A Sake Extravaganza!

The massive Sake wall
as viewed from the upper floor

Revisiting something you love is always a burning desire, and so I felt when  invited for an exclusive Sake tasting at the chic Akira Back Japanese restaurant at hotel JW Marriott near Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. The hotel has come up recently on the Indian capital’s hospitality landscape (after overcoming the security hurdles due to proximity to the airport) and has  already started making its presence felt.Akira Back is its contemporary Japanese Restaurant with Korean essence, named after one of Las Vegas' most beloved and respected chefs- Akira Back. 

The Sake tasting was the initiative of Ankur Chawla, the young and accomplished Beverages Manager of the hotel who has several feathers in his cap- from couture cuisine and fine wines to authoring a best seller book! The tasting was conducted by Keith Norum- the Overseas Operations Manager of Miyasaka Brewing Company,  who specially flew in from Japan for the purpose. Their  famous Masumi brand Sakes are imported in India by Brindco Sales Ltd- the top wine importer of the country.

As we entered the restaurant, an imposing Sake wall panning across two floors, shod with numerous bottles and Sake related stuff greeted us  even as we descended to the sous sol private dining  area. Being an early bird (a habit that often surprises my hosts), I took photos at leisure including one with Ankur and Keith before we got into the turbo tasting mode.

R-L: Ankur Keith and me with the 1.8 litre Sake bottles

About Sake
I have described Sake in details in one of my previous blog posts- For the Sake of Sake. However, for the uninitiated, it would suffice to describe Sake as a fermented drink from Japan, made elaborately  from a special quality of rice and having some of the best characteristics of both beer and wine. It is a unique product whose popularity is exponentially increasing worldwide in tandem with Oriental cuisine.

As a prelude to the tasting, Keith enlightened us on Sake history and the contribution of Miyasaka Brewing Co. towards its advent on the global scene. One thing Ankur highlighted and I found it particularly useful was that the Masumi Sakes invariably have some label information in english as well, which helps a lot in identifying the Sake. Also, with a little bit of practice, one could easily decode the other information written in Japanese, and so, choosing Sake may not necessarily be an alien experience.

Soon enough, the tasting commenced and progressed as under:

The line-up for Tasting

Sake: Masumi Sanka

Classification: Junmai Daiginjo super premium

Milling rate: 45%

Alcohol: 16%
Serving Temperature: 10-15°C 

Paired with: Yellowtail jalapenos with green chilli, 

coriander and Yuzu soy.
MRP (Delhi): ₹ 16250.00 (1800ml)

An aromatic Sake with tropical fruit notes- pineapple being most prominent for me. A delightful palate of luscious fruits with subtle acidity. Balanced the fragrant spiciness of the food well.




Sake: Masumi Karakuchi Ki-ippon
Classification: Junmai Ginjo premium
Milling rate: 55%

Alcohol: 15%

Serving Temperature: 12-15°C (can also be served warm  at 40-48°C)

Paired with: Hot oil seared Salmon with mixed peppers, lotus chips and sesame oil. 

MRP (Delhi): ₹ 5610.00 (720ml)

A restrained nose of red apples and flowers. A rounded palate with good acidity and a delicately astringent finish giving impression of firmness. Supported the rich and lush palate of the hot oil seared Salmon.

Sake: Masumi Kippuku Kinju
Classification: Junmai Ginjo Yamahai premium

Milling rate: 55%

Alcohol: 15%

Serving Temperature: 12-45°C (can be served both cold or warm)
Paired with: Wasabi Pepper Tenderloin with potato purée, wild Japanese mushrooms and wasabi au poivre.

MRP (Delhi): ₹ 10980.00 (1800ml);

 ₹ 5130.00 (7200ml)

Notice the ‘Yamahai’ in the classification above. It
implies that the Sake has been produced using traditional method (using natural buildup of lactic acid rather than adding it externally) a method that is proven to impart richness to the Sake. True to its pedigree, the Sake was mildly fragrant and full flavoured with firm acidity leading to a crisp finish. An ideal accompaniment for red meats and grills.

Sake : Masumi Tokusen

Classification: Honjozo

Milling rate: 60%

Alcohol: 15%

Serving Temperature: 12-15°C (can also be served warm  at 40-48°C)

Paired with: Sake steamed flounder with baby bok choy, Nori, Yozu Soy
MRP (Delhi): ₹ 3765.00 (720ml);

 ₹ 2010.00 (300ml)

Considered one of the highly reputed warm served Sakes (having won several medals consecutively in London’s International Wine Challenge) this could well be called a gourmet Sake with a sophisticated palate of floral finesse and good acidity. Paired really well with the Cantonese style Flounder(a flat structured fish)  cooked with a Japanese twist.

