Sommelier India - India's first and only wine maga

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Zampa wine to hit the market
2008-05-11 07:02:00
The Economic Times is reporting that Zampa wines from Valle de vin, Deepak Roy's 35-acre vineyard on the periphery of Nashik. are set to launch soon. Most interesting is the direct response initiative which is the first of its kind in the business. Mr. Roy picked up a select group of wine connoisseurs, about 1,000 of them and sent a miniature wooden cask filled with varietal wines from his vineyard. This followed with a couple of bottles of red and white wines. Mr Roy is heading the Kishore Chhabria group company which produces Officer?s Choice whisky. The portfolio includes Zampa white of Chenin Blanc, Zampa Red of Shiraz, sparkling rose wine, sparkling red wine of cabernet sauvignon, etc. Prices range from Rs 600-650.Read the whole story here.
More About: Interviews , Wine , Market

Maharashtra wine production jumps
2008-05-10 21:41:00
Maharashtra has recorded a 60% growth in its wine production over the last year. The state continues to dominate the country's wine industry, producing 94% of India's grape wine. According to the Times of India which reported the story, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's (MIDC) department of wine production show that 2.11 crore litres of wine were produced across the state's 57 wineries this year, as compared to the 1.32 crore litres produced last year. This represents an annual growth rate of 40%. The state's total investment in wine-making is around Rs. 328 crore and close to 8,000 acres of land are now under cultivation for wine production. Read the Times of India story for more information.
More About: Wine , Maharashtra , Production

Do you know a vertical tasting from a horizontal one?
2008-05-10 21:15:00
In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted all at once. This emphasizes differences between various vintages. In contrast with a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles.
More About: Commentary , Vertical

Alcohol Atlas of India Released
2008-05-10 21:08:00
Releasing the manual ?Alcohol Atlas of India ? prepared by the Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA), the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss asked the media to create awareness about the adverse social, economic and medical effects of alcohol abuse among the masses. He said the reach of media has multiplied manifold and this issue should form an important agenda of the media. Some of the highlights - women are catching up with men in alcohol consumption and Indians have an average of five drinks per sitting. The Health Minister's speech is published in its entirety after the jump.
More About: Released

Sommelier India Issue 3 of 2008 dispatched!
2008-05-03 17:38:00
In the latest issue, Steven Spurrier who is a living legend in wine circles around the world, tastes and scores India n wines. Beware, the results may surprise. Jancis Robinson tries to understand why the Chinese are so fascinated with Lafite among all the first growths. It begs the question, will India develop a special relationship with one of the first growths too? And will that be Lafite? Inder Raj Ahluwalia takes the reader on a journey to Barossa, the famous wine region of South Australia while Alok Chandra interviews South Australia's premier in an exclusive for Sommelier India. Raghu Bahadur shares with us his experiences in shopping for wine in the Arabian Gulf and India. Not surprisingly, he finds shopping for liquor an uphill task. Robert Joseph of the Indian Wine Challenge fame, contemplates the impact of global wine on the future of wine and Janaki Bahadur visits Madhu Jaffrey to discover her secrets of success. And if that wasn't enough to read, Brinda Gill interv...
More About: Commentary , 2008 , Issue

Indian Wines Rated by Steven Spurrier
2008-05-03 17:27:00
At a tasting of over 40 wines from 11 wineries organized by Rajeev Samant of Sula, Indian wines were rated in a first ever tasting by the famous British wine writer and taster, Steven Spurrier . ?It was a unique experience for me,? writes Spurrier in the latest issue of Sommelier India, May/June 2008. Read the whole story in print. SI is available by subscription and at select locations, including Oberoi Hotel bookshops country wide and at select Taj Hotel bookshops. Meanwhile, given below are the scores on a 20 point scale and Spurrier?s tasting notes for the white wines: 10 = bad; 11 = poor; 12 = mediocre; 13 = acceptable; 14 = fair; 15 = good; 16 = good+; 17 = very good; 18 = very good+; 19 = excellent; 20 = superb. Watch the blog for tasting notes and scores for the red and rose wines to be published next week.
More About: Wines

