La Réserve- India's Favourite Wine Relaunched in a New Avatar

"Old wine in new bottle"- is the common refrain to denote cosmetic changes to an existing product. But there’s a subtle variability in its interpretation. If the concerned product is nothing to write home about, cosmetic changes appear unnecessary and maybe a desperate means to ameliorate product consumption. But what if the product is already in the hall of fame? It leads to another proverbial description- “cherry on the icing”.

The latter interpretation was on full display as one of India’s leading wine producers Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV) relaunched their flagship wine La Réserve innovatively, pairing it with a customized barbeque menu by hotel JW Marriott,New Delhi. Titled “La Réserve Barbeques” the Delhi launch was last in series of similar events in Mumbai and Bangalore.

An infographic from Grover Zampa Vineyards to depict the change

About La Réserve

Those familiar with Indian wines would probably agree that La Réserve Red from GZV has attained cult status on the Indian wine front ever since it  was launched in 1998 . After having developed a distinctive French  inclined ‘house style’, courtesy their  active collaboration with famed wine consultant Michel Rolland and French winemaker Mathias Pellisard, GZV have been successfully able to place this wine as their “prestige cuvée”. The wine is the result of hand-picked selection of GZVs oldest Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines vinified and matured in French oak barrels. 

Completing the ensemble offering, La Réserve White is a barrel fermented Viognier which according to GZV, is elaborated vintage after vintage with the same zeal as La Réserve Red.

Apart from the refined disposition of La Réserve wines , my personal opinion  finds their utmost USP as being in their consistent quality- which is a difficult ballgame in a non standardized wine industry like India. This prompted me to ask their CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla “ How are you able to ensure a consistent taste more so when you are producing these wines in two distinct geographical locations (Nandi hills in Karnataka and Nashik Valley in Maharashtra) with different terroir elements ?  Sumedh’s reply was quite plausible, as he highlighted that the cuvée blends are carefully managed to incorporate a minimum percentage of common inputs from their oldest vineyards. Though they do not maintain a stock of Réserve wines for blending, it is the quality of produce that is ensured through sound viticultural practices and oenological expertise at hand.

The New Avatar

The new packaging of La Réserve is not restricted to the label alone. A chunkier broad shouldered bottle similar to the Super Tuscans, is weightier and power inducing. While the older ‘white-gold-black’  label was minimalistic and appeared Victorian, the newer one is big, bold and flamboyantly sophisticated keeping pace with the current times. The embossed graphics in dark grey, wine red and gold/silver (for red/white wines respectively) are a pleasing combination complemented with  a pleasant tactile feel.  Another layer of differentiation is rendered by the capsules- gold for red, and silver for white - which makes the variants' identification easy even from a distance. The price of both these wines ex Delhi retail is  ₹ 1050.00.

The Launch event

Anticipative guests comprising of trade professionals and media witnessed unveiling of the new labels by  Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO GZV and Antony Page, GM JWM, New Delhi even as they savoured the same wines. Though the organizers had envisaged an outdoor setting, the Indian monsoon dictated otherwise, resulting in the last minute shift to the crystal ballroom at JWM. The contingent venue (and the JWM team) did well to spaciously accommodate the gathering as well as the bar/ live barbeque stations.

Sumedh Singh Mandla (L) and Antony Page (R) unveiling the new bottles

As mentioned above, JWM Delhi has evolved a special barbeque menu for the La Réserve wines. It is common knowledge that a robust red wine invariably goes well with rustic barbeque preparations, however with a white wine included, more planning is necessitated than meets the eye.  JWM handled this aspect well by incorporating white wine centric  canapés and cheeses as pass arounds, well recognizing that most guests would  prefer to sample the white wine first. However for those not meeting this assumption, the main spread too had ample options to support their preference. The respective food stations were made interesting with witty chalkboard graffiti which fired the imagination further.

