Nebbiolo Prima Musings
2014 was a big year for me, especially when it came to exploring wine regions. And my trip to the lovely city of Alba (famous for the truffles) in Northern Italy involved a tasting exercise like never before. I don’t…
New in the market: Myra Reserve Wines
It is always a treat to taste a wine for the first time. (Well, almost always.) There is suspense, apprehensions, expectations, and most of all, curiosity. I must admit that I’ve had my share of times when tasting Indian wines…
Know your Prosecco
There is something to be said about fizzy wines – the way they seem to appeal to a clear majority, the way they don’t have any fixed time of day to be had, and the way they leave you in…
Revisiting the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
This year marked my second appearance at the reputed international wine competition – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. (Read all about the jitters I felt and my experience at the 2013 edition here and here) One of the largest competitions of…
The Legend of Château Angélus
The time I tasted one of the most prestigious wines in the world He picks up the bottle, refills their wine glasses and sets it back on the table. If it were any other man in any other film it…
Nocturne: The Party Champagne
I’m not one for flowers, chocolates, or diamonds, but Champagne I can rarely say no to. Okay, make that never. So despite being slightly under the weather, I headed to the JW Marriott Aerocity in New Delhi for an evening…
New in the market: KRSMA Wines
The Indian wine scene is agog with activity right now and each passing year sees the inauguration of a bevy of new wineries. The most recent one to impress me was KRSMA. Although not exactly a new winery, it has…
Helix: A new twist to the old cork
Cork has always had a hallowed place in the wine world. There is a ritual to opening a wine bottle sealed with a cork – cutting the embossed foil, turning the corkscrew, pulling it out with a flourish and that…
The Chronicles of Chianti
History has the exceptional ability to tell many a fascinating tale by effortlessly transcending the barriers of time and nowhere is this more evident than in the idyllic region of Chianti. A good wine is a lot about the story. If we…
New in the market: Chêne Grande Reserve 2010
Last night was the launch of a new red wine reserve from Grover Zampa Vineyards – the Chêne Grande Reserve 2010. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo (60%) and Syrah (40%) grapes grown on the slopes of the winery’s Igatpuri (in…
Chandon Estate – Now in India!
This has been a long time coming and it’s finally here. The world’s ‘go-to’ Champagne, Moët & Chandon, is listed right on top of the most prestigious wine lists around the world as also in India. So when you have…
For a little sweet something
Looking to buy an Indian dessert wine? This might help. Most people may be inclined to think that it is easier to evaluate a dessert wine – to extract notes and nuances in something sweet –, but not too long…
Blind tasting the Wines of India
Recently The Westin Pune Koregaon Park organised a wine event called Wines of India. The purpose was to bring together, on a common platform, all the Indian wineries and to blind taste their wines. 11 wineries – Sula, Grover Zampa,…
Looking back at CMB 2013
It’s been a while since I got back from jurying at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2013 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Reading my last post about CMB (read here) I’m reminded once again about all the jitters I felt before the competition. …
Sicily: A Continent of Wine
Earlier this year a group of journalists and industry men gathered in Mumbai for a Master class on Sicilian wines. The workshop, organised by Subhash Arora, President of the Indian Wine Academy, in association with the Sicilian Institute of Wine…