Faint Praise for Bordeaux 2007 from Parker
2008-05-03 17:24:00
Robert Parker has finally released his scores for the Bordeaux 2007 vintage. And his scores aren't going to bring much joy to the Bordeaux En Primeur community. He awarded only three wines 100 points, all of them white wines and among the reds only four got 95 points. With the whites Chateaux Pape Clement Blanc and Haut-Brion Blanc received 96-100 points while Climens was awarded 98-100 points.
More About: Praise

Indigo receives Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator
2008-05-03 16:10:00
Indigo, a standalone restaurant in Mumbai has been listed among the top five best restaurants in India, as part of San Pellegrino?s World?s Best restaurants 2008 New Regional Recommendations. It also won an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator , for the 8th year in a row.
More About: Indigo

KBR School of Wine conducts the first of WSET Examinations
2008-05-03 15:13:00
Seventeen wine enthusiasts sat for an examination on Saturday, the 29th of March ?08 in Mumbai. The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) of UK offers the world?s most comprehensive and contemporary Wine Education Programmes. The good news is that KBR School of Wine is the only wine school in the country to be affiliated and associated with WSET and they offer these courses nation wide. Currently, KBR offers two levels of the WSET courses: Foundation Level I and Intermediate Level II.

When Frescobaldi Came to Town
2008-05-03 06:17:00
On April 30, Mr. Aman Dhall, Executive Director, Brindco, hosted a Wine Dinner at The Grill Room, Villa Medici, The Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi with some exceptional examples of Frescobaldi wine. Mr. Giuseppe Pariani, International Export Director of the Estates of Marchesi de Frescobaldi was present to introduce the wines.
More About: Events , Town

Mondavi's Continuum. A wine to savor
2008-05-03 03:04:00
Yesterday, my brother-in-law introduced me to Continuum . The new wine from Robert, Marcia and Tim Mondavi. And it was a unique experience not just because the wine was special (and rather expensive at $130 a bottle) but also because it marks a new beginning for an iconic wine family. As many of you may know, Robert Mondavi is something of a living, albeit tragic legend in Napa Valley and wine circles around the world. The Mondavi Wine ry which was established in 1966 grew to be one of the biggest and most reputable of Napa Valley wine brands in a short thirty year period.
More About: Commentary

Globus Wines to manage Haiko Supermarket's liquor category
2008-05-02 23:50:00
Globus Wines , Part of Globus Vision Group has taken over Haiko Supermarket?s liquor category and entered into an agreement with Hiranandani Constructions, a leading developer in India to open further such exclusive high-end Wine stores across all its locations in India.
More About: Liquor , Category , Manage , Globus

Wine Society holds Wine Appreciation Dinner
2008-05-02 23:42:00
The Wine Society of Delhi organized a successful dinner at Tonino restaurant where Castel Bordeaux Merlot, Castel Sauvignon Blanc and Halana Merlot wines were tasted.
More About: Events , Dinner , Appreciation

TimeOut interviews Sommelier India Publisher
2008-05-02 22:30:00
Time Out Delhi featured Reva Singh, publisher of Sommelier India in its latest issue. She was asked about her wine preferences, the growth of the Indian wine market and predictions for the future of the Indian wine market. Keep reading for the interview
More About: Commentary , Interviews , Publisher

Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc on the Indian Market
2008-04-12 19:26:00
While at Bordeaux En Primeur 2007, the Sommelier India team had an opportunity to talk to Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc about the Indian wine market. Peirre Lurton who's name is synonymous with Bordeaux divides his time between Cheval Blanc and Chateau d'Yquem. He felt that the Indian market was important but was concerned about the tax structure. Watch the interview excerpts.
More About: Market

The James Bond Vintage, Bordeaux 2007
2008-04-12 18:41:00
While at Bordeaux En Primeur 2007, we caught up with Ch'ng Poh Tiong, a Sommelier India columnist and publisher of South East Asia's oldest wine magazine, The Wine Review. Not surprisingly, he had an interesting perspective on the 2007 vintage telling us that it certainly isn't an exceptional vintage. He was most impressed by the white wines from the Graves and he also had some Asian food pairing suggestions.
More About: James Bond , Bond , Vintage , James

Owner of Chateau Larcis Ducasse on the Indian Wine Market
2008-04-12 17:29:00
Jacques-Olivier Gratiot of Chateau Larcis Ducasse emphasized that India is the future for the Bordeaux wines. He also discussed how the Indian wines serve as a good introduction to wines and help the sales of the imported more expensive ones. The St Emilion Chateau wines are much admired around the world and get extremely impressive scores from the likes of Robert Parker, Michael Bettane and Jancis Robinson.
More About: Wine , Market , Owner

