An afternoon with Emma 'Kumari' of Torres

Les gens que vous rencontrez par hasard, sont souvent ceux qui deviennent une partie importante de votre vie. Thus goes the French proverb which means “People whom you meet by chance are often those who become an important part of your life. Most of us have experienced this dictum sometime or the other . I, along with Shalini Kumar, editor Spiritz magazine, experienced it in June this year when we met Emma Llorens Navarro, Brand Ambassador Torres, at the 14th century Milmanda castle which is part of the eponymous Torres winery. As luck would have it, the other person from Torres who was to accompany us on our further visit to La Rioja could not arrive on time due to a delayed flight, and Emma was deputed at the eleventh hour to accompany us for the next two days that involved a delightful 5 hour road trip and stay at Logroño- the capital of La Rioja. What followed was a deep personal rapport between us and Shalini and me concluded our trip to Spain, promising a reunion during Emma’s proposed visit to India later in the year.

 June 2014: Emma, Shalini and me at La Rioja

Nov 2014: Emma in Indian avatar as we get together again!

The wines for company

Indian Charcuterie

The Main Course

Emma 'Kumari' with Sumit Sehgal, CEO Prestige Wines and Spirits

Came November and one fine day I received a call from Shalini “ Emma is here and we propose to meet at my place on Saturday afternoon. I have invited a couple of other close friends too”. Knowing Shalini’s hospitable nature and her love for whipping up delectable cuisine I could see that Madame Editor would have her hands more than full. Hence I volunteered “What would you like me to contribute with ?” Shalini admonished me “Why are you so formal- you’re no longer in the Army- so forget the social propriety and just be sure to arrive somewhat in advance to look into the arrangements with respect to wine”. I was glad that at least somewhere I could pitch in. 

The D day, as I arrived at Shalini's residence around noon, the wine glasses were being given the polishing touches under the diligent eye of Bishan Kumar (Shalini’s husband- and the Group Editor of Blue Ink Media group)- a wonderful host again! So my designated job was already under progress. Nevertheless, I rolled up the sleeves pronto and got into action. Guests too, started pouring in shortly thereafter.

Our wait for Emma along with the Prestige Wines and Spirits team (the importers of Torres wines in India) led by Sumit Sehgal, their CEO, stretched a little- courtesy a traffic bottleneck, which in Delhi depends on one’s celestial configuration for the day! Since the wines too arrived with them, we put the whites to chill and poured out one of the reds – the drool worthy Ibéricos Crianza (100% Tempranillo) - to the anticipative gathering. Emma instinctively took over her role of describing the wine, literally painting the Rioja region into the guests’ minds. Shalini had laid out a vast array of Indian homemade delicacies as well as native charcuterie which were totally new to Emma's palate. Her favourites turned out as the lamb seekh kababs (skewered minced lamb cooked over charcoal fire) and lamb biryani (mutton cooked with rice and Indian whole spices in a dough-sealed pot over slow flame) . The other wines for the day were Mas Rabell (100% Parellada), Viña Esmeralda (Moscatel and Gewurztraminer) and Gran Coronas (Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo) , which found worthy companions in a host of other dishes that the guests were encouraged to experiment with.

As the gathering was enjoying wine and food, I saw Emma being whisked away inside by Shalini, and before I could reason out, she emerged as a next door Indian girl in a salwar-kameez- a traditional Indian ensemble that Shalini had procured specially for her. We were amazed to see how good a fit it was for Emma and Sumit could not help but call her Emma Kumari (a respectful name suffix for an unmarried girl in India) in this getup.

It was time for some quirky photographs and uninhibited laughter as the wines continued to pour out. Several goblets and umpteen conversations thereafter, it was time again to bid adieu and as we hugged amid mixed feelings of joy and melancholy, one thing was confirmed- relations of heart are beyond the realm of social propriety and cultural diversity.

This article was published in Dec 2014 issue of Spiritz Magazine

7 winter cocktails in the run up to the New Year!

Happy New Year! I say this much in advance, having wondered even earlier as to how I could possibly add value to your New Year celebrations through a year-end special blog post. Bingo- came the idea when I went visiting hotel Radisson Blu Plaza, New Delhi and met their Beverage Manager Eldo Jacob- a  young  professional  full of  verve and pizazz.  Eldo  has this parfait amour (pun intended) for libations that I registered, sensing his unrelenting streak for innovation.  It thus occured to me that if I could get behind the bar with him, many hidden pearls were likely to be uncovered- all to the benefit of beverages passionates like you.

