Mumbai, India On my last trip to Germany a few months back I gifted a friend few bottles of Rioja Gran Reserva 2004 from Bodegas Faustino and we savored one together. Little did I know that Bacchus had bigger plans for me, the wine is now available in India and I was privee to a tasting of the 2001, 1995 and the 1971 vintages at a wine dinner curated by Kadambari Kapoor of Gusto imports at the Chambers ,Taj Mahal Hotel. Rocio Marin of Gruppo Faustino was in town to lead the tasting of 7 wines over a 4 course meal. The evening began with a Faustino Cava Brut from the Rioja Alavesa regions, the bubbly made from Viura and Chardonnay with 26 months of lees aging had balanced autolytic and citrus aromas and was rather too crisp for a brut. The first course of Asparagus and Cranberry parfait went beautifully with the Faustino 2014 Crianza Tempranillo rose which was redolent of sweet spice, red fruits, subtle oxidative aromas and with a colour a few shades lighter than a pinot noir. Marin said, ‘Many producers are making paler roses like the popular Provence ones but we like to stick to tradition and macerate the skins for the perfect colour and flavour.’ The third and the fourth wines were the Faustino Crianza 2012 and the Reserva 20009, the former was Fruity and no fuss whist the latter showed bottle aged vegetal notes and earthy elements apart from delicate black fruit. Tempranillo which comes from Temprano meaning early ripening loves a cooler climate and the Rioja Alavesa cooled by the Atlantic provides the perfect condition for these to gather phenolic ripeness which aids aging potential. This perhaps explained the wines lined up to be paired with a forest mushroom and truffle Mille Feuille with aged gruyere followed by the chocolate velvet cake. The 2001 Faustino Rioja Gran Reserva a sand blasted bottle one can’t miss is slated to be the best vintage of the 21st century for Faustino just like their 1964 from the 20th. The 2001 was deep ruby and with velvety tannins, there was black fruit with mushroom and forest floor notes and the finish was quite medium, I felt it was racing towards its peak. The 1995 which came up next felt even younger with a deeper ruby shade, very powerful tannins with luscious fruit, spice and cedar aromas this one seemed it could live forever. And the highlight of the evening was the 1971 which showed a pale garnet with a nose full of prunes and honey with subtle notes of spice and black fruit jam, it showed body and moderate acidity with a short to medium finish. The last two paired with the chocolate dessert wonderfully. Spanish wines overall offer great value for money and Faustino with their portfolio in India should entice the Indian consumer. You can check Faustino wines and more from the Gusto portfolio here
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Mumbai,India In 1984 a group of Kiwis carried Sauvignon Blanc back from their land when they visited the Cape Mentelle winery in Margaret River a lesser know wine region in Australia then. David Hohnen the owner of the winery who was already creating ripples with his Cabernets tasted their wines and the rest is history! David Hohnen in 1985 launched the Cloudy Bay in Marlborough which eventually placed New Zealand Sauvignons on the world wine map and were often touted as an answer to the French from the Loire valley. Cloudy Bay now owned by the LVMH group is available in 30 countries and continues to grow as it celebrates 30th year in business. We celebrated their glorious 30 with Bruno Yvon the Managing Director of Moet Hennessy India who hosted us for a dinner in Vetro at the Oberoi Hotel. Their flagship Sauvignon Blanc 2014 began the proceedings for the evening, it revealed elderflower, subtle green pepper notes with a burst of fruit with moderate acidity, the hall mark of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Cloudy Bay took its name from a place located in the eastern end the Wairau Valley in Marlborough and it was named so by Captain Cook who also discovered Australia. Wairau Valley where most of the Cloudy Bay vineyards are situated also enjoys the most number of sunshine hours in New Zealand, it helps in the extended ripening season resulting in more flavours. The second wine of the evening was the Te Koko 2011, a barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc. It was elegant, suave and had depth to it. What impressed us was the symphony of the varietal characteristics and the oak influence. This was beautifully paired with a smoked cauliflower soup. Oak aging of sauvignon blancs was a popular styles in the 80’s and then the unwooded trend came in and still continues. Expressions like Te Koko are done only when they really see the potential in the fruit to take the might of the oak. Fume Blanc, they are popularly called in the US. Chardonnay is the third most popular in the Marlborough region after Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and the Cloudy Bay’s 2012 expression had restrained oak with citrus and stoned fruits to the fore. It paired with gnocchi in an aromatic bell pepper sauce; the caramelized onions added some sweetness to the sauce which played well with the refreshing acidity in the wine. The menu put together by Chef Adriano Baldassare and Rohan Jelkie the Brand Ambassador of Moet Hennessy in India was showing up very well indeed. We ended the evening with a fruity 2013 Pinot Noir with some hint of tobacco and to compliment it were a range of cheeses, the Italian Gorgonzola, Provolone and Taleggio, an English Cheddar and the French Brie. The Kiwi Pinot Noir again akin to the Sauvignon Blanc is the new world’s answer to the big daddies of the old world and the Indian palates are very much ready for this style. Cloudy Bay to mark the 30th has come up with special editions of their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir to reflect upon the last 29 vintages and to evolve further.
Last thoughts, Marlborough has approximately 109 wineries and they continue to flourish, amidst such stiff competition Cloudy Bay has to keep up their 1985 passion of wine making and we wish them good for their 4th decade in business!!! Nothing can bring out the essence of the product more than its history and if the history spans over 5 centuries then it gets even more interesting. Rum akin to a few other spirits has seen its ups and downs and can certainly make for a good documentary! Let us look at how it all began for Rum…. Sugarcane moves East to West The Indian sugarcane industry which fuels many a political heavy weights in the country also has its share of the pie when one speaks of the genesis of Rum. In 350 BC; Indians were consuming a fermented sugarcane beverage and as sugarcane travelled from east to the west the knowledge of cane juice fermentation spread. Fast forward to the 13th century when the French physicist Arnaud had distilled grape for a potent potable spirit, distillation was the new trend. Marco Polo the traveler during his travels during the same period also found a drink in Indonesia made out of Red Rice and Sugarcane juice and wrote it in his travelogues and this led to lot of merchants from Italy importing the drink. It is also said that this drink may have led the Russians to start making their own spirit, Vodka of today! The Spanish and Portuguese in the 14th picked up colonies in the islands close by like the Canary and Madeira and sugar was grown there, sugar was considered a spice and was everyone vied for the control of the industry; beverage was still not on their minds. It is only after Columbus went westwards and landed in the Caribbean that the sugarcane beverage flourished. Rumble in the Caribbean: The Portuguese were the first ones to make spirit in Brazil in the 16th century, now called the Cachaca and then called ‘crazy sugarcane juice’ in the local dialect. The Dutch known for their sailing prowess and of course Gin established Caribbean colonies in the 17th century and starting actively making Sugarcane spirit not just out of juice but also molasses the byproduct of the sugar industry. They called it Kyldevel which was later anglicized to Kill Devil by the English who had taken over many Spanish colonies. The Dutch passed on their knowledge of cane distillation to the English too and the latter eventually called the drink Rumbullion, a term commonly used in West England referring to great tumult, what else would one expect as an aftermath of people drinking a 70% spirit! Royal Navy Rum: Beer was slowly being replaced by rum as daily ration in the British Navy as Beer couldn’t survive the seas. It all began in 1687 and by 1731 the Rum completely replaced beer, it was a pint of 70 % ABV as opposed to a Gallon of beer. Over the decade Rum had created enough Rumbullion for the admiral to dilute their drinks with water, sugar and lime juice and the men called it the Old Grog after the admiral who used to wear a Grogram coat. You will see variants aplenty of this drink, cocktails of today! Patent Still: The invention of patent still in 1832 affected most spirit categories and Rum was no exception. Before the patent still, Rums were dark and big and when Cuba adopted patent still for the first time in the 1860’s to make lighter style rum other followed and over 1600 distilleries adopted the method and it spread. Light rums became the delight of the bartenders then a profession which was gathering momentum. Today Cuban and Puerto Rican rums are known for their lighter style rums. The rise of cocktails and the Tiki Culture: The late 1800’s saw the rise of rum and rum cocktails, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre, Dark n Stormy were popular. The American prohibition helped the Rum Cause even more when the wealthy of America came down south for rum and bootlegger like the famous McCoy took the rum northwards to thirsty Americans. 1931 saw the listing of Mojito at the Sloppy Joe’s bar in Cuba. The repeal of prohibition in 1933 saw the rise of grain spirits saw the decline of Rum only to go up again with the advent of the Tiki culture. Don Beach who opened up a Tiki themed bar in Hollywood served heady rum cocktail using myriad ingredients and with a lot of fresh juices. The Zombie was one of his most popular. The Trader Vic who drew inspiration from Don Beach was known for the Mai Tai a cocktail which depleted rum stocks in Jamaica and pushed up Jamaican Rum prices. The mid-late 1900’s saw a dip in the popularity of Rum and the rise of other grain spirits, majorly Vodka. Rum Today: Rum over the last two decades is gaining popularity with the advent of internet, the travelling consumer, the travelling bartender and Rum expos the most popular being the UK Rum fest. People now have gone back to the Pre-grog days of sipping rums neat as they have plentiful options of beautifully aged rums from across the world, primarily the Caribbean! Rum Jargon:
Every Rum making nation have their own set of regulations or maybe not. The WIRSPA ( West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association Inc.) comprising 15 Caribbean country associations have set up common production standards and certify their rum as 'Authentic Caribbean Rum' if it follows the following guidelines. ACR guidelines -Rum must be fermented and distilled in one or more of these countries from product of sugar cane origin -Additives are not permitted -Where a statement of maturity and/or age is given: o It shall be that of the youngest distilled spirit in the product o The rum shall have been matured in wooden vats or barrels for not less than one year Some other Rum labelling terms are as below: Rhum Agricole: Rum made from Sugarcane juice Rhum Industriel: Rum made from Molasses, a byproduct of sugar production. Doesn’t indicate inferior quality but a lighter taste profile Light Rums: They are clear, mostly unaged light bodied rums perfect for cocktails. Puerto Rica, Cuba, Trinidad etc are known for this style of Rums. E.G: Havana Club, Angostura Golden or Amber Rums: These age in oak barrels for several years to create a medium bodied spirit rich in Oak influences .Barbados, Jamaica, Venezuela etc make this style of rums Dark Rums: They are heavy, luscious and heavy on oak aged aromas. Most of them could be drunk neat. Guyana, Jamaica, the French islands of Martinique and Haiti etc are known for its full bodied styles. One style you must try are Demerara Rums from Guyana, they are spicy and sweet with a hint of smoke. For E.G: El Dorado 12 Cachaca: Brazilian spirit made out of cane juice and unaged. Best known for its use in Caipirinhas! Aged Statement: Just like whiskies some Rum cos will have an age on the label. Depending on the region that number would indicate the oldest or the youngest Rum in the blend. Last words, the numbers on a Rum bottle can be misleading unless of course you know of the country regulations. Rum Cocktails: Mojito, Daiquiri, Pinacolada, Zombie, MaiTai, Planter’s Punch and Hot Buttered Rum… This is a good start to rums, whilst one could certainly be an Old Monk fan forever! Mumbai,India
Vodka is a colourless, flavourless, odourless spirit; it is what most people would say about Vodka, they are wrong! Like most other wines and spirits, Vodka also has a history and a story to tell, let’s take you through it before we give you brief pointer on identifying vodkas based on ingredients…. 16th- 19th century: Vodka comes from the term Woda or Voda means little water and both Russia and Poland claim it to be their invention. This ‘little water’ initially was used for medicinal purposes and was macerated with various herbs and sweetened but only in the 16th century that it began to be consumed for pleasure. In the same period Russia, Sweden, Poland and Finland saw a huge rise in Vodka distilleries and it was made from all things grain. The popularity continued to grow and it grew so much that Catherin the great from Russia and King Gustaf of Sweden actually made it a monopoly by making the whole industry state owned, this was in the 18th century. Today potato vodka is a luxury however distillation from potatoes began in Sweden in1746 when failed harvests leading to a grain shortage and Poland eventually made potato vodkas their specialty. Vodka and War: Vodka had got very popular however it was restricted to Eastern Europe and Scandinavian countries often called the vodka belt. Smirnoff which started in 1818, Absolut in 1877 gave the product a great push to an extent that there were calls of prohibition in early 1900s and Sweden finally saw rationing of Vodka and most other vodka belt countries saw a 10-20 year ban on selling and consumption of Alcohol. The market of vodka went down and adding to it was the US prohibition, the US however didn’t have much access to Vodka anyways. The 1930 cocktail book by Harry Craddock listed more than 100 cocktail recipes but only 2 of them had vodka in it and if you were to look at bar menus now, it is a sea change! Post Prohibition: Smirnoff who had fled to the USA during the Russian revolution started Smirnoff in the US in 1934 and the same year saw the first Vodka cocktail competition in the country. The Dry Martini and the Moscow Mule were doing their bit for Vodka. Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale the James Bond series pushed the category even further and Vodka became aspirational after Bond’s Vesper Martini. Soon after US and the UK saw an influx of brands from the east and Vodka had officially arrived. Rise of Cocktails: Cocktails had started to get popular in the 80’s and first flavoured vodka was launched in the market. Absolut Peppar was the one and was introduced as a base spirit for Bloody Marys which were very popular then. The end of the communism in the east saw privatization of brands and emerged the trend of luxury vodkas in all avatars, glacial water, and diamond filtered, n times filtered etc etc and after a while the differentiation diminished. The category continues to grow, you can now check a bar menu and see the number of cocktails with vodka in it! As the distilling cos say “Vodka pays the bills’. Lastly how to identify Vodka based on ingredients: Potato: Mashed potato nose with a creamy and full palate E.g. Chase, Chopin Barley: Malty on the nose with a hint of sweet spice, begins on a sweet note and with a dry finish E.g. Finlandia, Sipsmith Rye: Very prominent Rye bread nose with a very spicy finish on the palate E.G. Belvedere, Wyborowa, Chopin Rye Grape: Lime and lemon scented, you can’t miss this one E.g. Ciroc Wheat: Some show citrus and some anise and some toasted wheat kernel like aromas… E.g.Absolut Elyx, 42 Below, Ketel One There are more to ingredients like quinoa, spelt, rice etc coming out from the new trend of micro distilleries. After all this, please remember that if you douse your vodka with juices and syrups and still are able to figure your vodka then you must be drunk! Mumbai, India ‘Droits de succession’ the inheritance tax in France which can go to up to 45% is one of host of other taxes in France which have led to most from the wine business selling off to bigger corporations and the ones are that remain are working hard and passionately to carry their legacy and heritage. Drappier Champagne which was found in 1808 is one such house and we had the privilege of interacting and dining with the 7th generation scion, Mr Michel Drappier at the Drappier Dinner hosted by Hotel ITC Maratha. Michel opened the evening with a Jeroboam (3 litre bottle) of the Grand Millesime Exception 2002, as a house they are always Pinot Forward to the extent of almost being a Blanc Des Noirs and this was no exception albeit with slightly lesser; 65% Pinot Noir. It certainly showed the strength. Mr. Philippe Charraudeau, VP West and General Manager of the hotel and Ms Sonal Holland the Wine Director for ITC hotels played perfect hosts as they ensured that our glass were topped up at all times. Dum Pukht the Awadhi restaurant was all laid up for a 3 course meal to be paired with 4 more beauties from the house of Drappier. The choice of restaurant couldn’t have been more apt considering the affinity of mild and flavoursome Indian food for Champagne and to top it up the brand Dum Pukht celebrates 25 years of success. Drappier Blanc de Blancs made from Chardonnay and 5 % Pinot Blanc shows lovely freshness, was very light and crisp with vibrant acidity and it paired beautifully with Dudiya Kebab, potatoes sandwiched between paneer, shallow fried and finished with dum, Nilouferi kabab, an aromatic lotus stem seekh and the Hara Bhara Awadhi, a crumbly spinach and yellow lentil patty pan fried in ghee. For mains the richness of the gravies with yoghurt, cashews and ghee was matched with the Drappier Charles de Gaulle edition, an 80 % Pinot which surprisingly was lighter than expected but fruity with higher residual sugar and good acidity. We would have loved to have this more as an aperitif. For the next course of floral and aromatic Awadhi Biryani was the 2010 Millesime Exception and this was our pick of the Blancs. It was a Pinot Noir dominant blend bursting with fruit; was fleshy and had a long finish. Saving the best for the last held true in the case of Drappier Grand Sendree rose 2006 vintage which saw our perspective of rose Champagnes change completely; this was luscious and laden with red fruits, sweet spice on the palate and had a very opulent nose. Done by the Saignee method of making rose, this is one of the less 3% rose Champagnes made by this method and what made this glass or rather 2 of those exclusive was that it was one of the 4500 bottles from the vintage.
