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December 2007 - Posts
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Plan to be stressed out when your guests arrive. You must spend a lot of money to entertain. You need to hire a bartender to serve your guests. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
For many novice entertainers, holiday entertaining can be as daunting as it is delightful —but that doesn't need to be the case. Master Sommelier
Alpana Singh says that first-time entertainers need to let go of "entertaining mandates" that paralyze people into avoiding entertaining all together. "So often I tell my friends that they don't need to follow any old-fashioned entertaining model," says Singh.
Singh's comments are echoed by the rest of her generation--they love entertaining and are doing it in more informal ways. Many opt for hosting a casual gathering of friends for drinks and light bites. And as they're embracing more casual styles of entertaining, they're making wine part of the party.
“New generations of wine drinkers are learning that there are no rules and are quickly becoming more comfortable serving wine when entertaining at home," says John Gillespie, Wine Market Council president.
But no matter if your holiday entertaining plans include a casual gathering with friends, an organized dinner party or a large-scale bash, Singh offers a few words of advice, "Have a flexible plan, make it fun — but most importantly, serve wine."
Here are some answers to the most often asked questions from first-time fête planners:
Where do I start? First, think about what kind of party you’d like to have. Focus on the theme, size and mood of your party. Maybe a Spanish tapas-style feast sounds like fun. Or feed a crowd simply with an appetizer spread featuring lots of pre-prepared goodies. If you love to cook, go ahead and host a sit-down meal. These basic decisions will help guide your wine plans. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s an affair that will allow you to join in the fun too, not stress out in the kitchen.
What beverages should I serve? Singh says that wine is the perfect beverage solution for first-time entertainers because it's easy and there is something for everyone. Look for food-friendly "crossover" wines that pair well with a variety of foods. Singh suggests Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Merlot and sparkling wine.
What’s the best way to serve wine? Good news: wine serves itself, so you can save yourself the cost of a bartender and don’t need to worry about elaborate set-up. Singh likes to invite guests to bring a favorite bottle and sets them out on an informal wine buffet. This is also a great opportunity for guests to sample new wines.
How much wine should I buy? Plan for about two glasses of wine per guest and estimate five glasses per bottle. To determine which kind of wines to buy, use this formula: 60 percent white wine and 40 percent red wine.
What about Champagne? There's no need to get hung up on the formability of a Champagne toast. For a new twist on bubbly, Singh suggests serving an affordable sparkling Spanish Cava or an Italian Prosecco along with the other wines during the meal.
Do I need fancy matching glassware? Don’t worry about having enough pieces of stemware to accommodate your guest list. Any glass can be a wine glass. Pick up festive plastic tumblers or goblets in the party aisle of your local market to add a relaxed, carefree attitude to your party. Still feel the need for stemware? Discount retailers often carry basic stemware for less than one dollar per piece.
What if there’s too much? Leftovers are one of the best parts about entertaining—that goes for leftover wine, too. Simply recork opened bottles and refrigerate. Your leftover party wine will stay fresh for 3-5 days.
Do I have to break the bank? Absolutely not. Wine doesn’t need to cost a lot to be good—there are plenty of delicious wines that cost less than Rs 400 a bottle. And unless you have a wine connoisseur joining your party, don’t feel like you need to open the most expensive bottles to impress your guests.
Courtesy of Wine Market Council. For more information, visit http://www.wineanswers.com/
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If French and Italian wines speak of the traditions of wine making, German wines have a penchant for attracting the emerging wine drinking countries. Now that Indians are waking up to fine dining and wine drinking, here is what Finewinesnmore had to offer to the Indian wine connoisseurs - a great evening with Riesling wines paired with Asian cuisines- recently held in a star hotel in Mumbai.
 Ulrich Langguth, (on picture) President of the MO-RHE-NA Export Association from Germany was present at the occasion to train the staffs at the hotel as well as to personally ally the continental food (Japanese, Thai, Chinese cuisines) and German wine pairing. MO-RHE-NA is the first wine-export association in Germany that represents more than 25 ‘boutique wine’ producing estates from different regions.
The food pairing included wines from some hand picked estates of Germany. To begin with was wine from Ulrich Langguth’s own estate Riesling Fern Label 2006 vintage with delicious Dragon Roll prepared with Tempura shrimp, raw tuna and Japanese eel with soya and wasabi. This was just perfect to set the mood for the evening.