Sure enough, Eldo and me had a rendezvous fixed-up and the upshot  expectedly turned out as a  warm bouquet of drinks just apt for these winter months.  At the rate of a drink each day starting X-Mas, these seven drinks are sure to culminate the year gone-by  in style and leave you literally in high spirits to welcome the nouvelle année. Enjoy!

Eldo Jacob, the innovative Beverage Manager at Radisson Blu Plaza, New Delhi

P.S. In a marked departure from my earlier blog posts, this one is almost entirely in images with the sole aim to facilitate downloading of recipes with a right click.  Sharing them on  social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram......... too, will be a cinch, So feel free to share the good times with your near and dear ones.




Cocktail # 7:  The perfect  X-Mas Drink

Cocktail # 6: Boxing day bonhomie

Cocktail # 5 Spicing it up for the New Year eve ahead

Cocktail # 4: Cocking a snook at the freezing temperature

Cocktail # 3 : Mulling over the New Year celebration options

Cocktail # 2 : Gourmet indulgence on  penultimate day of the year 

Cocktail # 1: A toast to the new born year!

Austrians wrap-up 2014 on a high wine note

In the Indian wine milieu, the year 2014 clearly belonged to the Austrians. With the last of their trilogy of wine events completing in November, the Austrians through well planned presentations showcased their wines for the Indian palate to explore them in ample measure. They began with the first master class in April this year and built on the splash, diving deeper with two other similar fixtures organized for different sets of audience. The third master class held in November did essentially the same — presenting a diverse range of as many as 60 wines for guiding the audience, primarily from the wine and F&B trades.

The Masterclass set to commence

It goes to the credit of the organizers that each master class had some element of freshness in terms of range of wines showcased and its focus on different wine regions of Austria. A bonus of these tastings was the congenial environs of the residence of the Austrian Trade Commissioner Dr Wolfram Moritz in the upscale and pollution-free Lutyen's Delhi zone.

Dr, Wolfram Moritz and Sommelier Magandeep Singh

Beauties Galore!

As Sommelier Magandeep Singh started the third session,I could discern the fine tuning in the serving of wines as compared to the earlier two sessions in April and September. This time around, the wines were served in clockwork tandem with the proceedings under way on the stage, which implied that we were holding the same wine whose attributes the sommelier was discussing with the audience. Not that the timing was awry in the earlier two sessions, this time the calibration was perfect to the tee. A sudden chill in Delhi’s weather caught everybody by surprise, which was also too cold for some full-bodied reds for their aromas to emerge. However, Magandeep was quick to guide the gathering on warming up the wines by cocooning the goblet in the palms, which did wonders.

Wines opening up

The Bold and the Beautiful audience

The wines that I really admired were:

Huber Riesling “Berg” 2012

As brought out by Magandeep, “Berg” here signifies a particularly notified area equivalent of a Premier Cru of France. The wine itself lived up to its status by virtue of delightful aromatics, well balanced acidity and a complex palate.

Huber Rosé Sparkling HUGO

An interesting sparkling with a petillante (lightly sparkling) palate. Classified as Extra Dry ( 12-20 gms per litre residual sugar), it appeared  like a Sec (17-35 gms per litre residual sugar) maybe because of the intense red fruit flavours.  This could be a very good wine for wine brunches.

Markowitsch Pinot Noir 2011

A pleasant and lusciously  fruity Pinot Noir with light tannins going from fiber to steel as it progressed to  the finish. This wine was easy drinking as well as gourmet capable.

Leth St. Laurent Reserve 2011

One of my favourites of the evening, this was the wine with an excellent structure and an indulgent mouthfeel. St. Laurent closely compares with Pinot Noir in characteristics, but I found that this wine had a firmer structure with all the advantages that a Pinot Noir fan would expect. 

Angerhof-Tschida Samling 88 Beerenauslese 2012

Beerenauslese implies “Berry level picking” i.e. it is ensured that all the berries for making the wine are fully ripe and hence have higher sugar and more alcohol potential. The wine had good acidity-sweetness balance which is very important for a sweet styled wine. The flavours ranged from quince, honey and white peppers. You could pair this wine with main course as well as desserts. Of course with main course it would have to be something deliberate, like a honey glazed chicken or any preparation that has a sweeter connotation.

  

My ' now customary' photo with Shanay Hubmann

As this  series of master classes came to a close, Shanay Hubmann, the Deputy Trade Commissioner at the Austrian Embassy highlighted “Our ultimate goal is to see more Austrian wine available in the Indian market – at bars, restaurants, and in people’s homes. We are aware that at the moment, Austrian wines are rare in India – partly due to typical grape varietals and partly because of their limited current availability in the country. With these tastings, we hope to create more demand for Austrian wine and to motivate importers to place orders”. Speaking about the effectiveness of these sessions, she said- “The awareness part was certainly achieved, and we hope to see the first orders coming in soon!”

