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September 2010 - Posts
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 An evening dedicated to tasting good wines paired with great food especially in a place like Tasting Room definitely composes a perfect set up. The occasion was introduction of the range of De Bortoli wines in India.
The wine importer Finewinenmore had recently organized a tasting to celebrate the addition of a new Australian wine into its portfolio De Bortoli range which earlier belonged to its competitor Aspri Spirits. Nikki Palun, the Marketing & Trade Manager for Asia Pacific, De Bortoli was present to answer all the queries raised by a selective group of media invited for the tasting. Nikki’s passion in wine began at an early age when her father lowered her into a barrel to help him crush grapes to make the family’s wine. She studied Commerce and Asian languages (Mandarin) at university before being awarded a scholarship to continue her Mandarin language and cultural studies in Nanjing. She also studied Hindi for a short while at Latrobe University but professes that her Hindi language ability is “bohot karab” (sic)!
After her return to Australia, Nikki worked for a number of government development agencies before leaving Australia again, this time for the UK and Ireland. It was there where she started living her passion for food and wine by working as a wine manager for the Coop Group followed by a stint as a restaurant manager in a prestigious fine dining restaurant in Co. Clare Ireland.
Upon her return to Australia, Nikki joined Paton’s Macadamia as their Marketing Manager and gained experience in exporting to Asia in the Duty-Free industry before joining De Bortoli Wines in 2006 as their Marketing & Trade Manager for Asia Pacific. Nikki is currently studying a Masters in Oenology and Viticulture at Charles Sturt University in NSW and has contributed to many publications on the exporting wine to Asia.
While serving the range of De Bortoli to the guests, Nikki passionately spoke about the company and the wine which comes from Yarra Valley, Australia.
De Bortoli Wines is a third generation family wine company established by Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli in 1928 after the couple immigrated to Australia from Northern Italy. Their son, the energetic and dynamic Deen De Bortoli, expanded and consolidated the business created by his parents. Deen’s children established De Bortoli’s reputation for premium wine including icon dessert wine Noble One and the Yarra Valley wines.
De Bortoli has expanded into some of Australia’s best known wine regions across Victoria and New South Wales including the Yarra, King and Hunter Valleys from its original base in Bilbul, in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales.
The focus of this family has always been on careful site selection, vine maturity and high input viticulture with a move towards biological farming principles. There is also increasing awareness of the importance of single vineyard wines. In the winery there is minimal interference, allowing the wine to ‘make itself’ and the mantra ‘it is harder to do nothing’ encapsulate this belief.
Dharati Desai, CEO and Craig Wedge, Sr. Vice-President – Branding & Business Development, FWM seemed equally excited about the new kid in their family. Speaking about the complications relating to one of the labels from the De Bortoli range, The Accomplice, he said, “It is an interesting wine; however there has been some objections in terms of the label which features a man driving a car with a wine bottle on its roof, and we are considering a change of label for this particular brand.”
The other varieties available from the De Bortoli range are the Accomplice Shiraz, Willowglen Semillon chardonnay, Willowglen cabernet merlot, Windy peak classic white and Windy peak nouveau Shiraz.
The price for De Bortoli range is Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 in Mumbai and Rs 950 to Rs 2500 in New Delhi.
— Rojita Tiwari
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Haryana has joined the wine producing states of India with the
launch of Luca and Zoya range of wines manufactured by Nirvana Biosys.
The company ferments imported juice concentrate with the technical
assistance and has a joint venture with Mauritius-based E C Oxenham and
CY Ltd, a family-owned French wine company. According to a report in www.indianwineacademy.com,
Nirvana Biosys has a manufacturing facility in Bawal Industrial Area,
off NH-8 in Rewari district of Haryana. The company soon plans to launch
carbonated, Spumante version of white wine and a low alcohol off-dry,
Frizzante Rosé primarily for young women and novices, besides Mitra, a
low-end ‘Port’ wine.
M K Rustagi, Joint Managing Director,
Nirvana Biosys Ltd and Head of Marketing Operations said, “Eight brands
of ‘Luca’ and ‘Zoya’ including Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and
various blends have been introduced in 21 shops in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Luca is priced at Rs 500 and Zoya at Rs 300 and designed for the younger
generation, with modern labels and fruity flavours. More: Hospitality Biz India
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Sula Selections has recently introduced The African Horizon series wine, which is produced in the Cape region of South Africa.
The African Horizon series is produced by the world’s largest fair trade producer, Origin Wine. Fair trade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalised by the conventional trading system.