Hit Pairings at the Launch

With La Réserve Red

New Zealand lamb chop.
Pork Finochiona sausage
Moroccan lamb merguez with red wine jus
Fettucini pasta with thyme infused mushroom ragout

With La Réserve White

Norwegian smoked salmon, Sevruga Caviar, Dill sour cream blinis
Prawns with spicy garlic lemon marinade
Fromage de chevre with crisps
Salad- poached chicken, French beans and prunes with honey mustard vinaigrette

10 Indian Wines to Gift this Festive Season

The festive season in India is on its way to reach a crescendo with Diwali- the festival of lights- being just a few days away. With that, the scurry to plan celebrations and scout for gifts has also started. Traditionally on Diwali, Indians clean their homes elaborately, light them up with diyas (earthen lamps), and perform pooja (prayers) to invoke Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi- the Hindu deities considered as harbingers of good luck and prosperity respectively. Diwali is also the occasion to exchange gifts with near and dear ones, as well as professional associates. And this brings us to our favourite topic- wine.

Over the years Indians have been looking for new gifting ideas beyond the traditional sweets and dry fruits. With the overall awareness on wine going up, it is also turning out to be one of the favourite gifting ideas spelling class and sophistication. But choosing the right wine for  gifting can become a tedious issue if one is unsure about the preferences of the intended recipient. The dilemma is accentuated by a multitude of labels available on retail shelves. Then how should one go about picking the right wine?

Having received many such queries over the past years, particularly during festive occasions, I thought of coming up with a list of wines based on my personal experience. Since the  list could become humungous, I decided to stick to Indian wines on three accounts. Firstly, Indian wines have seen admirable evolution in the past few years, winning global awards and featuring in the wine lists of Michelin starred restaurants. Secondly, thanks to the absence of customs duties (as much as 160%), they invariably offer good value for money as compared to their imported counterparts. And lastly- the supply chain for these wines being much shorter, there is lesser chances of spoilage on account of improper handling/storage.

However, the number of 'good' Indian wines could be many more than just a list of 10. Hence I also narrowed down the focus based on the following considerations:

• I should have tasted each wine at least twice to find them consistently good.
• The wines should be available in at least two major metros of India- viz. Delhi and Mumbai.
• To include generic personality types of wine consumers.

So here is my festive pick for 2015 (wines listed category wise and not in any order of precedence):

Getting Winesome with Indian Wines

Indian wines have evoked a lot of interest worldwide of late. From being listed in Michelin starred restaurants to rubbing shoulders with international peers on retail shelves, the buzz on Indian wines continues to grow. And with that, wine events featuring Indian wines and cuisine are also being received with heightened interest.

Recently I hosted a wine dinner titled “Winesome India” offering a lowdown on the Indian wine industry highlighting its promising prospects on the international scene. We presented six wines from one of India’s prominent wine producers Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV). Coupled with a four course spread from one of Delhi’s  rapidly emerging wine friendly Indian restaurant Gulati Spice Market (GSM), we had wine lovers enthused on Indian wine and food pairing- which is considered challenging by many folks.

Guests raise a toast to Winesome India

Conversations galore!

The event though was not just about eating, drinking and making merry. It was an endeavour to present Indian wines and cuisine in the right earnest- to be served at right temperature, sequence and food affinity. And while doing so, to highlight that Indian wines hold good promise, considering their relative nascence. Given that Indian wines are increasingly being awarded at global competitions, we also wanted to dispel a common perception that they are sub-par as compared to international wines.

The evening started with rounds of Zampa Sparkling Brut, paired with a wide range of finger food, followed by the starter, main and dessert courses coupled with two wines each (see menu below). Though an Indian dinner is classically not course oriented, we managed to unobtrusively spread it so, bringing out each pairing deservedly in full glory!

