Revisiting Torres Wines

Most wine lovers would agree that there are some wines which we meet as if they are well known friends. 'They' are quite familiar in terms of behavior, inclinations et al. These are often wines that we have encountered more than once, sometimes in their land of provenance. Torres wines from Spain and Chile are some such wines for me.

Reminiscences of tasting Torres wines when I visited them in 2014

Though I had sampled Torres wines several times before visiting their facilities in Catalunya and La Rioja, it was only after my visit that I  became close to them in the real sense. Having  physically seen their vineyards and wineries, meeting their winemakers and sharing lunch with the top man- Miguel A Torres himself (read my interview with Miguel A Torres), I became so  familiar with their labels as to recognize them easily beyond the realm of legibility, with their respective cuvée compositions coming automatically to the mind.

Hence I was quite enthused when Prestige Wines and Spirits, Torres’ importers in India invited me recently for a dinner with Mireia Prim, the brand’s ambassador responsible for India.  Mireia arrived on a three city tour to conduct trade sessions, interact with consumers and media, as also to get a first hand feel of the Indian wine environment . The rendezvous gave me an excellent opportunity to revisit some of my favourite wines,  and to catch up on friends made during my visit of 2014.

Mireia Prim, Brand Ambassador Torres guiding the dinner

For the uninitiated, Torres S.A. is a prominent Spanish winemaker, widely acclaimed as having single-handedly  revived the fortunes of wine trade in  the Penédes  region. It was these efforts  that led to the region’s recognition as a DO (Denominación de Origen) in 1976 after the Appellation regulations came into effect. The Torres Family has since then ventured much beyond Penédes owning  more than 2,400 hectares of vineyards, most of which are located in Spain apart from the ones in Chile and California. These wines are exported  to more than 160 countries across the world-  including India.

For my meeting with Mireia, I arrived  a little early at  'Honk', the Asian cuisine restaurant at hotel Pullman-Novotel. My deliberation of donning the Torres necktie worked, as she instantly noticed the detail. Knowing further that the tie was gifted to me by none other than Miguel Torres Maczassek, fifth generation of Torres family and General Manager Torres SA during his visit to Delhi last year, she suggested that we click a photo which she could show back home. I obliged readily.

After a brief one-on-one conversation, we moved al fresco to sample the first wines of the evening- Torres De Casta Rosé, which was served around starters as the guests assembled. The engagement continued indoors with an innovatively paired menu called "Spanish Moves on Asian Tongue" curated by the hotel to showcase the compatibility of Torres wines with culinary influences from diverse regions of Asia.  Also, each course was prepared using different cooking methods - from steaming to Robata (Japanese styled grilling), Charsiu ( a Cantonese method to flavor and prepare barbequed food) and likewise. The concept afforded to showcase  the dexterity of  wines in adapting to Asian food.

Guests at the dinner. Sumit Sehgal, Director Prestige Wines and Spirits  is second from right 

Wines and their pairings (Prices ex Delhi retail)

A diverse bouquet of Torres wines

Torres De Casta Rosé 2015 (Garnacha+Cariñena+Syrah+Tempranillo)

Price: ₹ 1730.00

Paired with: Assorted Starters

A refreshing Rosé with amazing levels of complexity to go with a range of foods. I liked it particularly  with sushi and assorted skewers doing the rounds.

Torres Viña Esmeralda (Moscatel+Gewurztraminer)

Price: ₹ 1650.00

Paired with Herb and Star Anise Smoked Prawn Har Gow

Viña Esmeralda has been a popular wine in India owing to it’s distinct lychee and melon aromas recognized well in the land. Apart from tropical fruit aromas, the wine has perfumed floral highlights which develop further on the palate into an abundance of flavours.  The wine worked well with the aromatic Har Gow (traditional Cantonese dumplings).

Torres Gran Viña Sol ₹ 1500/- (Chardonnay+Parellada)

Price: ₹ 1500.00

Paired with:  Salmon Robata and Miso Garlic

Another of Torres’ value for money wines considering that some Indian whites are selling at approximately the same price despite the tax advantage! While the Chardonnay gives this wine its crispness, Parellada lends it the aromatics and body. Reason enough  to pair it with the savoury dumplings at this dinner.

Torres Altos Ibéricos Crianza 2012 (100% Tempranillo)

Price: ₹ 2500.00

Paired with: Roast Duck

Same wine different experiences: (Top) Pairings I tried at La Rioja, and (Bottom-R) Pairing at Pullman New Delhi

The last time I enjoyed Altos Ibéricos, was with Vine-Grilled Lamb Chops and Patatas Riojana  in a Spanish countryside grill restaurant with none else than the winemaker for company This time too, the wine was a delight with it’s pairing  of Roast Duck, which had a nice texture to complement the wine's restrained power.