Another visible advantage of these master classes was the highlighting of the major wine regions of Austria, which apart from aiding the understanding about the region specific wines might also have potential in the tourism domain. But according to the Austrian Trade Commission, it could be a while before such spin offs are actively considered. The first step to them remains creating awareness of Austrian wines, going beyond the ubiquitous Grüner Veltliner- by far the most popular varietal wine from the country. According to Shanay, an overwhelming feedback from these three tastings has created possibilities of having smaller, more personalized tastings and wine dinners, for focus groups of wine lovers.

With the Institute of Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR’s) pegging the Indian wine market growing to 73.5% from the current levels in the period 2013-17, this optimistic approach may well prove to be a watershed for Austrian wines in India.

This article  appeared in the Dec 14 issue of Spiritz Magazine

What they teach you in a Champagne Masterclass

Having six Champagne glasses in   front of you with  corresponding bottles to be poured in distant vision is a proposition most of us would call fit for a dream. Add a tasting sheet in the foreground and the context changes from pure indulgence to a surrounding rim of onerous responsibility - a responsibility to objectively and platonically dwell into the virtues of Champagne- a fine beverage, subordinate only to the life sustaining aqua.

My side of the table 

The tasting line up

As Thibaut Le Mailloux, Director of Communication at Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC)  gave finishing touches to his Champagne Masterclass presentation and  the perfectionist Rajiv Singhal, Ambassador of Champagne in India  deftly stroked the final touches at JW Marriott, Aerocity, New Delhi this November, I greeted them with “Bonjour- Vous allez bien?” and saw Thibaut’s face light up with instant recognition. I had met Thibaut  in Epernay, in 2012 during my scholarship trip to CIVC in Rajiv’s company and it looked that the bond had just rekindled.

(L-R) Thibaut, self, Rajiv and Ankur Chawla (Beverages Manager JW Marriott)

The Champagne Masterclass, which is held regularly across the globe by CIVC aims at reinforcing the simple fact- that Champagne comes only from Champagne, with the historical perspective thrown in to emphasize the beverage’s centuries old tradition through the crests and troughs of  time. But besides the veritable history, it  dives deep  into various styles of Champagnes, peculiarities of different regions within the arrondissement  (department) and different styles of Champagne – to name a few.

The Masterclass in progress

 Beverages managers from different star properties (for whom the masterclass was meant) had their skills polished by Thibaut in this rendezvous, and their exuberance was quite palpable by the type of questions coming in- from dosage issues to simple but relevant ones like which Champagne out of the six for the day was Thibaut’s favourite? The seasoned professional but naturally, handled all the volleys with élan.

Coming to the Champagnes, these depicted the amount of brain racking that must have gone into their selection to emphasize each style. The table below amplifies the sequence:

The beauty  of the session was that it did not solely depend on sampling wines but to create the right perspective before the first verre was lifted. For hospitality industry it becomes absolutely essential to understand the evolution of iconic beverages like Champagne, to be able to present them better to their valuable clients for driving home the value derived. To that effect I think that the session achieved that and much more within a third of a day’s proceedings.

Some random  ‘ Pearls of Wisdom’ gathered from the session were :

• The Champagne viticultural practices are  highly environment focused with advanced R&D being incorporated at all stages of production. One  such measure is ‘Sexual Confusion’ wherein plastic capsules containing phermones are located strategically within vineyards. These phermones emit same sex perfume for pests, deterring them from reproducing and hence pesticides are not required for their control.

• The Champagne Appellation has faced brand infringement issues not only for sparkling wine producers but also global luxury brands making perfumes, shampoos, cigarettes  et al. It has successfully contested many such cases in the courts. 14 Champagne Bureaus located in top 10 export markets as well as BRIC countries  act as Champagne’s vanguards. In India the bureau  is headed by Rajiv Singhal.

•  No Champagne bottle across the world  is available without a proper label indicating its provenance. If one is lured by a purported Champagne without label  at a bargain price- it would most certainly be a fake.

• 83% of Champagne sales are consumed within 10000 km radius of the region. This is due to ease of geographical access as well as taxation issues.

• Out of the 11 mn € of wine and spirits exports of France, two thirds is wine and out of this, two thirds is Champagne.

•  Many Champagne houses have interesting stories  to their names. For example, Drappier Champagne comes from a family enterprise, which started its business with bed linen several centuries back and switched over to Champagne production when it started becoming popular in early nineteenth century. In French language Draps means Bed sheets and hence the name. 

The session concluded with a photo for posterity