The Winesome menu

The range of wines represented the diversity of GZV portfolio courtesy their large heartedness in offering their entire portfolio to pick and choose from. . Rohit Arora,Trade Marketing Manager GZV worked closely with me on selecting the wines to adequately represent the two major wine regions of India  viz. Nasik Valley and the Nandi Hills where they grow their grapes. Two of their wines that we used have also recently been included in  the wine list of L’Arpège- a 3 star Michelin Restaurant in Paris, rated amongst 25 best restaurants of the world.

The wine parade

Popular wines of the evening

While all wines basked in their dedicated moments of glory, there were some that were runaway hits. These were:

Art Collection Rosé

Grape: Shiraz

 A fresh and fruity wine with a pleasing salmon pink colour. It paired well with the starter course of light and airy Makai Seekh (skewered kababs made with beaten minced corn) and decadent Galaouti Kabab (parboiled and pan cooked minced lamb patties) served on mini Sheermal (sweet fermented bread).

VA Collection Red

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon + Shiraz + Viognier

Launched by GZV last autumn, this wine has been generating a lot of interest having already garnered a couple of international awards. An extrovert  red, with flavours and aromas of black fruits and wild flowers, the wine has firm rounded tannins making it a good pairing with succulent Indian preparations.

La Réserve Red

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon + Shiraz

By far the most respected of GZV wines, it is more restrained than the VA Red but packs immense power, making it an alpha wine. Black fruits, chocolate and vanilla personify this wine as a bold red that can be at ease with the most robust of Indian foods .

Both, VA Collection Red and La Réserve above, came of their own with the main course of Burrah Kabab (marinated lamb chops slow cooked in a clay oven), Paneer Takatak ( griddle cooked cottage cheese cubes with Indian spices) , a variety of Dals (gravied lentils), assorted Indian breads and steamed vegetable rice.

Zampa Soirée Brut Rosé

Grape: Shiraz

A creamy and delightful Rosé sparkling, this is a versatile wine that can either be enjoyed as an aperitif or with food, including dessert courses. The wine has aromas of red berries accentuated by yeasty notes and a lush palate that makes it gourmet inclined.

This sprightly Rosé harmoniously counterbalanced the creamy Gulkand Firni (Milk and rice reduction with candied rose petals) as also the more robust Moong Dal Cigar with Rabri dip (Cooked lentils in sugar syrup stuffed in filo pastry  and served with thickened milk dip). Pairing a dry sparkling wine with dessert has been successfully tried internationally and it worked well with the Indian desserts too.

Finger licking food from Gulati Spice Market

Happy and contended faces

The audience for Winesome India comprised of distinguished people from different vocations who share common love for wine and cuisine. Defence officers, corporate honchos, food and beverages professionals and business owners- all were there to raise the toast to the winsome proposition in Winesome India.



....and Winesome India is also the toast of leading Beverages publications in India !

Spiritz Magazine Oct 2015 issue

vino india, Oct 2015 issue

The Grover Zampa Vijay Amritraj Collection: Mapping Personality to Wine

A  wine  rendezvous  quite obviously entails tasting of wines and food to go along. It is only the

orientation of such events that sets them apart on the basis of aspects like-  the venue, exclusivity of wines and food and the profile of guests in attendance. Recently, the launch of Vijay Amritraj  (VA) Reserve collection  by Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV) in New Delhi   witnessed these elements, befitting  the stature of the event that  saw Mr Vijay Amritraj himself fly in from Los Angeles to mingle with wine lovers of Delhi.   The venue was the expansive 2^nd floor terrace of Hotel Leela Palace at Chanakyapuri where the who’s who of Delhi’s wine fraternity descended to enjoy the wines amidst an evening full of festive revelry (Diwali, the festival of lights being just a day away)- and some classy hors d’œuvres.