Sake : Masumi Okuden Kanzukuri

Classification: Junmai

Milling rate: 60%

Alcohol: 15%

Serving Temperature: 12-15°C (can also be served warm  at 40-48°C)

Food pairing: Sushi and Roll selection
MRP (Delhi): ₹ 5140.00 (720ml)

Masumi considers this an ideal Junmai with its traits of organic flavours and rice malt sweetness. It was mellow and mild with a perfect balance making it a versatile accompaniment with the range of Sushi and rolls (both vegetarian and non vegetarian) on offer.

Thus culminated the riot of flavours with some of the best Sakes available in India as on date. I wish that more Sake tastings are organised at a larger scale, giving an opportunity to wine lovers to experiment with a whole new dimension of flavours. It is only then that the beverage could be seen transcending the boundaries of  5 Star properties or speciality restaurants. Friends of wine would  eagerly await that to happen.

Keith discussing  food pairing with the Chef

Of Yoga, Wine ... and Cuisine

Wine tasting in the lap of Himalayas? It probably doesn’t get fresher than that! I started the  Year 2014 on a

Chilling out- Nature style

work cum pleasure trip to the sleepy hamlet of  Bhatelia, a couple of kilometers ahead from Mukteshwar in Nanital district of Uttarakhand.  That the area had received fresh snowfall just a day prior to our landing was a divine blessing as it enabled me to chill the wines in natural snow- and needless to mention, it worked magnificently to enhance the excitement of wine lovers!

Background of the Event

It was in Apr 2013 that  Haru Mehra, owner of Frehindi Education Pvt Ltd- a well known French language training institute in Delhi, discussed with me, the idea of having a wine session in the Himalayas during his Institute’s Frehindi Village Séjour . Haru has been conducting these excursions since the last two years where the focus is to facilitate cultural exchange between Indian and French/Francophonic people. To this effect, Bhatelia has been developed by him as Frehindi village, with excellent facilities for ethnic living, interaction with village folks, visit to heritage sites and what's more, adventure activities. This year, the highlights of the engagement  were Yoga by an American expert, French cuisine by a French teacher from Morocco and of course the Wine session by yours truly.

The attentive audience

Imane demonstrating the making of Crêpes

Coming to the wine session that happened on the day two of our three day stay, we decided to have it back to back with the cuisine session to be conducted by  Imane Ibnoussina (a French language professor at Frehindi from Morocco). The aim was to give a live feel of the food and wine pairing to the well heeled audience, all of whom had some link to the French context. Imane’s session started with text book perfect Crêpes and Croissants prepared right in front of the audience. As the sun started descending on the horizon, I uncorked the first of wines, a Sparkling Brut from California, followed by a French White, two Indian Reds and finally a French Red. The wines were:

The line up

André Brut (USA)

A refreshing sparkling with intense bubbles and an off dry palate with fruity/floral flavours.

Food Pairing: Croissants and salted potato wafers.

Béatrice Defresne Chardonnay 2011, IGP Vaucluse (France)

A well balanced Chardonnay from the Rhône valley (towards south of France) having aromas of citrus fruits, peaches and apricots. The palate was crisp and dry with a medium finish.

Food Pairing: Croissants and cheddar cheese.

Sula Cabernet Shiraz 2006 (India)

A medium bodied red with red fruit aromas and a mouth filling palate of red fruits and spice.

Food Pairing: Crêpes with spicy cottage cheese filling

Grover Cabernet Shiraz 2011 (India)

A complex red with black  and red fruits aromas/palate with a distinct feel of spice.

Food Pairing: Crêpes with spicy cottage cheese filling.

Béatrice Defresne AOP Côtes du Rhône 2011(France)

A red from the same producer as the French white above, Côtes du Rhône reds are mainly the blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grape varietals. The deep ruby wine had an intense nose of red cherries, black currant and spice. On the palate, it was medium bodied with a distinctly juicy and spicy feel, a firm structure and a long finish.

Food Pairing: Pan fried Chicken Tikka in highland style.

Unique aspects of the session

Given that the event was conducted in an unconventional setting there were some off beat experiences. In a nutshell, these were:

• A super attentive audience that was in a mood to leisurely appreciate the drinks with none,whatsoever, nag  of mundane daily commitments (commuting back home, next day office etc).
• A diverse audience of different age profiles, nationalities and professions with even teenagers keenly joining-in just to acquire some knowledge on wines, even if it implied them not sampling the wines due to minimum age constraints. (To tell you a secret, I allowed them at least one wine with expicit permission of their guardians).
• Participative fervor with several volunteers uncorking/ serving wines and showing around snacks in the decided sequence.

Warming up to the evening

The wine session was followed by dancing bonhomie with a local Kumaoni troupe doing highland songs with ethnic music and some enterprising group members fetching a Jack Daniels to pair with pakoras (fried Indian snacks) as also with the prevalent excitement. Our discussion but naturally switched rails to Bourbon, Rye and beyond. 

The indomitable Indian spirit was famously at work .

Some more images of the event playing below- please click on play button if images do not advance automatically. If the images do not load at all- please refresh (Oh Technology! Mostly boon but at times  bane!)

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!