Mas La Plana 2009 (100% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Price: ₹ 6500.00

Paired with Pork/Chicken/Eggplant Charsiu

Chicken/ Wild Mushroom Lo Mai Gai

Mas La Plana is not only Torres’ Prestige Cuvée, it denotes an outstanding adaptation of an international varietal to local terroir. The wine is a gourmand’s delight, having the depth to accommodate several flavours/textures- maybe  reason why the hotel offered it with two pairings. This full bodied wine with rounded tannins and notes of dark berries, chocolate, vanilla and mint, didn’t disappoint either.

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro (100% Moscatel)

Price: ₹ 1850.00

Paired with Berry Parfait, Lemon Curd, Raspberry Coulis, Strawberry Sorbet

Floralis Moscatel Oro is my go-to dessert wine for majority of wine dinners that I host in India. Reason? It has all the ingredients desirable of a dessert wine- balance, spiciness and long finish, made more attractive with a favourable price as compared to equivalent dessert wines. The sweet and sour components of the dessert integrated seamlessly with the complex flavor profile of the wine.

Sumit Sehgal, CEO Prestige Wines and Spirits Pvt Ltd informed me that they periodically conduct such sessions to highlight their wines' compatibility with different types of cuisine. The arrival of Brand Ambassadors to connect with trade and consumers, on one hand emphasizes the brand's seriousness towards the visited markets and on the other, gives them feedback to carry out course correction if any.

Going by the response at the dinner, the Torres Wine Armada appears well on course!

A selfie to carry the goodwill home

India Witnesses It's First Ever 'Exclusively Wine' Awards

Awards mean recognition. We know that humans crave recognition. Abraham Maslow’s theory defines such an orientation  as ‘esteem need’ wherein a person, who has already achieved physical, security and social needs, aspires to be acknowledged for his/her efforts. No wonder we have awards associated with virtually every sphere of life. At the highest level they come as  Nobel prizes, Grammys, Emmys, Oscars and the list goes on endlesssly into every possible area of expertise.

It was hence logical that the Indian wine industry- a comparatively nascent one-  would come up with its own set of awards sooner than later. It finally happened this year with delWine Excellence (dWE) awards.  The awards are the  outcome of collaboration between three entities -'delWine', an e-newsletter on wine,  'Indian Wine Academy', an organisation that promotes wine (both founded by noted wine personality Subhash Arora) and 'Indian Restaurant Spy', a food and wine blog by renowned journalist Sourish Bhattacharyya. Supported by India’s first and only Master of Wine Sonal Holland who is also co-chair on the jury and Rifaquat Ali Khan Mirza, an eminent hospitality professional, dWE awards have provided the initial spark to accredit wine professionals across the country for their efforts with requisite deliberation. The awards are envisioned to be held in two stages, one each  in Delhi and Mumbai- India’s major wine hubs. 

 delWine Excellence awards core team:
(L-R) Subhash Arora, Sonal Holland MW and Sourish Bhattacharya
(Pic: delWine)

According to Subhash Arora, the primary consideration for holding these awards at two places is to do full justice to hotels and restaurants engaged in wine service in both these cities. "To make the awards more interesting, we have incorporated different award categories on the national level as well" Arora adds.

The Inaugural Event

The inaugural Delhi-National Capital Region round of dWE awards was held on September 14, 2016 , at the Peacock Ballroom of Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. The awards ceremony was preceded by  a Wines of the World (WOW) showcase, where guests had the opportunity to sample more than 120 wines, Indian as well as international. The engagement also offered good networking opportunity, not otherwise feasible  at such a scale. Ensuite, the awards ceremony was conducted around a sit-down wine-paired dinner for 300 wine professionals, journalists and connoisseurs, admirably managed by Team Pullman  amid an exuberantly circulating audience.

'Wines of World ' sampling in progress

With an eminent jury in place, the objectivity associated with the awards was largely established. However there were hits and misses related to expectations- a normal phenomenon in any competitive environment. Interestingly, there was a tie for the Jury Awards for Best Sommelier of the Year (Five-Star Hotel) and the Popular Perception Award for Best Importer. Also, Editor's Choice Award for the Best Value for Money Wine List (Five Star Hotel) was not given away because the organizers felt that  Five-Star hotels ought to transfer the price benefit  of duty free imports to the consumer before being considered for such an award.

Kapil Grover, Chairman Grover Zampa Vineyards after receiving the  delWine Lifetime Achievement Award
Pic: delWine

The Winners

The final list of winners is summarized in the image given below . Please feel free to download and share. Alternately, click here  to view and  download as high resolution PDF .

The Road Ahead

delWine Excellence awards have come as a welcome development on the Indian winescape. Such initiatives are  bound to stimulate the wine market in the country towards refinement in wine quality and service levels. Speaking about immediate plans after the inaugural event, Arora said that apart from the Mumbai version of dWE awards, they also plan to host India Wine Awards, which, for the first time in the country, will be based on blind barrel tastings in each of the country's wine-producing districts by a panel of experts. These Awards are being planned for February-March 2017 and will be held in Mumbai and Bangalore in alternate years.