David Patrick Launay of Chateau Gruaud Larcose on the Wine Drinker
2008-04-12 17:28:00
David Patrick Launay of Chateau Gruaud Larcose explains how classified growth wines are luxury products available to high end wine drinkers across India. In his opinion, these consumers expect to have access to the best wines and are willing to pay for them. He also discusses the best way for wine drinkers to further develop their palate and interest in wine..
More About: Wine , David

Count Stephan von Neipperg shares his love for India and talks wine
2008-04-12 17:27:00
Stephan von Neipperg of Chateau Canon-La Gaffelière discusses the 2007 vintage and his impressions of the India n wine scene. Interestingly, Neipperg is a descendant of Franconian nobility and his family has been making wine for over eight centuries. He is credited with turning around Canon-La Gaffelière working in tandem with the renowned oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt. A colorful personality, Neipperg is universally popular in St.-Emilion.
More About: Love , Wine , Count , Shares

Roy Moorfield discusses the 2007 vintage
2008-04-12 17:14:00
Sommelier India contributor Roy Moorfield is the Australian adviser to Cathay Pacific and winemaking consultant for Chinkara wines. Chinkara Wines is the house wine of the Oberoi Hotels. Here Moorfield provides Sommelier India with his impressions of the 2007 vintage. Expect to hear how he thinks each of the Bordeaux appellations did.
More About: Vintage

Sardar shopkeeper scares attacker with bottle of red wine
2008-04-12 06:50:00
A brave shopkeeper picked up a £4.99 bottle of Blossom Hill red wine by the neck and chased an attacker out of his store in Suffolk, UK according to the Daily Mirror. The thug was left empty handed as he fled while Jasvinder Bains sprinted after him waving the bottle above his head. Bains has owned Bains Store in Pakefield, Suffolk, since he came to Britain from Punjab, India, 17 years ago. He certainly made good use of his wine! The thug's seven inch blade obviously could not deter the brave shopkeeper.
More About: Wine , Red Wine , Bottle , Sardar

Find Sommelier India in a bookshop near you!
2008-04-12 06:34:00
Did you know that Sommelier India , The Wine Magazine is available in select retail outlets across the country? For example, you can find the magazine in any of the Oberoi Hotel bookshops in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkota, Bangalore and Delhi. The magazine is also available at the Taj Hotel's Nalanda bookshop in Mumbai. Good Earth Stores in Mumbai and Delhi carries the magazine as does Mumbai's Indigo Delicatessen. The magazine is also available at Khan Market in New Delhi. Read the Table of Contents and subscribe today. It makes learning about wine fun!
More About: Commentary , Find , Bookshop

ND Wines launches in Maharashtra
2008-04-12 06:01:00
ND Wines was launched in Maharashtra recently. This marks the 13th state in India where they have a presence. As Manik Patil pointed out to the Indian Express, Maharashtra is a good state to launch a domestic wine as licenses are more easily available. Duties are also lower in the state. ND Wines will be selling its Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. These wines were launched in Delhi last November. ND Wines are produced under the direction of French wine maker Mr. Jean Manual Jacquinot.
More About: Events

Wines News across the web
2008-04-12 05:08:00
Indian Stories The Economic Times is reporting that Distell, South Africa's largest wine maker is planning to launch high-end premium wines of its flagship brand, Nederburg in India before the year-end.Live Mintcovers the new wine club at the Shangri-La Hotel in New Delhi . Interestingly, the sessions were run by Harshal Shah who has written on Chardonnay in the latest issue of Sommelier India.The Indian Express talks about the wine clubs in Delhi too and discusses how the Wine Society and the Delhi Wine Club both are attracting younger members. International Stories Wine Spectator explains that Allegrini is withdrawing Wine from DOC over Screw Cap. Marilisa Allegrini says, "We think a $14 to $15 non-Classico Valpolicella with a screw cap has a better chance on the market than a Valpolicella Classico, with a cork, costing 20 percent more." Wine Spectator also ranks its top ten wines of 2007. At the top of the list is the Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 which gets 90 poi...
More About: News , Wines

