Monday, December 30, 2013

Women...and Wine

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 !


 

Until 2014, I sign off with wishing you all and your families a marvellous year ahead abundant with Good Health, Happiness and Prosperity ....and of course plenty of Good Wines to root! 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The one thing you must do at Bordeaux

A visit to Bordeaux invariably implies venturing deep inside vineyard territory, getting a close view of the vines, and of course the opportunity to taste umpteen wines. But amid all the vineyard fervour one tends to overlook the latent beauty of the ancient Bordeaux Ville that beautifully dovetails the old world charm with modern day conveniences.
The enchanting  Miroir d'Eau at Place de la Bourse

The sixth largest city in France, Bordeaux town gives an impression of a story book world where the daily affairs go on with poetic fluidity and where you could look forward to meeting your sweetheart on a bicycle with a basket full of fresh flowers!  From the impeccably maintained tram that takes you in a jiffy to the Centre Ville  bustling with activity without being overcrowded, to a promenade down the expanse of Place de la Bourse with its famous Le Miroir d’Eau, (The Mirror of Water) Bordeaux City has more than a handful of options to engage the exuberant visitor. But what would be that one thing for a wine fan, without which his trip may well fall short of accomplishment? In my opinion it would be  a visit to Bar à Vin – a destination well known for its enviable collection of Bordeaux wines at prices that won’t make you recalculate your finances!

The entrance to Bar à Vin

The expansive interiors of Bar à Vin
Bar à Vin is situated in the Maison du Vin which is an 18th Century building housing the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wine Council) and its associated establishments. The bar is at the ground level of the building with spacious setting and contemporary seating around wine bottles symmetrically organised into high walls that also act as giant partitions. As I went there alone, my preference was to occupy a place at the bar counter in order to get the advantage of the bartender’s company- a pretty mademoiselle who could communicate in English. Soon enough, my hostess presented the menus for wine and food whereby the geek in me got cracking straightaway. The wine menu had a selection of around 30 wines and I was told that this list was updated frequently to keep the varieties flowing. Major considerations for me while ordering the wines were:
  • ·         Must try the famous Bordeaux Clairet- a wine that is difficult to find elsewhere.
  • ·         Explore a type that I had not sampled in the estates during the previous four days.
  • ·         A  Sauternes towards the end.

 I thus, narrowed down on the following:

·         2011 AOC Bordeaux Clairet- Château Penin.
·         2006 AOC Bordeaux Supérieur- Château de Reignac Grand Vin.
·         2009 AOC Sauternes- Château Haut Bergeron.
Blue cheese platter with Bordeaux Clairet


To pair up the above wines, I ordered an Assiette des Fromages Bleu (Blue Cheese Platter) for a price of 6 € that had three cheeses- Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu de Bresse and Bleu de Pyrénées . The tasting experience went as under:

The Wine menu
2011 AOC Bordeaux Clairet- Château Penin
Price per glass (150 ml): 2 €
Grape: Merlot

Clairet is the genre of wine placed in between the Red and Rosé due to its level of tannin and colour extraction being between the two. It is a casually drunk wine, the majority of which is consumed in Bordeaux itself (since it is supposed to be drunk young) and has been exported to neighbouring England since 18th century. Château Penin is situated in the Graves region on the left bank of Dordogne river and produces mainly Merlot dominated wines .

Tasting notes
A bright and translucent ruby colour with aromas of red fruits- prominent being raspberry and red cherry. On the palate it was juicy and savoury with a light-medium  body and balancing acidity.  It best accompanied the creamy and buttery Bleu de Bresse which is a blue cheese made from cow’s milk and produced in  Bresse, Burgundy.

2006 AOC Bordeaux Supérieur- Château de Reignac Grand Vin
The Food menu

Grapes: 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
Price per glass (150 ml): 2.5 €
Bordeaux Supérieur is a notch higher in quality than generic Bordeaux wines- in that the grapes come from better notified areas. Château de Reignac is an estate on the western side of Entre Deux Mers (meaning Between Two Rivers) region otherwise famous for its crispy white wines. The ‘Grand Vin’ indicated on the label indicates it as one of the top offerings from the estate but it is not of relevance as regards formal classification system of French wines.

Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red colour with aromas of red fruits and oak. On the palate it was fruity with plums, cherries and black currant. The body was full with a light oaky finish. Went extremely well with all the cheeses but more particularly with Fourme d’Ambert that has a mildly sharp and nutty flavour.

2009 AOC Sauternes- Château Haut Bergeron
Grape: Semillon
Price per glass (150 ml): 6 €

The Sauternes region towards south of Bordeaux  is famous for its micro climate that promotes formation of ‘noble rot’ - a favourable fungus that causes concentration of grape sugars)  on susceptible grape varieties and Semillon happens to be one of those. The other grape varietals that can be used in Sauternes wines are Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.

Tasting Notes
 A deep golden colour with an intense honeyed nose. Full bodied with medium acidity and flavours of tropical and dried fruits. The wine complemented the Bleu de Pyrénées made from sheep’s milk that had strong flavours. Good acidity level of the wine also managed the creaminess of Bleu de Bresse well.

To summarise the total experience, it was a wine trance of sorts where I just let my senses take-over time and again for a surrealistic feel- only to get intermittently awakened for taking down notes and clicking photos for posterity. For a total price of 16.5 € (plus a 5 € tip to the gracious hostess who provided me with knowledgeable company) it was a rare ‘value for money’ experience that spoils you for choice.

My trip to Bordeaux could finally be called accomplished!

With the gracious bartender






This article also featured in Spiritz Magazine Dec 13 issue