While we group of journalists waited for the next round of surprise Ulrich kept everyone engaged and answered all queries on Riesling accompanied by Dharti Desai and Sumedh Singh Mandla, partners of Finewinesnmore. The fact that German wine industry was affected by global warming last year  was enough to keep us busy with a hot discussion about its implications on the Eiswein production.
With the second starter-Golden Thai prawn in raw sweet and sour dip, came Hans Lang, Riesling Spatlese Hattenheim Hassel 2005 vintage. Ulrich explained that Hans Lang is one of the 3 foremost wine estates in the Rheingau region. Hans Lang, the wine maker, owns 16 hectares of vineyards and produces Riesling and Pinot Noir. Due to its excellent dry wines, it was awarded the best dry Riesling at Vinexpo 2005. It’s a much sweeter dry white wine with fruity and rich character.
Next was another Ulrich Langguth, Riesling Kabinet (Cabernet) Piesporter Goldtropfchen 2003 served with baked marinated sea bass with scrambled crab egg whites and Chinese black vinegar reduction. It went very well with the food. Produced in the Mosel region of Germany, this wine is from the Goldtropfchen (golden droplet) vineyards. It can be enjoyed with a spicy meal, especially Thai food.
By the time the main course started arriving, we all were savouring the Riesling Kabinet, which I preferred the most.
Teriyaki glazed duck *** with onigiri rice cake, pak choi and crispy leeks went well with another Hans Lang, Blanc De Noir Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir/Rosé) 2006.
But the star of the evening was the Losen Bockstanz; Riesling Eiswein 1998 vintage which needed no food pairing yet was just perfect with Cashew nut tuile and exotic fruits with holy basil seeds.
After tasting such wonderful wines with great cuisines, we all looked as much swayed about the Rieslings future in India as the global wine consultant Craig Wedge who had just introduced the first stock of Rieslings to his staffs at the hotel that evening.
Reports Rojita B.Tiwari from http://www.ambrosiaindia.com/
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Even as made-in-India French wines bask in their place under the sun, Vintage Wines is working on the first made-in-India Italian wines. Yatin Patil, director, Vintage Wines gives a whiff of what is brewing…
Vintage Wines, known for bringing Italian winemaking technology to India, is truly ready for yet another first! Its vineyards at Niphad, Nashik are now home to grape varieties Sangiovese, Nero d’avola and Grillo brought from Sicily region in Italy. “The growing conditions are similar,” sounds an exuberant Patil. While the vines take root in the Sahyadris, the winery already equipped with Italian technology has always had Italian winemaker Andrea Valentinuzzi to take care of the details.
Patil, with an MBA in finance had a plush corporate job, as did wife Kiran, before they took the plunge and came up with their own company Vintage Wines. “It was around the year 1999-2000, when we saw the opportunity,” informs Patil. Today, Vinatge Wines is producing international quality premium wines going by the brand name Reveilo. “Reveilo is selling on good quality,” assures Patil modestly. And with four of their entries making it to the roll of honour in the recently held India Wine Challenge at New Delhi, others seem to be saying the same…
Speaking about Reveilo’s presence at the recent wine tasting festival organized by Pune Gourmand Club at Pune, Patil avers, “Wine tasting festivals create an understanding of wine. Also, Pune is a mini metro, coming up economically, with an open, young crowd, and an increasing spending power…”
Where cities like Pune, Bangalore and Chandigarh are making it quick to the wine consumers' and marketers' radars, how does the Maharashtra government’s hike in excise duty on imported wine augur for the state’s wine market? Patil understands the logistics that work here, and shares, “The hike in import duty will affect different segments of the market variously. It looks good for the domestic industry. Wine is a new industry in India and capital intensive to boot.”
Making Indian wine of international standards doesn’t come cheap here, whereas bulk wines imported and sold at a lesser price can tilt the buying decision. “For budget wines, price is a decisive factor. A bottle priced even Rs 5-10 less will sell more. On the other hand, premium and super premium wines are not affected by small price differences. But when we are talking of an imported bottle worth Rs 25,000 or Rs 1,00,000, it’s a different story…”, sums up the man who understands pricing like none else in the industry. Not yet, at least.