The African Horizon wines, produced from carefully selected grapes grown in the sun- drenched vineyards of the Cape includes the best of South Africa’s varietals – a lush Pinotage, a peppery Shiraz and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
The African Horizon Pinotage Pinotage is a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir and is South Africa’s own variety. This Pinotage is one of the Cape’s best values. The wine is deep red with inviting aromas of vanilla and mocha. The palate has chocolate and ripe black cherries with soft spicy tannins. It goes well with meat and a variety of cheeses. Ideally, it should be served slightly chilled at 16-18°C.
The African Horizon Shiraz
This fruity Shiraz is brimming with blackcurrant and peppery aromas, and a mouthful of juicy plum flavours. Versatile, it partners with a wide variety of food. It goes very well with lamb and soft cheeses. It should be served slightly chilled at 16-18°C.
The African Horizon Sauvignon Blanc
This aromatic Sauvignon Blanc has a complex grassy nose with passion fruit and pear aromas. Capsicum and tropical fruits mark a full palate with a long finish. It is perfect as an aperitif or with spicy curries. It is served well chilled at 8-10°C.
The wines are available in Maharashtra and Goa at Rs 950–1,000, which is all-inclusive.
Curtesy: http://www.ambrosiaindia.com
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 The India Wine Challenge and India Spirits Challenge are the most valued and prestigious guide to wines and spirits for Indian professionals and consumers. Under the chairmanship of famed wine writer, educator, broadcaster and judge Robert Joseph, the highly experienced judges impartially provide simple clear judgements that help Indian consumers make informed choices when they are making their purchases.
With the introduction of food and wine categories this year in association with the world famous Cinnamon Club of London, judgments made in Mumbai will be used around the world as the tasters decide on the ideal wines to match with key Indian dishes, helping create the perfect blend of Indian and European heritages.
Achieving success in the India Wine Challenge and India Spirits Challenge after being judged by some of the finest palates, gives instant prestige India, one of the most exciting and rapidly developing wine and spirit markets in the world.
For further information please go to our Website or Click here to enter online now http://www.indiawineandspiritschallenge.com/
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The fourth edition of India Wine Challenge takes place in Mumbai in January next year, including awards for matching with key Indian dishes for the first time and also adding the India Spirits Challenge, a sister competition, according to the Chairman of the competition Robert Joseph.
‘The India Spirits Challenge will quickly become the guide for everyone interested in domestic and international whiskies’, according to Robert who adds, ‘I am also excited about the newly installed award for pairing wine with Indian cuisine for which India is justifiably known for and proud of. Not only will this be a help for diners in India but also for the millions of lovers of Indian cuisine around the world.’
Chairman of India Wine Challenge, he was also co-founder of the International Wine Challenge with Charles Metcalfe. He has been described by Decanter Magazine as one of the 50 most influential persons in wine during the 21st century. He has launched Wine Challenges in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Russia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Robert has chaired or judged at wine competitions in Portugal, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Germany where he was a fellow judge at the recently held MundusVini International Wine Competition.
For the wine and food paring competition he has roped in Laurent Chaniac, a French wine consultant to The Cinnamon Club in London where his expertise in matching wines to Indian cuisine has become very popular. He has worked with some of London's finest dining experiences for years, including L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon part of the group holding 25 Michelin stars- The Square, The Stafford Hotel, The Cinnamon Club and The Cinnamon Kitchen.
‘With the introduction of food and wine pairing categories this year, judgments made in Mumbai will be used around the world as the tasters decide on the ideal wines to match with key Indian dishes, helping create the perfect blend of Indian and European heritages’, says Joseph.
The first two editions of the Wine Challenge were held in London and Delhi while the previous one was held in Mumbai earlier this year. Despite a promised co-operative stand by the Maharashtra Excise department it hit a few road blocks for some producers. Although things are expected to improve, participants are advised to plan well in advance and not wait for the closing date of January 7, 2011.
For more information, write to info@indiawineandspiritschallenge.com
Subhash Arora
http://www.indianwineacademy.com
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Wine industry outside India appears to have misconstrued the order of the Mumbai High Court a couple of months ago for winding up Indage Vintners and fueled by rumours, have come to believe that the company has collapsed and gone bankrupt. The fact is that it has since raised substantial capital and is hopefully on way to recovery.
During my recent wine visits to the US, Chile, South Africa and Germany where I have met several wine jurors and journalists from over 50 countries across all continents, the one question many don’t fail to ask or comment on, is whether Indage Vintners (earlier called Champagne Indage), known for Omar Khayyam in many of these countries over the last couple of decades, has collapsed and gone bankrupt.
