wines, the Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection, launched in 2014 in London, marks a distinctive association between sports and wine. The wines, a perfect mélange of inimitable diversity and smoothness, have earned worldwide recognition with 22 distinguishable awards. The most recent recognition garnered by the collection was the gold medal bagged by the red variant at the much-acclaimed Asian Wine Review 2018 in Hong Kong. The review also conferred Grover Zampa Vineyards the Best Asian Winery. While the brand is already internationally available in USA, UK, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Singapore; it was recently launched in Dubai earlier this year.

Vivek Chandramohan, CEO, Grover Zampa Vineyards opined, “It has been a matter of great pride to have associated with Mr. Vijay Amritraj to co-create and produce some of the finest wines that are representative of the Indian terroir. The accolades bestowed upon the collection over the years are a testament of the immense passion and dedication invested in their production. We are committed to providing our patrons with the best experiences always.”
( Excerpt from a press release) 
 

Mumbai, India
Aspri Spirits, leading importers and distributors of some of the finest brands in the world of Wines and Spirits, recently launched the American Craft Vodka brand, Tito’s Handmade Vodka in India. Today, they celebrated the launch by hosting John McDonnell, Managing Director International, Fifth Generation, Inc., Home of Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
This exclusive evening was for Trade and Industry partners, Media, Bloggers and Celebrities. The launch was co-hosted by designer Rocky S at his baroque-style bar Rocky S Cocktail Bar. The guests were seen enjoying the ambience while savoring the signature cocktails that were specially curated for the evening like:  Tito’s American Mule, Tito’s All Time Favourite, Tito’s Lemonade and Tea and a few others.
Discussing the plan for Tito’s Handmade Vodka in India John McDonnell said “India is a diverse market and with the Indian audience evolving and discovering global tastes and trends, we are positive that the brand will be loved and accepted by the Indian consumers”.
Jackie Matai and Arun Kumar Co-founders, Aspri Spirits said “We are excited to have partnered with Tito’s Handmade Vodka and are confident that the Indian consumer will patronize Tito’s”.
The guests enjoyed the soft, smooth and crisp finish of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is made using Corn and undergoes distillation six times in Pot Stills. Distilling from Corn makes the Vodka naturally Gluten - Free. The water that Tito’s uses is locally sourced and much of it is naturally filtered through limestone.
Tito’s is priced at Rs 3650 in Mumbai, Rs 3550 in Delhi and Rs 4500 in Bangalore. Titos’s is already available at all major Duty Free shops at airports in India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and others.
(Excerpt from a press release)