We wish the family-owned Drappier continues to flourish whilst Michel trains the next generations to take on the mantle! Santé! P.S: Drappier is imported by Ace Beveragez- 011-40503560 Mumbai, India Global drinks player International Beverage Holdings Limited (IBHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thai Beverage Public Limited Company ( Chang beer fame), has entered the Indian market with three of its finest single malt scotch whiskies; Old Pulteney, Balblair and Speyburn and a super-premium Scottish gin; Caorunn for Mumbai and Delhi. We at The Happy High were introduced to the same at a tasting Edinburgh based Karen Walker the Marketing Director of the company. Balblair one of the oldest registered distilleries in Scotland changed multiple hands before coming to Inter Bev group in 1996. Balblair until 2006 was non-vintage single malt with an age statement until a positioning revamp which saw the whisky being released with a vintage year akin to wines. They began with 1979, 1989, 1997 and now the 2003 which we tasted. The vintage year represents the year of distillation and the whisky going into casks. Karen said, ‘ We have stocks of ever year laid down in the barrels since the time our company took over from 1996 till now, however when would the whisky’s be released is completely up to the Master Blender . What we tasted today is a 2003 first release; the second release may happen in the next year or the next decade, only time has the answer’. The Balblair ’03 aged in second fill Bourbon barrels has light golden colour however it is bursting with toffee, orange and sweet spice. It shows good body and has a savoury finish. The Speyburn 10 years label’s speaks of it as a Highland whisky in bold however it is a Speyside one and this anomaly in nomenclature goes back to the time when Glenlivet had reserved the term Speyside for their malts only. The rules have changed now and Speyburn could be seen with a Speyside label soon! This dram was much lighter in body with vanilla and fresh fruits and had a good touch of smoke to it, surprising for unpeated malt. The last for the day was their flagship Old Pulteney one the most northerly distilleries in the mainland and situated on the eastern coast. This one they call it the maritime malt and it certainly displays the nuances of the salty air on the nose and the palate. It is quite restrained overall is extremely smooth and balanced. The bottle is designed like the classic onion shaped copper pot stills and their 21 year old was adjudged the best whisky of the world in the 2012 edition of the Whisky Bible. All three are available in Mumbai and are in the Rs 5400-6700 range Slainte! After the classic Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Alsace and Port, Hungary introduces Szekszard bottles this September. A new bottle type named after the wine region has been introduced recently, which is dedicated to exclusively used by Kadarka, Kékfrankos varietal red wines and the traditional red blend called Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) produced in this wine region.
Szekszárd wine region is one of the 22 registered wine regions in Hungary belonging to the Southern ones of the country. As a result of a three-year process, almost 20 red wines from 2012 and 2013 vintages are bottled in the common Szekszárd regional bottles in September 2015. To date, a team of local winemakers led by János Eszterbauer, chair of the Guild of Szekszárd Winemakers has been working together in order to select the shape and appearance of the bottle trade-marking the region, as well as to choose a Hungarian glass factory being capable for producing it. Zoltán Heimann, local winemaker, taking part in the process, explained the project, “Due to the natural endowments of this region, our assortment is based on red wines. At the same time, we consider it extremely important to create our own style in this segment and not to be a follower or imitator of any existing one at international or national level. Therefore, we found our take-off point in local grape varieties and wine types such as Kadarka, Kékfrankos (the same as Blaufränkisch) and Bikavér. Since these wines are about elegance, fruitiness and spiciness, it was completely clear for us that the ideal choice for our wines should be a Burgundy bottle type. Thus, a longer and more extravagant bottle has been chosen for the new Szekszárd regional standard bottle, where the logo of the city providing the name of the wine region with the text ”Szekszárd” can be read in four directions of the bottle.” József Szabó, sales manager of the glass factory in Orosháza producing the bottle emphasised the advantages of having a regional bottle: ”With this common image, Szekszárd can go ahead not only in Hungary, but also in the international market, since – compared to the individual packing of smaller wineries all around the region – this common appearance of the wines of Szekszárd can be easier recognised by the consumers.” (Excerpt from a press release) Mumbai,India Marlborough, New Zealand over the last few years needs no introduction in the country at least in the wine aware population or rather crowd I would say. The Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the regions is the New World’s answer to the Old World heavyweights. India has been seeing a lot of brands like Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria, Saint Clair, Brancott Estate, Kim Crawford etc. Sula Selections the import arm of Sula added one more to the list, Mud House a brand from Marlborough whilst it gently withdrew the Kim Crawford. We were privee to a tasting which saw the Sauvignon Blanc from their label shine through and had a lovely finish. Priced at Rs 2575, this is about 20-25% cheaper than their competition set. Redolent of Elderflowers and Guava this wine showed on namesake greenness to it. The Pinot Noir at Rs 2800 scores on the price point again and had generous fruit in it however more concentration on the palate would have taken it a long way. The Mud House Soiree saw Ann-Marie Battista the Adelaide based sales consultant for Accolade Wines the parent company of the wine brand, who also unveiled Kumala wines from South Africa again from Accolade. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and Shiraz are the variants we tasted and our pick was the mouthful Pinotage (Rs 1350). It is great to see Accolade a renowned wine co to show interest in India and Sula Selections under the leadership of Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury accelerating their imported line up. Wine India is ready to experiment albeit with a bit of coaching and a bit of quintessential swagger!
Cheers! Bangkok,Thailand With Thailand comes to mind beers; Singha and Chang. Did you know that there is a wine culture that began to emerge in Thailand at the turn of the millennium!! And at the forefront of this wine movement is Siam Winery which was found in 1986 by Late Chalerm Yoovidhya. The winery is located 30 miles south of Bangkok and they began with Spy a wine based cooler to kickstart the culture and to familiarize the Thai population who were happy with their beer and their local rice based wine/beer like drink Sato. Siam Winery moved to more serious wine when they started Monsoon Valley wines in 2002 and set-up their vineyards 2 hrs south of their winery in the seaside town of Hua Hin. They currently have around 300 acres planted in there. Located at 12.5 N, Thailand on paper just like India doesn’t fall in the 30-50 degree belt making it a no-go zone for grape cultivation! These are as they call it new- latitude wines and they are adapting with late ripening, high acid grape varieties which can brave the sun and still shine bright in the bottle. In whites the Siam winery does Colombard, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Muscat and in reds they do Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Dornfelder. They even use local varieties like Pokdum and Malaga blanc and have created hybrids like the very inky Rondo which dyes your teeth but is wonderfully refreshing. Siam winery’s premium wine brand Monsoon Valley is run by German Winemaker Kathrin Puff and assisted by Suppached Sasomsin from Thailand who had trained to be a winemaker in France. Suppached led us through a tasting of various varietals from different barrels, barriques and tanks. ‘At Siam we are experimenting and trying to get the best out of what our land has to offer. We export to over 12 countries and people are slowly taking acceptance to our wine which is evident in the honors we are receiving at international wine competitions. The climate here many a times can let you down with ph levels, ripening etc and hence we blend our grapes to showcase great wines. We tasted the crisp Columbard, an aromatic rose, a toasty Shiraz from the casks and many more varietals under trials. The Monsoon Valley has their Classic, Premium and Flagship wines which include Still Sparkling and Fortifies wines. Our winery tour replete with tastings and a walk around lasted about two hours and it would be a more fruitful visit during harvest time, January- March where one can see the entire winemaking process. They also host vineyard tours in Hua Hin which I understood are touristier with great views from the deck, a Thai restaurant, Elephant rides and more. We couldn’t visit it due to paucity of time. Next time the Hua Hin vineyards and their Chaoya Phrya floating vineyards are on cards! Siam winery not only does local wines but is also a major bottler and importer of various international wines from across the globe. We are glad our first tryst with Thai wines began with such an iconic brand and we hope to see them in India soon, given that India loves their green and red curries. One last trivia to surprise you, we certainly were, the energy drink Red Bull was also founded by the man who founded the Siam winery! To Thai Wines… Chiyo!! Mumbai, India Xenius a Spanish wine brand from the house of Covides, Catalonia, Spain was launched at a wine and dine Soiree at the Pali Village Café. The evening was hosted by Suprio Bose the Trade Commissioner of Catalonia, Sachin Rane of Ixora vineyards, the importers and Ricard Gil the Director General of Covides. Catalonia is most known for its Cava, the generic name for sparkling wine from Spain which made in the traditional method apart from the other still wines it produces. India's encounter with sparkling began with Champagne; the Australian Sparkling came in next followed by Prosecco from Italy which is now the hottest. Cava is relatively unknown in the market and Xenius Cava made from the Classic Paralleda, Xarel.lo and Macabeu with a hint of fruity sweetness surely has the potential to delight the Indian palates especially when it comes at a price of Rs 1700. The Consul General of Spain in India Mr Eduardo De Quesada graced the occasion and popped the cork to show his support for the sparkling wine from his country. The guests for the evening included people from the wine trade and wine media, hospitality leaders and members from the Catalonian office. Torres also from Catalonia is the brand which is top-of-mind for Spanish wine in India and they are certainly good, however they do not do Cava yet. Xenius wines apart from the Cava are also bringing in other wines which will certainly give more Spanish wines options to the consumers and they are priced under Rs 1300. Our pick of the wines were the 100% Tempranillo rose, bursting with cherries and strawberries with faint aromas of aniseed, it the one of the best in the market. The others a Merlot & Tempranillo blend and the Merlot reserve were both no-fuss easy drinking with the latter showing some oak nuances.