The 2007 En Primeur Season. An Introduction
2008-04-03 09:33:00
We were first to bring you the results of the India Wine Challenge and we're the first to bring you highlights of Bordeaux En Primeur 2007. Your Sommelier India Team was invited to Bordeaux for the second year running to participate in these exclusive tastings. Bordeaux En Primeur 2007 was officially kicked off on March 31st with a welcome dinner with representatives from the Chateaux of the Union de Grands Crus (UGC). In what has become a tradition, many Chateaux owners personally attended the dinner so that they could mix with the journalists and talk about their wines and the vintage. Earlier in the day, tastings of the Sauternes and Barsac wines were held at Chateau Doisy Verines. Those tastings were followed by a special one at Chateau d'Yquem which is an honorary member of the UGC. Continue reading. For more on En Primeur click here and watch the blog for updates on each appellation.
More About: Season , Introduction

The 2007 En Primeur Season. The Weather Story
2008-04-03 08:50:00
The word on the street about the 2007 harvest. The white wines were a pleasant surprise. Each year they get stronger and stronger. The weather was perfect for harvesting them. And they did well. Among the reds, the Cabernet Sauvignon was the strongest with difficulty encompassing the Merlot. Knowing when to harvest the red grapes was a difficult decision as August was a terrible month for the weather. More on the weather.
More About: Weather , Story , Season

India's wine industry takes root
2008-04-03 08:02:00
Bulls lumber down dusty roads, cow-dung patties bake in the sun, and women in bright saris pluck grapes from manicured fields, their bangles jangling with every toss. Welcome to India's wine country. This sleepy town in western India, long famous for its grapes, has become the subcontinent's Sonoma Valley, the heart of a $100 million industry that has seen annual growth of more than 25 percent annually since 2003. Read the CNN/Associated Press article for more statistics.
More About: Wine , Industry , Root

Sommelier India interviews Rt. Hon. Mike Rann, Premier of South Australia
2008-03-29 20:57:00
?I have been impressed by the rapid growth of the India n economy, and the booming indian wine market?. South Australia , with its capital at Adelaide, produces 50% of all Australian wines: its 563 wineries made 724 million litres in 2007 (out of a total of 1.4 billion) and exported wine worth A$ 1.4 billion (Rs. 5,180 crore). Its wine regions are legion: the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra are home to many of Australia?s best-known wineries. These include Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Petuluma, Shaw & Smith, Torbreck, Grosset, Majella, d?Arenberg, Hardys, and Sepplt (to name just a few). Loxton winery which Champagne Indage bought is also based in South Australia. The Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, who was in India in mid-March 2008 leading a 26-strong delegation of businessmen and industrialists to promote investment, education and migration, spoke to Alok Chandra in an exclusive interview for Sommelier India about wines from his state, the wine market...
More About: Interviews

Pune Gourmet Club Nine Hills Dinner
2008-03-29 20:43:00
A wine dinner was recently hosted by Seagram's at Royal Orchid Central, Pune , for members of the Pune Gourmet Club who were greatly impressed by their award-winning Indian wines. At the first India Wine Challenge, Seagram's Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 was declared the finest Indian red wine, while the Nine Hills Shiraz won a Seal of Approval. Pictured above from left to right, are Rukn Luthra ? Asst. Vice President, Seagram's, Karen Anand, Gourmet Specialist, Jean-Manuel Jacquinot, Master Winemaker for Nine Hill and Saurabh Bhatnagar ? Regional Sales Manager, Seagram's.
More About: Events , Dinner

Sommelier India Issue 2 of 2008 dispatched!
2008-03-22 19:29:00
In the latest issue of Sommelier India , Chardonnay makes a comeback, Reveilo reveals some secrets, Waiheke Island wines are discussed in awe and we learn that wine tastings are governed by an unwritten etiquette. Pick up the latest issue of Sommelier India for these original articles and more designed to be of interest to Indians across the globe who enjoy drinking wine. Its our largest issue yet. Don't miss this issue with original contributions from some of the best wine writers in India and around the world! Subscribe now so that you start receiving your copies immediately and renew your subscription if it is ending. And help us spread the word about Sommelier India across the country and abroad as the publication gets stronger and stronger with your support.
More About: 2008 , Issue