 Vintage Wines has a unique system for pricing and taxes, which none in the industry has yet emulated. The MRP stands the same all over India, irrespective of difference in taxes that happen to be different for different states. “On principle, we keep the MRP uniform all over India. We bear the difference in cost that occurs through state taxes. In some states, the taxes may be high, and lesser in some others, so it evens out in a way. The bottom-line is that that our consumers pay the same price anywhere in the country,” he signs off triumphantly. Vintage Wines are priced between Rs 1045 and Rs 1345 for Premium and Reserve wines, and in the range of Rs 505 to Rs 745 for Regular wines.
In the year 2009, their newest venture made-in-India Italian wines should also join the Indian wine connoisseurs’ wish list. Going by Reveilo’s success so far, and the meticulous, high-spirited preparations at Niphad for the Italian brand in the making, it should be worth the wait…
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In the cellars of some of the world’s most luxury-loving connoisseurs is growing a unique form of investment, wine. David Banford, director, The Wine Society of India, discovered this in 1976 aboard the QE2.
At the captain’s table he experienced the delights of the 1967 Chateau d’Yquem then selling for $30 a bottle. "I bought myself a case," he says.
"Since 1975 was a good vintage in Bordeaux , I bought a first growth Bordeaux Chateau La Tour."
Today, Chateau d’Yquem 1967 is probably $24,000 a case or $2,000 a bottle, he adds. "It’s difficult to justify opening one to drink, but what an investment it proved."
For more details Read The Ecnonmic Times
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Connoisseur’s say...... A fair percentage of my role as Wine Consultant for the Marriott Hotels is that I have the enviable task of assessing a whole gambit of wines that come across my desk on a daily basis. A tough task indeed!! Today was no different to any other except that the first of the anticipated arrival of a selection of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs from the 2007 vintage had come to bare, and for this three different offerings were eagerly awaiting my attention.
It is still quite an interesting proposition when you think that these twin islands of four million people and 9 million sheep, is setting the standard for new world Sauvignon Blanc. From the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island in particular, they have refined what I believe to be a quintessential style of this classic grape variety, profiling a more fruit driven tropical expression of the grape. Indeed, for the uninitiated, this style can stun with its intensity, and may seem an altogether different wine than the traditional grassy or flinty, often austere versions found in the old worlds more traditional bench-marks of Loire Valley and Bordeaux.
Over the last few years, in particular vintage 2005 and 2006, examples of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc have had more of your powerful aromatics with classic gooseberry fruit, and that freshly cut grass/herbaceous element, complemented by rich tropical fruit aromas. Combine this with the much anticipated, juicy, characterful palates and that tart, edgy acidity and you will know why I was eagerly anticipating unscrewing the caps on my bounty of 07’s and really seeing if the ravings about this vintage where in fact matched by the quality of the wines.
Just for the sake of being politically correct, I also included a bottle of 07 Sauvignon Blanc from a new producer from the Nashik Valley as an Indian benchmark.
My friends from Huia Vineyards and Seresin Estate from the Marlborough Valley were good enough to send me a selection of current offerings available in small amounts on the outside world but alas, not seen in any way shape or form in my present environs. Yet!!
Having been an avid fan of both of these stylish, handcrafted wines for a long time now, it was good to renew my friendship with both of what some consider being the finest wine producers in New Zealand. I am happy to say that it was not all about Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Noir that came with the same postman epitomizes why certain cool climate wine regions like Marlborough Valley stand up to Burgundy and sometimes challenge its mantle as the benchmark of all things Pinot Noir. But that is a commentary best left for another day.
This day was all about 'Savvy B'.
First wine in the glass was an Indus Wines Sauvignon Blanc. A first vintage offering from a new comer of the Nashik Valley. The first thing you notice about this wine is that it delivers a delightful variance from those other Sauvignon Blanc produced in larger quantities from this cornerstone wine region of India. Whilst it offered that expected simple zesty freshness you find in young Sauvignon Blancs from this country, this particular wine had a surprising mid-palate softness that was immediately appealing. Something, I was not expecting. Usually the vast majority of these wines tend to be uninteresting and somewhat one-dimensional at the least, but this one I am glad to say, disproved the norm.
