Notice the subtle
difference. In the clichéd context, the phrase “Wine and Women” is common place
and referred-to in somewhat uncharitable terms; but when we talk of finesse, precedence
matters and how! To the extent of having an exclusive wine session ruled by
Women sans the material connotations and emphasizing instead on the appreciable patience and indisputable intelligence of the female species !
Aptly titled “Diva’s date with Wine” the fixture was the
brainchild of Shalini Kumar, Editor Spiritz Magazine ,
supported by Grover Zampa vineyards, Hotel Crowne Plaza and most certainly- yours
truly. The Divas attending the session were invited from various professional profiles, from
Corporate Honchos, to an Artist, a Curator,
a Tarot expert, a Doctor and many more- but what came as surprise to me was that
some of them had already experienced an odd San Gimignano or Rioja while being clued up on a Pinotage as well! It was a dream audience any wine passionate
would give his right arm for- and I was privileged enough not required to do that!
As the guests
started arriving, the evening warmed up to socializing with rounds of Grover
Blancs de Blancs for company.The Grover stable had presented us with four
wines and we arranged these in the sequence of increasing complexity as
follows:
- Blanc de Blancs 2012
- Sauvignon Blanc 2012
- Cabernet Shiraz 2012
- La Réserve 2011
A brief light hearted introduction by Bishan Kumar,
Group Editor Blue Ink Media (that owns Spiritz ) was followed by an interesting
glimpse of Grover vineyards history by
Malay Rout, their Marketing Head and thereafter, the baton passed on to me to lead the
swirling and sipping. In the course of tasting, I was rather impressed by the
wine intelligence of the audience as they discussed the wines - drawing
parallels with their international contemporaries and dissecting the characteristics of wine grape
varieties . The enthusiasm of all participants resulted in lots of passionate
discussions to the extent that I was counselled by one of the beautiful ladies
to restrain the brimming zealousness-
but I managed to convince her of the intended spirit of the event being in unbridled wine fun. To say the least, it was a
deeply involved sharing of thoughts that saw
each one of us getting wiser on something or the other.
A quick
description of the wines tasted:
Blanc de Blancs (Delhi
MRP ₹ 540.00)
A nomenclature normally used by Champagne
wines, Blanc de Blancs is French for
“White of Whites” i.e. white wine from white grapes. This wine is a
blend of Viognier and Clairette grapes and as per the Grover guys, they chose
the particular nomenclature to simplify the label for the common wine consumer.
The wine itself is simple and enjoyable without requiring you to strain for
descriptors, and this is how we placed it for the evening- as an aperitif.
Sauvignon Blanc (Delhi
MRP ₹ 560.00)
A more complex white of the evening with a
vegetal nose combined with hints of tropical fruits. The peppery feel on the
nose indicated its spiciness . The crisp
and complex palate reaffirmed the nose. Went extremely well with the creamy Camembert cheese and Lemon infused Fish.
Cabernet Shiraz (Delhi
MRP ₹ 560.00)
I have had this wine umpteen times earlier and
consider it a good value for money option. With rounded tannins,black fruit
flavours and a distinct smoky feel, this wine was liked a lot. As the name
suggests, the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz- both considered
powerful grape varieties. It was
accompanied exceedingly well by Chicken Malai Tikka amongst other finger food.
La Réserve (Delhi
MRP ₹ 690.00)
Again, a blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes, this wine imbibes extra complexity by virtue of ageing for nine months in French
oak barrels- that lends it extra
complexity . It is a delightfully mouth
filling wine with a nose of black fruits and spice complemented by a powerful
palate of complex flavours of black currants, chocolate, spice, vanilla and
oak. The wine is considered as the prestige cuvée of Grover vineyards and it
lives up to the pedigree. In my opinion,
it is easily the best Indian Red available as on date. Also, at the price
available, it is a steal as compared to equitable imported wines . It paired famously with the
Shammi Kebab and stir fried Mushrooms.
Even as we
started winding up the evening, the Grover guys offered a tasting surprise in
the form of their brand Chêne (meaning Oak in French) that has a unique blend
of Tempranillo (A Spanish grape varietal) and Shiraz. The wine is aged in
French oak for fifteen months followed by fifteen months in the bottle that lends it an impressive and mature
character. However, La Réserve continued to remain the star of the evening and
it only conveyed the certitude of the Divas’ minds. The wine is not available
in Delhi as yet and may be introduced in 2014. Its indicative retail price in Mumbai is ₹ 1800.00.
Finally, to top
the sublime experience, two impromptu electrifying singing performances by
nightingales from amongst the Divas held us spell bound, and compelled many to do
some fervent table tapping. As we
clicked a group photograph for posterity, I realised my new potential status of
being the envy of my male counterparts- and indeed the most befitting way to
wrap up the wine engagements for the year gone by !