"With the two awards, we will honor the country's best wine professionals and cover 360 degrees of the wine experience -- from wine service, imports, retail and tourism to the quality of wines being produced in India, from consumer-driven industry awards to tastings-led expert awards," said Arora.

The wine scene in India seems all set for the next level of evolution.

Glenn McGrath Launches William Hardy Range of Wines in India

McGrath at the launch
Pic: Prashant Sharma/Sula Vineyards

It was the ‘first ball’ of the ‘second over’ by Glenn McGrath. Quite expectedly, the ‘line and length’ was consistent, coherent with his reputation of being one of the greatest bowlers of cricketing history.

Before you wonder why I am  talking cricket in a wine blog, let me put things in perspective. With Glenn McGrath donning the Hardys attire frequently in his role as brand ambassador, similies like these are bound to arise. The ‘second over’ in the present context was the official launch of William Hardy Range (WHR) of wines in India, the first one being when McGrath arrived last year to launch the “Art of Cricket” collection reported earlier in this space. On a three city tour to Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, McGrath wowed wine lovers of all hues, whether cricket fans or not. I found my privileged place in the Delhi edition courstey Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury, the mercurial General Manager - International Brands & Trade Marketing Sula Vineyards, the import partner of Hardys in India.

The William Hardy Range

The launch of WHR in India was impending ever since William (Bill) Hardy himself came visiting the country in the autumn of 2015 to introduce his eponymous label in person. The collection, which is in line with Hardys precedence of honouring its generational icons with dedicated labels was initially launched in 2012, the year the brand completed 160 years and when Bill, a fifth generation family member, completed 40 years of dedicated service to the business.

Sampling the William Hardy Range in 2015 with Bill Hardy himself

During Bill’s visit, I also had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with him, and  get first hand knowledge on WHR wines, along with tasting these wines (notes given towards the end of this post) . Those interested, please read about my personal rendezvous with Bill Hardy in details here.

About the Range

In summary, the WHR comprises of single varietal- single region wines, intended to grow with the years to match the stature of their prestige wines like the Eileen Hardy (named after Bill’s grandmother) range. Two wines- a Chardonnay from the Limestone Coast and a Shiraz from McLaren Vale, form this range. The wines conform to Hardys  philosophy of blending between different vineyards to get the best out of  various terroirs. Hardys Chief Winemaker  Paul Lapsley has blended cuvées from prestigious cool as well as warm climate parcels in order to come up with wines that deliver great depth and intensity of flavour.”

The Launch Event

The arrival of WHR wines in India was formally announced at a  dinner, jointly organized by  Sula wines, ITC Maurya and Delhi Wine Club. Ottimo Cucina Italiana- an Italian speciality restaurant situated on the 18^th floor of the hotel offered a panoramic view of Delhi, even as the guests reveled  interacting with McGrath-  a revered icon of cricket playing nations like India.  Wines from Hardys “Stamp” and “Art of Cricket” collection were served during the evening, since the WHR wines are currently in the final stages of reaching the Indian market after meeting the regulatory requirements. A vast range of fine Italian food comprising of pastas, grills, charcuterie, cheeses and breads kept the wines in good company.

McGrath with guests at the William Hardy Range launch dinner
Pic: Prashant Sharma/ Sula Vineyards

Ann Marie-Sharp, representative from Accolade Wines, the umbrella organization for Hardys, told me that after Bill’s visit last year, they pragmatically studied the Indian market and felt that the time was just ripe to introduce the WHR wines. She further  informed that these wines take Hardys offering in India a notch higher than their already available range with the  retail price of each of these wines ex Delhi, being ₹ 2500.00. Excise being a state subject in India, the wines are priced lesser in Chennai (₹ 970.00) and Kolkata (₹ 1900.00). So Chennai wine lovers have one more reason to be happy other than  McGrath's association with the MRF Pace Academy in the city.

The wines will also be available in other major cities including Mumbai and Bangalore.

William Hardy Chardonnay

The grapes for this wine have been sourced from the famous Limestone Coast region. The cool coastal climate allows the grapes to naturally ripen slowly and thereby intensify the flavours.WH Chardonnay is full bodied,with citrus and stone fruit flavours, notably peaches. Subtle oak highlights give it an extra character. A good match with pasta and creamy dishes.

William Hardy Shiraz

Made with grapes from McLaren Vale, Clare Valley & Frankland River- the best growing regions for Shiraz,  this  deep ruby coloured wine has a vibrant nose of blackberry, plum and cinnamon. The palate is intense and lush with soft velvety tannins and a long finish. The wine will work well with tandoori and other robust Indian preparations like chicken tikka, mah ki dal- tandoori roti (slow cooked black lentils with butter stirred in, accompanied by clay oven flat bread) and likewise.