The next three wines I assessed were done so together. Being of the same lineage, I thought it appropriate that I did it this way. Huia Vineyards, Seresin Estate, and Saint Clair Estate all hail from the Marlborough Valley New Zealand, and each in its own way brings some tangible spiritual quality to the table. The adherence to sustainable vineyard practices in the case of both Huia and Saint Clair, adds a discernable 'other' degree of clarity and quality to the wine that others attempt to emulate. In the case of Seresin, the belief in the cause and affect of organic wine philosophy has lifted this producer to the top of the heap. The wines are nothing short of extraordinary.
From the start what was noticeable in each wine was the underlying varietal typicity that is the benchmarks of this variety. Richly characterful palates and tart, edgy acidity. But there the similarities ended, and in each glass, each of these wines was a delicious ensemble of balance, texture and palate length. Just when I thought it over, each wine exploded forth with a whole barrage of idiosyncratic characters and nuances that just beguiled my senses.
This is what it is all about. And this is why I do what I do. Each of these was a shear delight to drink. As a bench mark for the 'New World' and this is very hard for an Australian to say, the Kiwis have it mastered!!
If there is to be a yard stick for Indian Sauvignon Blanc to aspire to, one of these three wines would be an advantageous kick-start along! Unfortunately, due to the current excise rates in this state, these beautiful wines and many more like them may disappear from the shelves all together. And in the end, unfortunately leave the local industry without any qualitative benchmark from which to judge themselves against.
That would be a shame!
Happy drinking!!
Saint Clair is presently available in select quality bottle outlets through-out Mumbai, whilst both the Seresin and the Huia are exclusive to the JW Marriott Mumbai.
by Craig W Wedge,
Courtesy www.ambrosiaindia.com
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Dec 11, ‘07, New Delhi No company expects a more fitting tribute for promoting world class products & brands in a highly competitive and high growth market! So when Pernod Ricard India’s “Seagram’s Nine Hills  Cabernet Sauvignon 2007” was adjudged the Finest Red Indian wine at the first India Wine Challenge, a visibly delighted Param Uberoi, Chairman and CEO, Pernod Ricard India Ltd stated, “When we launched our domestic range of Nine Hills wines in Nov 2006 to a limited market, we hardly expected that in a year we would win a definitive accolade for our wine. Today, the Seagram’s Nine Hills range of wines is available across several states and we only expect to gain greater heights with our second vintage which has just been released”
The “Seagram’s Nine Hills – Shiraz 2007” was also awarded a ‘Seal of Approval’ in recognition of its fine quality. This challenge was chaired by, and organized in association with Robert Joseph, Chairman of the International Wine Challenge, London from 1984-2005, and founder of the Wine Challenges held in Singapore, China, Russia and Japan. This is Robert Joseph’s 50th wine challenge globally.
The competition is designed to award excellence and recognize quality in wines from around the world. Seagram’s Nine Hills was selected by a panel of 6 judges (3 International and 3 Indians).
Seagram’s Nine Hills wine gets its name from the nine hills surrounding Nashik where the company’s winery and the vineyards are located. The Nine Hills varietal range includes Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Pernod Ricard India, a Pernod Ricard Group Company, the world’s second largest wine and spirits conglomerate, is a name that is synonymous with world renowned wine brands such as Jacob’s Creek (Australia), Montana (New Zealand) & Mumms Champagne, and the finest spirit brands such as Royal Salute, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet , Ballantines & Martell.
More about the Seagram’s Nine Hills:
Nine Hills Chenin Blanc - 2007
Our Chenin Blanc has a golden hue with light floral & fruity aromas. This light and fruity wine will pair well with salads and appetizers.
Nine Hills Sauvignon Blanc - 2007
Our Sauvignon Blanc has a pale golden colour with pronounced aromas of passion fruit, pineapple and fresh lime. This wine will pair well with salads and seafood dishes.
Nine Hills Shiraz - 2007
Our Shiraz has a deep red colour with hints violet. This full bodied wine with soft velvety tannins expresses fruity notes of cherry and strawberry and will be an ideal accompaniment for various meat and barbeque dishes.
Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - 2007
Our Cabernet Sauvignon has a nice red terracotta colour with purple highlights and it expresses hints of cherry, vanilla and capsicum aromas. Its well balanced acidity and soft tannins charm the palate and leave a lingering finish. This full bodied wine is an excellent accompaniment for various cheese and meat dishes.
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