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.