We at The Happy High are optimistic about the new wines and hope that the Indian consumer goes out and takes a step out of their comfort zone! Salud!! Mumbai, India GruVee as we discussed earlier is the face of the Austrian wine industry however this is where their wine story begins and leads us into some myriad and some surprising finds in the wine hinterlands of Austria. Form Weinviertel in the North to Steiermark or Styria in the south a lot of grape varieties are certainly making Austria proud. And yes, Vienna the capital of the country is the only world capital to produce significant quantities wine within city limits. Look for the Viennese blend Gemistcher Satz, a blend of grape grown within the regions. Now let’s take a brief account of popular wines from Austria Whites: (% of total vineyard area) Riesling (4.1%): Regions: Danube, Niederosterreich Austria alongside France and Germany are known for its perfumed and terroir driven wines. The late ripening variety gets help from warm currents from the Pannonian plateau to the east which helps extend the ripening season giving the grapes optimum sugar and phenolic ripeness. Kamptal, Kremstal and Traisental are the DAC’s famed for the variety. The Happy High Picks: Malat, Steinbuhel, 2013 Kremstal DAC Topf, Heilgenstein, 2013, Kamptal DAC Reserve Preiss, Pletzengraben, 2014, Traisental DAC Hajszan Neumann, Steinberg, 2013, Wien ( Vienna) Weissburgunder /Pinot Blanc (4.3%): A grape which originated in France and is one the noble variety in Alsace is a very easy drinking variety with refreshing acidity with green fruit and floral notes. Was often mistook as a chardonnay in vineyards, this is grape is taken most seriously in Austria where it can make some dry with depth and some luscious botrytis affected sweet wines. The Happy High Picks: Zillinger Johannes, Hohes Eck, 2013 Weinviertel DAC Waldschutz, Schaflerberg, 2014 Wagram Reserve Christ, Der Vollmodwein, 2014, Wien (Vienna) Morillon/ Chardonnay (3.1%) Regions: Steiermark (Styria) and Northern Burgenland Chardonnay requires no introduction and the adaptability of the grape is a phenomenon. Chardonnay grows across the wine regions and makes both light and crisp to heavy oaked styles of wine. It is called Morillon in Styria. The Happy High Picks: Hans Moser, 2012 Leithaberg DAC Tement, Zieregg, 2005, Sussteiermark (South Styria) Reserve Manuel Nossing, 2013, Wien Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (2 %) Region: Steiermark After France and New Zealand this grape has travelled a bit and showing promise in some of its settlements like Chile and even India. I was surprised to see this grape here in the Southern Styria in its juicy and even oaked avatar. The Happy High Picks: Sattlerhof, Kranachberg, 2012 Sudsteiermark Seher, 2014, Weinviertel DAC Rose: Blauer Wildbacher (1.0 %) Region: Steiermark This is a Red variety which is known for ‘Schilcher’ wines, rose wine from Steiermark known for its grassy and spicy notes with a long finish. It also is used to make Icewines. The next time you Schilcher you know that it will leave your palate lingering with a Raspberry finish…. The Happy High Picks: Langmann, 2014 Weststeiermark Jobstl, Altes Weingarten, 2014 Weststeiermark St Laurent (1.7%) Region: Thermenregion and Northern Burgenland St Laurent or Sankt laurent produces medium to full bodied wines worthy of aging. In some cases it sees oak adding more complexity to the dark Cherry profile and sweet spice profile of the wine. The Happy High Picks: Jonhanneshof Reinisch, 2013, Thermenregion Schneider, 2012, Thermenregion Reserve Zwiegelt (14.1%) Regions: Caruntum, Neusiedlersee This is my favourite of the reds and the most planted red variety in Austria. Created by Dr Fritz Zweigelt, it was created in 1922 and is a cross between Blaufrankisch and St Laurent. It makes fruity light to barrique-aging worthy wines. It is also found in Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Happy High Picks: Christian Fischer, Gradenthal, 2011, Thermenregion Karl Brindlmayr, 2011, Niederosterreich Reserve Blaufrankisch (7%) Region: North and Mid Burgenland, Eastern Niederosterreich Another powerhouse grape which originated in Austria, I am yet to come to terms with it due to the spectrum of styles I tasted only very few of which I liked. The Happy High Picks: Triebaumer Ernst, Meriental, 2011, Burgenland Bauer Poltl, Altes Weingebirge, 2011, Burgenland Spatburgunder (1.4 %) Regions: Red wine growing regions
Pinot Noir or Spatburgunder happily grows in the 48 degree latitudinal belt of Austria making refreshing reds to some barrel aged elixirs. The Happy High Picks: Uibel, End des Berges 2010 Weinviertel Reserve Bauer Anton, Feuersbrunn, 2012, Wagram Reserve Sweet Wines Lastly the Austrian wine scene is incomplete without the tasting of its illustrious sweet wines. Types of sweet wines being Noble Rot or Botrytis wines most popular from the banks of the Neusiedlersee, Eiswein made from frozen grapes and Schilfwein or straw wine made by drying grapes for a minimum of 4 months. Mukatel Ottonel, Welschriesling (WR) , Weissburgunder( WB) and Traminer are some popular grape varieties used for the same. The Happy High Picks: Heidi Schrock, Spatlese, WR & WB, 2013 Burgenland Haider, TrockenBeerenauslese, WR & WB, 2012, Burgenland Ernst Triebaumer, Eiswein, Blend, 2012, Burgenland Angerhof Tschida, Schilfwein, Muskat Ottonel, 2009 Burgenland Mumbai,India Understanding the wine label is more than half the battle won, the other half is more enjoyable; the drinking or to be polite; tasting; at least in the professional scene. When we look at the former, the battle if often attributed to the old world wine making countries , France, Germany, Austria to name a few. Why? Because with centuries of wine making experience they know what plot is best for what grape, they have strong laws governing their viticultural and vinification process etc and all of this is manifested on the label with a few terms, it is given that people would know given their legacy, if not one ought to learn it. Nonetheless with wine going international the big guns are making amends to make their labels more approachable whilst sticking to their regulations. The Austrian wine legacy began in 1 BC when the Romans began their plantations and with those many years of wine making behind them they too have some regulations. Let’s look at pointers to look for on a label to make our Austrian Wine shopping easy Regions and DAC(Districtus Austria Controlattus) Quality wines from Austria come from grapes grown in one of the 25 specific wine growing regions in Austria of which 9 are generic winemaking areas and 16 specific. Again of the 16 we have 9 DACs, DAC is the highest classification and when on the label refer to region typical wines. The 9 Austrian DACs are Kremstal, Kamptal, Traisental, Weinviertal, Weiner Gemischter Satz, Neusiedlersee, Leithaberg, Mittelburgenland and Eisenburg. Spot these on the label! Pradikatswein Based on the sugar content of the grape when harvested, quality wines are classified into the following in an ascending order of sweetness: Kabinett (dry wine) Spatlese (dry or sweet wine) Auslese (dry or sweet wine) Beerenauslese (Sweet wines here on) Eiswein Strohwine/ Schilfwein Ausbruch Trockenbeerenauslese Sweetness The sweetness in the final wine is indicated by use of terms as below: Trocken- Dry Halbtrocken- Off dry Lieblich- Medium sweet Suss- Sweet Environment, Organic For those of you who prefer organic and environmentally sustainable produce, look for the below logo on the bottle. Other labeling terms Reserve: These wine are rested for at least a year before release, have more than 13% alcohol and can take in oak and botrytis flavors. Smaragd, Fiederspiel, Steinfeder : Restricted to the area of Wachau, these were coined when there no classification or wines. These terms again indicate the ripeness of the grape when harvested and ultimately shows in the final wine. Steinfeder is the lightest and Smaragd is the heaviest. Banderole: Lastly the most important and the easiest way to identify a quality Austrian wine is the Banderole in the form of their national flag placed on the top of the closure or on the bottle with the registered producer number. Picture Gallery:
https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1585901098337130 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1585529181707655 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1585670025026904 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1584966441763929 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1585322591728314 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1584864561774117 https://www.facebook.com/thehappyhigh/posts/1584462638480976 Mumbai, India My tryst with Gruner Veltliner fondly called GruVee began in 2008 while I was working in beverages in London; it was supposed to be the next big thing to happen after Pinot Grigio in the market then. I moved to India shortly after and GruVee had not reached the Indian shores, sometime in 2011 is when we had the Schloss Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner. I have been happily using the wine for many of my tastings since however anything beyond 2 years old was a strict no-no, until the Austrian wine Summit 2015 happened for us. I was in Austria exploring its wines and also tasted a GruVee from 1983. Gruner Veltliner is a white grape variety; a factor that one cannot miss about this grape is its bracing acidity. A high yielding variety it can be spicy and peppery or can be laden with stone fruits depending from where it comes from. It is known to come from North-east and east of Austria, generic regions being the Niederosterreich (Lower Austria) and Burgenland. 29.5% of Austria’s vineyard area is planted with Gruvee, 13518 hectares to be precise a big cut given a total of 35 grape varieties, 22 white and 13 red are used to make quality wines in the country. Niederosterreich is the most important regions for the grape and around 44% of the area has GruVee vines. Specific regions within Lower Austria are Traisental, Kremstal, Weinviertel, Wien (Vienna), Wachau, Wagram and Kamptal, the last one is where the Schloss Gobelsburger available in the country comes from. Weinvartel the northern most wine growing area is known for the most peppery and sharp Gruners. GruVees could either be in its ‘Klassik’ version showing pure fruit and a minimum of 12% alcohol or it could be a ‘Reserve’ showing subtle botrytis or oak notes in addition and contains a minimum of 13 % alcohol. Both these versions come dry with a maximum of 6 grams/litre of sugar. If a mention of botrytis (a fungus which concentrates grape sugars and affects taste) did not ring a bell yet, it should have or perhaps you knew it already! Botrytis and dry white wines are not often spoken of in the same breath as the former is associated with sweet wines; however most of GruVee areas are located near tributaries of the Danube and are thus prone to Botrytis. Vineyard management is done to avoid growth for dry wine making however in reserve wines some of it is allowed to grow for added complexity. Lastly the epic tasting of 100 wines by over 150 wine professionals from across the globe at the Palais Niederosterreich, Vienna was an eye-opener for me; needless to say I was a part of the tasting. We tasted wines from 2014 all the way back to 1983 and it was quite overwhelming. Based on the tasting, below is a list of wines which stood out for your perusal. Kremstal:
2014 Stift Gottweig, Gottweiger Berg 2012 Josef Schmid GMBH, Kremser Gebling, Reserve 1985 MantlerHof, Gedersdorf (Herbacoeus, Mineral, medium body, high acidity) Wachau: 2013 Hirtzberger, Federspiel 2012 Pichler Krutzler, Durnsteiner Wnderberg 2010 Tegernseerhof, Smaragd Weinviertel: 2014 Bauer Norbert, Diermannsee 2013 Pfaffl, Grossebersdorfer Kirchenberg, Reserve 1983 Malteser Ritterorden, Hundschupfen ( Pale gold, feminine, elegant incredible for its age) Kamptal: 2014 Kirchmayr, Strasser Stangl 2013, Topf, Heiligenstein, Reserve 2010 Topf Johann, Ofenberg, Reserve Traisental: 2014 Neumayer, Engelberg 2013 Siedler, Reserve 2013 Huber, reserve Wagram: 2014 Josef Bauer 2013 Leth, Gigama, reserve 2012 Wimmer Czerny , Unfiltered Austrian exports have gone up 100% to approx 150 Mn Euros in the last decade and Gruvee certainly has a role to play here. I don’t care as much if GruVee is already a ‘big thing’ as long as I get a zingy glass of it with a blob of fresh sheep cheese and a piece of laugenstang. P.S: For those interesting in sparkling wines or Sekt as they are called, Steininger or Szigeti should be worthy choice. Prost! Mumbai, India India given its demographics is certainly in the consideration set of most progressive wine and spirit companies in the world. In many cases it could be incremental revenue and in some could be brand building or and in fewer; both. Ruffino Wines from Italy showed its commitment to the Indian market at a recently held wine dinner at The Sahib Room and Kipling Bar at the Palladium Hotel. Ruffino from the stable of liquor major Constellation brands has been in the India for some time, imported by Sula selections the import arm of Nashik Vintners it does wines from Piemonte and Tuscany majorly. Jake Jacob, Vice President Asia for Constellation Brands who was directly overlooking India operations reinstated his confidence in the market by appointing Joe Milner as the Regional sales director and the soiree was for announcing the same. The dinner was hosted by Deepak Bhatnagar, President Sales & Marketing, Sula, Abhishek Malik, Acting GM Palladium Hotel,Shraddha Nathani, Head of Marketing, Sula, Cecilia Oldne, Global Brand Ambassador and Head of International Sales, Sula, Rakesh Jalan, Head of Imports, Sula Selections, Prarrthona Pal Choudhury, DGM , International Brands, Sula and of course Jake and Joe. Jake in good banter said ‘ I used to look after the region first before moving on to a bigger role, however I loved the country so much that I continued looking after it’. Fruity Orvieto Classico, fruity and perfumed Chianti and woody and floral Chianti Riserva Ducale were served with Indian food with a nouveau touch from the Sahib room Kitchen headed by Chef Angad Rai. The Mulberry and water chestnut samosas, Avocado and Bamboo Shoot Gilawat, the Purvanchali Saag and the Khubani ka meetha (a la halwa) were the highlights of the meal. The event was attended by wine professionals and personalities from wine retail. Mumbai India Aspri spirits which was found in 2004 by Arun Kumar and Jackie Matai represents some of the finest brands in the world of wines, beer, cider and spirits. Over the last decade Aspri has developed one of the largest distribution networks in India that spreads to over 23 key cities. With its headquarters in Mumbai and branches in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad along with 7 representative offices, Aspri is a leading player in the international Wines, Beer and Spirits business in India. On occasion of the company celebrating 10 years of success in the industry, we interacted with Arun Kumar the co-founder over a brief email interview. Q How has been your journey from your first; De Bortoli wines? It has been a stupendous journey from the first wine portfolio to over 150 wines today. It has been a great learning experience of what to do and what not to do. Q You started with wines and now we see Aspri with a very diverse portfolio, what is the future path like? We will continue to consolidate our position and are sure that we will deliver to the Indian consumer. We will continue to build our reach and distribution strength in India and the sub continent and expand further into the travel retail segment in the region. We will only add products if it complements our portfolio mix. Q You import Austrian wines which are little known in India, How is the market responding to it and is there scope for others from Switzerland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece etc to taste success in India? Schloss Gobelsburg is one of Austria’s most iconic wines and there are niche customers for the same. We are confident that the wine market will evolve as the Indian consumers are also on the journey of discovery. We believe that there will be space for all in the future to come. Q Which ones in your opinion are the upcoming markets in India for luxury liquor? Pune, Chandigarh, Chennai and a few others that are showing promise. Q What are your 3 favourite tipples from the Aspri portfolio? Amarula Cream, Cabernet Sauvignon from DBR Lafite and Campari in summer. Your views on the FSSAI regulations? Whilst we support the end objectives of the regulations it could have been handled and implemented better. Would you advise anybody to get into Liquor distribution in the current scenario? It is a difficult business and one has to keep an eye on the ball at all times and change course at short notice. We will not dissuade anyone from getting into this line of business but whoever wishes to must be very clear that charting course is very challenging. What is your mantra to sell Liquor in India? Perseverance and Patience Lastly, How does Arun Kumar do when he is not selling Liquor? I spend time with my family which also includes my two pets. I also love to head off towards the mountains whenever time permits. Mumbai, India Marsala after being declared the Pantone colour of the year is already in vogue for the upcoming spring collection. What’s more to Marsala than its allure?? Did you know you know the colour got its name from Marsala a fortified wine made in the city of Marsala in Sicily, Italy? It is used in a lot of Italian cooking and it’s famous for its use in the popular Zabaglione. However Marsala is not the first colour inspired by an alcoholic beverage, with Holi, the festival of colors coming up let us look at some more colours that are just not warm to the eyes but can also get you the happy high. Mimosa: It was the 2009 colour of the year from Pantone, was inspired from the flowers of the Mimosa and the sparkle of the cocktail Mimosa. The cocktail is as fresh as the colour, with Triple Sec and orange Juice topped with Champagne. Sauterne: The region on the southern end of Bordeaux, it’s known for its sweet luscious wines which command a fortune and age for decades. And this enchanting colour gets its name from the elixir made from the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grape. Chateau D’Yquem has led the pack here for more than a century. Champagne/Pink Champagne: When I-Phone came in its gold variant, people and the press called it the Champagne colour, haven’t researched enough but perhaps for convenience Apple still mentions it as gold. Champagne the epitome of sparkling or fizzy wines can only be made in Champagne a region in France using the methode Champenoise way of production which outside the regions is called the methode traditionelle or the traditional method. And the pink variant of it find place in the Pantone’s list. Burgundy: Not very far from Champagne is the region of Burgundy in the north-east of France. The colour Burgundy gets its name from the perfumed red wines the region produces from the Pinot Noir grapes. These wines can fetch astronomical prices and very often goes in to lakhs for a bottle. Chartreuse : After all the grape ferments above this one is a liqueur made by steeping more than 130 plants and flowers and is the world’s only naturally green coloured liqueur. Made by monks, this French product still uses the recipe from the 17th century and only two monks at the distillery know of it. At 55% alcohol, this ‘elixir of long life’ as the original manuscript read is best enjoyed cold; people have it on ice or in long drinks these days too. Cheers!!! Mumbai, India ‘What do you think of Nero D’Avola, Sangiovese, Sangiovese Bianco and Grillo being grown in India and doing some brisk business??’ I asked Alessandro Guerini the export manager for Zonin , a 194 year old brand and the biggest producer of Prosecco in the world. Alessandro was taken aback as this was news to him but he regained composure and said ‘I am very happy to see Italian varietals gaining prominence and their presence will only help build a better wine culture in a high potential market that is India if not for the taxes’. Alessandro was visiting to showcase the diversity of Zonin which is a clear reflection of Italy, the country has one of the highest diversity when it comes to indigenous grape varietals used for wine production, they have over 400 varieties and Zonin has something to contribute to from all corners of the country. Prosecco which shot the brand to popularity is certainly the closest to their heart and they can only rejoice at a point when Prosecco crossed Champagne sales globally for the first time in history last year. Prosecco is a region in North-East Italy and it is a sparkling wine made from the grape Glera. Made by the Charmat method it is a fruit forward style meant for youthful drinking, it has taken the world by a storm and so is India getting hooked on to it. To give you a perspective of Zonin’s scale, India’s wine consumption per year, Indian and Imported wines put together stands at approximately 2 million cases and Zonin alone produces around 4 million (9 ltr) cases per year in total. With scale comes the challenge to maintain quality thus prompting the co to put their eggs in multiple baskets and come up with quality wines from regions across Italy. We tasted the Pinot Grigio from Fruili, Montepulciano D’ Abruzzo from Abruzzo, Refosco an age-worthy red from Fruili and Sicilian Nero D’Avola from Principi di Butera . The Refosco from 2008 was still young and fresh on the nose great on the palate, but I thought it had peaked. The highlight of the evening was the 2006 Nero D’Avola which was intense on Turmeric and sweet Liquorice character. Zonin has a few more wines in India like the ubiquitous Chianti, an easy drinking Valpolicella and the big and bold Amarone della Valpolicella but one thing that Indians with the big sweet tooth cannot miss is Asti, a sweet sparkling wine made from Moscato. Try your luck it doesn't wait for you on the shelves for too long. For now our heart sings... Give Me Deliella .......... Cin Cin!! Mumbai, India Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) , Australia’s largest ever trade mission to India just gave the much needed platform to the Australian Wine reps to come and showcase their wines in front of trade and media. In a soiree at the Sofitel Mumbai, wines from across Australia were tasted giving the audience a sneak peek into the diversity of Australian wines. Wine Australian partnered with Austrade and Rajiv Singhal’s Group Ritu to host the wine tasting which saw Sommelier Magandeep Singh take the audience on a quick flight of 10 wines from Adelaide Hills, Mclaren Vale, Golburn valley, Victoria, New England, Coonawara and the Barossa. In 2014 Australia exported approximately 1million litres of wine to India (India’s total wine consumption is around 18 Mn litres) which was approx 25 % increase in volume and value y-o-y. Wine Australia’s General Manager of Market Development seemed positive and pleased with the response from the Indian trade and media. He said ‘Australian wine is exciting for a market like India where consumers are just starting to explore wine and discover what they like, because there is no such thing as a typical Aussie wine. We produce more grape varieties than anywhere in the world and the range of our wine is more diverse than Europe’s. ‘ Well the diversity and the 65 wine making regions are certainly a great asset for Wine Australia however there is a glut in the market and with increasing competition the prices have come down drastically to even an extent of a dollar for a wine bottle. Tapping newer markets is the way to go for Australia and India despite having a small base is seeing a double digit growth and is a market which cannot be ignored. And the good part about Australian wine is its fruit forwardness which suits the Indian palate to a great extent making it even better market. We hope this initiative sees a better push for Oz wines in the market, and we get to see more wines than just the two buck chucks. More Power to Wine Australia!!!
Cheers! P.S: wines tasted at the tasting and Nova Vita was the star for us! · Mcguigan Black label Rose 2012 · Pirramimma War Horse Shiraz 2010 · Topper’s Mountain Gewurztraminer 2013 · Brand’s Laira Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc 2012 · Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch 2012 · The Ironstone Pressings GSM 2009 · Nova Vita Shiraz 2009 · Ulupna special reserve Shiraz 2012 · Jacobs Creek Barossa Shiraz 2011 · Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz cabernet 2012 I was in Bengaluru recently and met a finance honcho at his home. Knowing my background, he instantly let me see his collection of wine bottles, all Indian which he had bought at a ‘shut down’ sale. The collection included everything from a shiraz to a merlot to a cabernet sauvignon, all grape varieties and even a Goan port wine which is overwhelmingly sweet unlike all others which were dry (not sweet).I asked him his favorites and he said he like them all, his said his work involved a lot of stress and the customary glass of wine with dinner gave him a good night sleep and he also cited the health benefits from the red. In this case the wine was more therapeutic and the finance man he was, he just spent wisely!! Another therapeutic use of a wine I stumbled upon with good evidence was when businessman at a plush Delhi hotel ordered a 12 liter bottle of sparkling wine. This therapy was psychological, he asked the server to get the bottle with all pomp and show to his table and then take it to his car, yeah he did not open it since he knew he couldn’t finish it between two of them, all he got was the eyeballs from fellow diners and he left a happy man after paying close to a million rupees in cash!! As most of you would think, I am trying to pass some judgement about the people in contention above!! No, what I am trying to do here is to demystify wines and want to tell you that people won’t be passing judgments about you when you did not know your wines!! Did you know about hops in a beer when you had your first or did you know about peat when you really liked your first Scotch whisky, you perhaps still do not know about them; then why does wine come with such a halo that people almost take wine drinking like an examination!!! Please stop believing that people around are sitting to test you on wine jargons, they are there to enjoy their tipples and so are you. Your wine drinking should start with a random bottle of wine; the price would depend on your propensity to pay but ideally; start lower. Savour the wine and pass your judgement, you liked it or you didn’t; to begin with and as you gain more experience with them; you can create your own scale. Wine becomes complex as there are close to 5000 grape varieties and all are distinct in their flavor profiles, the more you taste the more you know. Hence making small notes of the wine you have had becomes imperative as it is easy to forget and you could someday go back and pick the same bottle of wine you did not like!! Wine expert reviews are only good to begin with as you would eventually understand if or not your tastes match. Lastly try to pick up a short course on wines, well it surely can help you impress people if that’s your agenda but importantly it will help you drink better. Like someone has said, life is too short to drink bad wine.. “ Give me a sweet wine’ asked a seemingly well heeled customer at a prominent South Mumbai wine store and the store associate handed him a bottle of ‘port no X’ without even a blink. The customer left happy but not before confirming, ‘Pakka meethi hai na’ he said. Well sweetness could be one of the factors that influences and perhaps the reason why a group of mid-management executives whom I ringed in the New Year with, drank sweet fizzy wine worth 350 a bottle and also declared their love for port. Is it that simple when it comes to people’s buying behavior in the country which consumes around 10 ml of wine per capita as opposed to France’ 40 litres!!