It is important for our overseas readers to understand the difference between winding up petition being accepted by the court and actual bankruptcy. In India, a private or public company may be wound up (liquidated) through court order when it becomes insolvent and is unable to pay the creditors. The court may appoint an independent liquidator (receiver) who manages the affairs of the company till a solution is found or assets can be sold and the amount so recovered paid to the lenders under some conditions. In the case of Indage the court has passed the winding up order but there are several legal turns and remedies for the company to survive within our fair legal system.
Founded by Mr. Sham Chougule, Indage was the first Indian company that put India on the world map. Omar Khayyam was the sparkling wine branded in India as Marquis de Pompadour (MDP), which was exported from the very beginning and was well accepted. Some people in the industry had in fact started referring to him as Robert Mondavi of India because of his passion for wine and encouraging farmers in Maharashtra to switch to wine grapes.
The legacy of MDP and Omar Khayyam exists even today. I met Jacques Orhorn, a wine globe-trotter and educationist from Montreal last week in Germany. He had met one of the Chougules (I presume Shamji) in Chile some 20 years ago. ‘Champagne Indage produced Marquis de Pompadour and I remember it was very good,’ he said reminiscing of his meeting Chougule.
Although well accepted, it was mired in controversy with wine specialists and journalists. Indage claimed to have used Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and tried to promote it as ‘champagne’. However, doubts were expressed locally and in the international press. A reliable wine book with a small chapter on Indian wines, even highlighted the issue.
I have met several people who worked in Indage during that period. They confirm that it was mostly Thomson seedless table grape. Same story was repeated in Riviera table wine which they claim contained Pinot Noir which as everyone knows does not grow well in the area at all!! Credibility of the company had become increasingly in question. Robert Mondavi never had this problem and was a darling of the wine industry till his very end despite his being forced to sell the company eventually.
Robert Mondavi whose passion to improve quality brought him to Bordeaux and use modern techniques to make Napa a famous brand and constantly working to improve the wine quality and increase consumption, establishing it as a revered wine region in the US industry. Indage however started wine making purely as a commercial venture. The ambition for unbridled expansion by hook or by crook brought the company to its knees and the present woes.
From the Indian industry’s stand point it is important that Indage does not go bankrupt. Although Sula is doing a wonderful job in maintaining the seemingly infallible top position it snatched from Indage last year, healthy competition is extremely important for the growth of the industry.
In this respect, it will be extremely important for Indage to consider changing its business policies and strategies if it wants to keep away from bankruptcy. It is anybody’s guess if Indage will be able to take harsh decisions which are necessary. DelWine will continue to report with the usual straight-forward and unbiased approach. It was heartening to see Mr. Sham Chougule with whom a 10- minute meeting at the winery I had a few years ago stretched to 3 hours, walk up to me at the National Conference organised by the Indian Grape Processing Board of which he is the Chairman and say, ‘you are just doing your job, keep it up.’
Coming from a man about whose company I was the first in India to report that it was in trouble and that Sula had overtaken it, earning the wrath of many loyalists and received nasty and almost abusive feedback, I took it as a compliment. It gives me great satisfaction to set record straight, for international journalist, readers and other wine friends that Indage is NOT bankrupt.
And for the sake of Indian wine industry, I hope it would never be…
Subhash Arora
http://www.indianwineacademy.com
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At the world’s best fine dining
restaurants, pairing of food with wine and champagne has always been the
tradition. For Indian restaurants too, it’s now time to promote this
culture. “We are helping some of the best restaurants in the country to
increase awareness among customers about the pairing of our different sparkling
wines with different kinds of food. Some of our wines go very well with Indian
desserts too. In India, champagne with breakfast and Sunday brunch is already
popular, we are now trying to expand the food and wine pairing categories
through our products,” says Abhay Kewadkar, chief winemaker and business
head, UB Group Wines.
And
restaurants too are working on food pairing themes to engage with their well
traveled and connoisseur guests. Food pairing, specially with Indian cuisine, is
still limited to a select discerning clientele and needs advice and education on
the part of the chefs. Hotels and restaurants are also training their serving
staff on wines and food pairing. Chefs and managers carefully pick and
complement wines with the dishes and interact with the guests with the
presentation of each course and explain the flavors and the thought behind the
pairing.
“We are now working on the concept of food pairing
with single malts and wines for both our restaurants Pan Asian and Dakshin. We
may initially introduce these events on a once a month basis and tie-up with the
liquor companies. Our chefs will work with their experts to pair the single
malts and wines with the cuisine on offer. Increasingly, our restaurants have
customers who are well travelled and are themselves pairing food with the right
kind of spirits and wines. Creating a special evening for them will only enhance
the fine dining experience,” says Rishiraj Singh, food & beverage
manager, Sheraton, Saket, New Delhi.
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