Having been launched earlier at London, Mumbai and Bangalore, the VA collection is the first ever attempt by an Indian producer to model wine around a celebrated personality. This bold step could probably not be taken by anyone else than one of the  oldest and the most respected wine brands of  India. Mr Kapil Grover, Chairman GZV informed the gathering that the wines had been developed in close coordination with the tennis ace over a span of two years, and as such, incorporate many aspects of his versatile personality of being a Hollywood actor and producer, UN messenger of peace and a wine connoisseur . Two variants  - a red and a white, form this premium collection,   which  retail at Rs 1200.00 and £ 14.99 a bottle in India and the UK respectively.

(L-R)  Kapil Grover, Chaiman Grover Zampa, Vijay Amritraj and Vivek Nair, Chairman Leela Hotels launching the wines

Team Grover Zampa with the Tennis legend

The evening started with rounds of GZV’s sparkling wine Zampa Soirée Brut as the guests engaged in animated conversations with the top brass of the company present on the occasion. Shortly after the tennis legend arrived, the collection was launched with short and humorous talks by him and Mr Grover. The wines were then uncorked and flowed freely for the guests to sample. Around the wines I had the opportunity to have passionate discussions with both Mr  Amritraj and Mr Grover that enabled me draw my own inferences on the legend's specific personality traits  mapped to the respective wines.   I am listing these below:

The Wines

VA Collection Red:

Grapes:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Viognier
Alcohol: 14%

Wine lovers would know that Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are two robust grape varieties with

good level of tannins that are often used to provide backbone to a blend. Only a warm weather region could pull off the coup of having these two varietals to facilitate a blend that has sufficient ripeness while retaining an excellent structure. As I spoke to Mr Kapil Grover, inquiring about the premise of adding Viognier, he highlighted the reason being the desired upping of the fruitiness quotient- a common practice in the renowned  blends coming from the famous Rhône valley in France.  

Tasting Notes: Deep ruby red colour with a very expressive nose of red fruits, spice and discernible oak. Well structured with rounded tannins, a taste of red fruits and a long finish. Those who do not prefer prominently oaked wines may do well to reserve the bottle for an year or so, to enable the wood tannins to mature further. Ideal for pairing with rustic meat or well textured vegetarian dishes. 

How it matches to VA's personality: The potent volleys of the tennis ace are represented well by the wine's bold demeanour. The aromatics (fruits, flowers,spice) imparted by Viognier bring out his colourful charm as a Hollywood artist- not to forget the wine's complexity rendered by ageing in French oak barrels that signify  his many skills.

VA Collection White:

Grape:  Viognier
Alcohol: 13.5%

The main challenge in a Viognier based wine is in getting the right acidity level, as the wine starts getting flabby with increasing ripeness. So what was boon for the red in our context could well have been a bane for this one. But  I would say that VA Collection White has been managed very deftly going by its sprightly acidity that complements its fruity and floral notes rather well. The wine has been barrel-fermented which makes it toasty and creamier along with an extra chutzpah imparted by barrel maturation. 

Tasting Notes: Straw coloured wine having aromas of white flowers and stone fruits. On the palate it is fruity with pleasing acidity and mild spiciness. A versatile wine that could be enjoyed as an aperitif or with food.

How it matches to VA's personality:The noble grape varietal that has been adapted extremely well to the Indian conditions signifies Vijay’s momentous achievement of putting India on the world tennis map wherein he stood at No. 16 in the world rankings, beating well known worthy competitors such as Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. This Viognier may well establish India as being highly competent in producing a single varietal wine that defies traditional perceptions about terroir influences.

Yours truly with fellow wine lovers

During my interaction with  Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO Grover Zampa Vineyards, he brought out that apart from India, the key markets envisaged for these premium wines are UK, USA Europe and South East Asia, where the initial response to the wines has been very encouraging. 

With GZV wines winning 05 medals at the recently concluded Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA) 2013, the VA Reserve collection has lots to cheer about. Developing wines around a famous personality may also work well in the interest of the consumer, as the producer will be obliged to maintain the wine style over the years- a quality measure that has so far been lacking in the unregulated Indian wine scene.

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!