Bengaluru, India The private dining room at Riwaz at the Ritz Carlton was set-up to co-host this #happyhigh wine tasting held in association with the Food Lovers Magazine. All of us were excited for this exclusive tasting because this was unheard of!! The tasting comprised 4 sparklings, 2 reds and a white and what made them special was that they were stored in the Bengaluru weather for over 6 years and many of them were meant for drinking young!! Le Chablisienne, Chablis 2001 Made from Chardonnay grapes, this wine is known to be lean and crisp with citrus, green fruit and mineral aromas, more importantly Chablis of this stature is meant to be drunk young. 2001 vintage should have been drunk latest by 2006 if not younger, we had no hope but this wine surprised us! It was bright gold and complex on the nose with some bready notes to begin with, followed by honey and apricot. The palate did not confirm the nose however it had an amazing long toasty finish. The wine continued to evolve in the glass with time and ended up with aromas almost reminiscent of a Riesling. As Ruma put it ‘Couldn’t have judged it to be Chablis if it were to be tasted blind’. This wines behavior certainly brings in hope to those who have some old stock up their cellar!! Present for the tasting were Ruma Singh – Journalist and Wine writer, Kripal Amanna – Editor; Food Lovers Magazine, Heemanshu Ashar – Ex- President; Bangalore Wine Club, Mohit Nischol –Business Head; SDU wines, Nilesh Singh – Food and Beverage Manager; Ritz Carlton, Manu Manikandan – Beverage Manager; Ritz Carlton, two consumers; both IT professionals, Sandesh Kamat and MK Kulandhaisamy and lastly Ajit Balgi – Founder; The Happy High who led the tasting. Kulandhaisamy who owned the wines was noble enough to store them and then let them be uncorked for this; one of its kind wine experiment! The wines weren’t tasted blind and every member on the panel cited their opinions freely and discussed the wine and its nuances. So following were the wines: Chapel Down, Non Vintage, English Sparkling This produce from Kent in Southern England with its bracing acidity and fruit is slated to be a worthy competitor to the French heavy weight Champagne. Again meant for early drinking and this one gave away in 6 years or may be much earlier, however the aromas were hinting of cork contamination and had little to do with age. Naphthalene, Moth balls, wet rug, wet socks etc were some of the descriptors used by the panel. One thing that was noteworthy was the mousse; it was the finest amongst all and very persistent. It went on for more than an hour!! Oudinot NV Champagne The label said ‘consume within a year of purchase’, we managed just to break some rules here and it did not pay off. The panel unanimously declared the wine oxidized and it was flat on the palate too. Moet Chandon NV Champagne This needs no introduction, but you may not have tasted a one aged in the cool Bangalore climate for 6 years. This one stood the test of time and came out clean. It had a youthful colour was pleasant to drink. A younger one would have been more exuberant though. Nonetheless this was a thumbs up!! Gerard Seguin Gevrey Chambertin 2002 A village wine from Burgundy and made of Pinot Noir grapes,this one has the potential to age and it proved to be right. We decanted the wine an hour before and it had very fine sedimentation. Pale Garnet in colour, this pour was a treat on the nose with notes of Coffee, Cocoa, Spice, leather with little underlying fruit. On the palate it was easy with mature tannins and bursting with flavours just like it did on the nose. The wine with a medium finish was the highlight of the tasting. Domaine Dubois Nuits St Georges 1er Cru 2002 One of the 3500 bottles from the vintage and with a premier cru classification, we expected a mouthful. We decanted it and it was heavily sedimented. It however struggled on the nose and ditto on the palate; it had big tannins and was drinkable as a wine but maybe we could have got the better of it a few years earlier. The Gevrey Chambertin would come at a much lesser price than this one thus giving us a good evidence to reinstate that price and quality cannot be equated. Dom Perignon 1995 We saved this big daddy of Champagnes for the end. This one takes 7 years to be released post harvest and this must have been in 2002. It was deep gold in colour with heavy oxidative; honey and nut aromas and was lackluster on the palate. This again came as a surprise since this wine has an ageing potential of a couple of decades at least. At the moment hotels in the country would be selling you a 2002 or a 2004 vintage of the wine. This wine tasting may not have been a delight for ones palate but for a couple of wines, what it surely did was give a perspective on aging with samples that were meant to age and those that weren’t. It was a well spent Saturday afternoon indeed! Now go back to your wine collection and see if you can make anything interesting out of it.... Mumbai, India Cool nights, misty morning and hot afternoons are what give the grapes on the US west coast the prolonged ripening season that not only increase sugar levels while retaining the acidity but also packs the fruit with flavors. In an exclusive soiree at the ITC Grand Central, the US department of Agriculture (USDA) along with Sonal Holland the beverage honcho for the ITC hotels hosted a west American wine knowledge session, of course complete with tasting some very good wines. Sonal took the audience through the evolution of American wines and certainly in the entire scheme of things one couldn’t rule out the role of American root stocks in the wine world. For those who are still wondering, the American rootstocks are resistant to a dreaded vine disease called Phylloxera which wiped out the whole of Europe in the late eighteenth century, the louse is still a threat if not for the American rootstocks. Speaking of America crossing the chasm, my knowledge goes back to the historical 1976 Judgment of Paris, where the American Meritage blend Stag’s Leap wine cellars trounced the Bordeaux first growths. Sonal then spoke about the robust wines from the more inland Napa valley to the distinctive Sonoma ones and not to forget the bouncy Pinot Noirs from Carneros. She also discussed some gems from Oregon and Washington state up North and some elegant and some strong pours coming from as south as Santa Barbara. Remember the movie Sideways, anyone!! The 1100 km of Californian coast practically grows every prominent grape variety. They have a classification called the AVA (American Viticultural area) equivalent of the European PDO however their regulations are more liberal encouraging winemakers to express their creativity given their understanding of the terroir and winemaking techniques. The first wine we tasted was a 2012 Sauvignon Blanc from Honig (RS 4200) a produce of Rutherford, Napa Valley, which showed lot of chalky minerality with generous but restrained underlying fruit and crisp acidity, frankly wouldn’t have guessed it as old world if I were to taste it blind. The 2011 Patz & Hall Chardonnay from Sonoma was typical American with powerful oak and tropical fruits; it was very well balanced with good acidity and a super long finish. Probably that explained the price tag of Rs 9200 Zinfandel an indigenous grape variety from the USA which Italy claimed to be theirs, they call it the Primitivo and some time ago Croatia asserted it originated there. It did not matter much to us as we sipped on the spicy medium bodied 2011 Zinfandel from the house of Kendall Jackson ( Rs 3600) a known producer; I loved the wine but thought it had a short finish. The 2011 Pinot Noir again from Kendall Jackson (RS 3600) a produce from the Mendoncino, was extremely fruity with some wet leaf aromas to begin, it was light with minimal tannins and the palate confirmed the nose. Nowadays at many international tastings the order of whites before the reds Is withering and we had a superb Oregon Pinot Gris by Erath poured just after the Zin, pronounced aromas reminiscent of flowers and honey, this wine was terrific and almost off-dry and was easy on acidity. We ended with a Washington State, Columbia Crest Merlot (Rs 2000) the cheapest wine for the day, now on reading cheapest some of us may have already passed a judgement but I strongly believe that quality is not the only factor that affects price. This wine may have seemed lackluster after the wines that preceded it, but it had good fruit and structured tannins albeit with a short finish and to be honest the 2008 wine put up a very brave face.
Last words, Indians have had their share of French and Italian and still continue to, Chilean and Australian wines are making their presence felt, Can America take a share of a the pie? Only time will tell but they surely have the potential to woo the Indian palate!! Mumbai, India ‘Brand Ambassador’ as a title catches one’s fancy instantly and glamour, page 3, bling, posh, celebrity etc are some of the descriptors that are perceived to go with the title. When it comes to liquor, we may have been acquainted with a lot of designated brand ambassadors; celebs in their own right, for various brands in India, however all of them most likely have been known to come from the west, they surely brought a lot of skill set in. Speaking of today a liquor major in the country has 4 ambassadors across the country all being foreigners, sadly even an Indian wine co has an ambassador coming from outside the country to explain to the world what Indian wine is like!! And amidst all this a year ago Moet Hennessy, the French liquor major, the ‘M’ and the ‘H’ of the LVMH group decided to bring in the wind of change and appointed an Indian; to be its Brand Ambassador not only in India but also Srilanka, ‘Hava Badlegi’ we thought! Meet Rohan Jelkie the Brand Ambassador for Moet-Hennessy India and Srilanka, a home grown talent in the beverage industry who has been evangelizing and training people on beverages for the past 8 years. We quickly caught up with Rohan when he was on his way to enlighten a parched group with a lot of Champagne and of course knowledge. Here is what the thirsty tippler had to say: What does the job of a brand ambassador entail? As a brand ambassador my foremost priority is to demystify the brands I represent and reiterate what they stand for whilst simultaneously creating excitement and encouraging loyalty through choice and awareness within members of the hospitality trade as well and consumers. A brand ambassador fully embodies the brand he represents and endorses it from the bottom of his heart. Frankly I would not have taken up the job if I did not believe in the brands I speak about today. What does it take to be a ‘Brand Ambassador’? Being a Brand Ambassador extends beyond being a mere face of the brands for the trade and consumers. One needs to have utmost conviction towards the categories and brands he/she endorses. Add to this an in depth knowledge of the brands that an ambassador represents. One must also be up-to-date with competition news and information. Willingness to work flexible hours, over holidays, travel at a moment’s notice and a genuine liking to interact with people (and with patience!) is a must. You may or may not have a hospitality background but I feel it is an advantage to have worked on the other aspects of the business. What is your typical day like? I would love to say that I have a 9 -6 job! In reality however, many a times the ‘nine’ starts in the evening. I start my day meeting clients , could be hospitality or private consumers and the agenda here is usually discussing concepts and exploring ideas to showcase our brands which ends up in helping clients enhance guest experience and businesses to better their revenues. For E.g. at the Lodhi in Delhi we have created a special menu with tweaked Belvedere Bloody Mary to match different cuisines on a Sunday Brunch like a Japanese Bloody Mary with Wasabi and Nori, a Texan Bloody Mary with BBQ sauce, apple cider and more. The Idea is to give customers something innovative each time and push the boundaries of tastes. The second half is usually trainings with the hospitality trade staff that play an important role in selling our brands. At Moët Hennessy India we strongly feel that an associate empowered with knowledge can only enhance the brand image of our liquids. If a hotel associate can explain the difference between Dom Pérignon to a Moët et Chandon to a Krug, all three being Champagnes, and sell the brands as an experience, my job is done!!! If I am working in the latter part of the day then I am mostly likely to be with consumers conducting tastings with a select group of consumers whilst taking them through the journey of the Moët-Hennessy group. Last Sunday I was behind the bar churning out cocktails for the Belvedere Red evening we hosted for a charitable cause. Upside of your job?
Goes without saying, good food and drink and a lot of travel and I love it!! However the best part of the job is to meet people and different people each day and the wow moment when you get recognized from that one spirited talk someday!! The relationship from a Brand Ambassador transcends into friendship many a times, and bonding over a drink and chat is the best luxury one can have!! Downside of your job? One really can’t complain when you represent some of the most admired and luxurious brands in the world. Getting a schedule in place is hard at times. Another thing that irritates me the most is when people ask me if I would have any bottles to spare or if I could get them a free entry to a posh gig!! I wish if I could ask my friend who works for the RBI if he had any excess currency to spare!! People even call me up to ask for a bootlegger’s contact to buy my own brands from them. Also I often crave for a quite day away from the crowd and just have a drink by myself, but I seldom get a chance. Setting a routine is what I am challenged with these days. What is your favourite drink outside of work?? A classic Belvedere Martini and an old fashioned are drinks I can never refuse. Equally good is a refreshing long drink with Hennessy and gingerale. And when in doubt, there is always a glass of terrific Chandon! Last question, Can a consumer becomes a brand ambassador?? Well frankly our consumers are our biggest brand ambassadors, they have conviction in our brands and hence they are happy to endorse it whole heartedly when they are entertaining at home or otherwise. In fact at a greater scale there are so many celebrities who patronise our brands without any official association. It is a great moment for us, every time this happens. If you were to technically speak of being in a formal role like the one I am in, its calls for a learnt skill set. P.S: Below are the beauties we tasted that evening!!! Mumbai, India Spanish wines in India; where we are still coming to terms with wines, are usually not a part of our buying consideration set. Perhaps because we first got to know of the European heavyweights France and Italy which make great wines and then recently got convenience from simpler labels from new world regions like Australia and Chile. There are some big names like Roda and Mauro from Spain in India and Cava the sparkling wine from Penedes may soon be a common sight. One name that has been top of mind for all those who have bought Spanish wines is Torres. A family owned brand, now run by the fifth generation, Torres was very recently voted ‘World’s Most Admired Wine brand” by Drinks International, UK, the first European winery to earn the accolade. Torres wines have also expanded their interest in Chile and in America. In India, Delhi based importers, Prestige Spirits have been behind Torres in India and last evening they hosted Ms Emma Llorens the Brand Ambassador for Torres wines in a soiree at Pali Village Café, Bandra. Emma took us through a guided tasting of the following wines: Vina Esmeralda: A blend of aromatic varieties Muscat and Gewürztraminer, it gets its name from the color of the Mediterranean, Emerald. It has light perfume, some residual sugar and medium acidity. A no-fuss wine easily suited to the ‘Indian’ palate. Price: Rs 2000 Mas Rabell White: Made of 100% Paralleda Grapes, an indigenous grape variety, it is name after the witch who resided in the house of Rabell. This wine has a very good body with great fruit and a hint of autolytic notes. This wine is found only in hotels/restaurants and not in retail. Grand Vinasol: A Chardonnnay and Paralleda blend with a majority of the former, this wine was lighter in body than the Mas Rabell with more tropical aromas and a hint of Oak-ageing aromas. Price: Rs 1850 Mas Rabell Red: A blend of Carinena and Garnacha, this wine has great body, supple tannins and a spicy finish. Again this isn’t available in retail across the globe, only for institutional sale. Gran Coronas: This wine pioneered the use of foreign grape varietal in blends. Cabernet Sauvignon forms the major part of this blend. This Reserva wine had pronounced black fruit with hints leather and cigar like aromas. Amazing wine I must say. Price: Rs 2500 Reserva Real: Only 2000 bottles a vintage and we tasted the 597th bottle from 2001. Still holding on to the colour this wine saw a lot of forest and mushroom like aromas with underlying fruit and very soft tannins. It is available at select hotels in the country. It must be at least 30k on the menu. In my opinion the wine is at its peak, drink now The evening ended in some disclosures, Torres to come up with Cava for the first time soon! The Indian market however will have to wait for it for a while, till then we have plenty of the other Torres pours to savour!
Mumbai, India ‘Economy forced me to become a vegetarian, but I finally starting liking it’ admitted Mr. A P J Abdul Kalam, ex-president of India, John Cleese the famous British author once questioned ‘If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?’ and Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles fame declared ‘If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.’ Well I am not here to debate about food choices but this topic of vegetarianism or consumption of meat is in contention many a times, with both parties trying to convert each other with the odd Vegan scorning at both of them. I am a vegetarian and strongly believe in eat and let eat. We vegetarians would inadvertently choose a paneer or a mushroom considering them being ‘celebratory’ or ‘ exotic’ from a menu and when it comes to choosing a wine from a list to match with our vegetarian food, you memory goes for a spin as nothing much is spoken about vegetarian food and wine pairing. Well it is difficult to pair specific vegetables to specific wines but we shall some broad principles for food and wine pairing whilst witnessing some pairings done by the Sommelier and Chefs from leading hotels in the country. Rich and Oily: Any food preparation which is creamy or fried will require a wine high in acidity, the acidity helps to wash down the fat on your palate to make the food experience better. For e.g.: the humble Indian samosa could be paired well with an Indian Chenin Blanc, a grape which is naturally high in acidity. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Burgundy Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Dolcetto are some wine grapes known for its refreshing acidity. Tangy and tart: Tomato, tamarind, vinegar etc are ingredients which bring the acidity in your food and when pairing a wine with food high in acidity like a tomato pasta or a salad with lemon dressing one should pair it with wines with good acidity, the ones which an stand and shine through the food. Sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco or even local produce have mouth watering acidity. Note: Acidity should not be confused with the medical term; it refers to the mouth-watering element in food and beverage. Chef Debdash Balaga and Sommelier Madhu Sudhanan from Jamavar – Signature Indian restaurant at the Leela Palace, Chennai with their pairing Gucchi Makkai Mushrooms Kashmiri morels with golden corn and mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru Morgeot, Louis Jadot, 1999 The heavy duty Chardonnay from Burgundy, France Why does the pairing go well? This golden Chardonnay laden with ripe apple and almond aromas and juicy acidity, complements the opulent sauce and the earthy mushrooms very well whilst allowing one another to unleash themselves to the end. Truly a Royal affair! Sweets and desserts: The thumb rule is that the wine should be at least as sweet as the food. Indian gulab jamuns, considering their sweetness are a difficult bet however to put a figure to sweetness in wines, it could be as low as 50 gms of sugar per litre and can go as high as 400. I am sure the jamuns have their soul mate somewhere. The easiest available sweet/dessert wines in India are from local producers like Reveilo, they label it as the ‘late harvest’. Also in contrast; a salt and sweet pairing works well too, a salty cheese and a sweet wine, it pairs just like goat cheese and honey, like it; don’t you!! Lastly, people also say when in doubt, crack open a bottle of sparkling, see if it works for you!!! Spicy and hot: Spice in the food flares up our palate and the wine has to refresh it with every sip. In my opinion for the wine to do its job well, it has to either be sweet on the palate or at least smell sweet. Grapes like Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Merlot do good justice, also bold juicy reds like Shiraz from hot climates like India, Chile or California fit in well. Albeit when we are speaking of very hot Indian Cuisine, it is very difficult to pair a wine, I would go with a glass of water. Chef Deepak Dange and Sommelier Manoj Jangid from Tuskers the pure vegetarian Indian restaurant at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai with their match Sangri ke kofte Cottage cheese dumpling, stuffed with pickled Ker Sangri cooked in tomato and yogurt gravy Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand A wine with good body, oak nuances and excellent finish. Why does the pairing work well? Sangri ke Kofte in sharp and mildly spiced gravy receives the refreshing element in the pairing from Nobilo Pinot Noir, bursting with dark berry fruits and spice from the oak, it is well rounded with soft tannins only to leave one amazed after every morsel. Proteins and Soya: Dishes high in protein should be matched with wines high in tannins. Tannins which dry your mouth out and are only present in red wines soften the proteins and thus making both the wine and food more enjoyable. Aged cheeses like Cheddar work very well with heavy red wines. Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Barolos are example of some heavy red. Umami: The fifth sensory element, which really heightens one's gourmet experience and one, cannot really stop at one!! Mono Sodium Glutamate also called ajinomoto is the artificial form but there are natural glutamates which are not harmful present in fermented products like Soya sauce, aged products like parmesan cheese, also in ripe tomatoes, mushrooms etc. Care must be taken while paring a wine high in tannins as the combination feels only bitter and less fruity. Crisp and juicy aromatic white varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Arneis etc work very well. Chef Ramandeep Kukreja and Sommelier Manu Manikandan from Riwaz, the Indian restaurant at the Ritz Carlton, Bengaluru with their match Subz aur Gucchi di Galouti
Cardamom and saffron scented ‘melt in mouth’ dumplings prepared with seasonal vegetables and morels, pan seared. Dr. Burklin-Wolf a German Riesling A perfectly balanced wine with fresh pineapple, pear and spicy aromas rounded off with balanced mouthwatering acidity. Why does the pairing work well? The vegetarian Galouti kebab is made with seasonal vegetables and edible mushrooms, morels. In this preparation the mushrooms dominate the flavour of the kebab. A dry Riesling wine balances the rich flavours and goes well with Indian cuisine. Last but not the least, every palate is different and food pairing principles are for giving you a head start into the intriguing world of wine and food. Sooner than later you should call the shots, you make your rules, remember you are the consumer! |
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The Happy High is a Mumbai based beverage consulting co founded in 2014 with a vision to raise the bars of the wine and dine scene in the country. Read more.
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