Sommelier India April/May 2011 Table of Contents

Sommelier INDIA

Issue 2 April-May 2011 ` 150

For Indians around the world who enjoy the good life

38

VINEYARD VENUES Best Places to Stay MERLOT MYSTIQUE

Decoding the Smooth Operator of Wines 18

GRAPES OF PLEASURE

Wine and Spa luxury in Bordeaux 50

FASHION SCION WITH WINE PASSION

Tomasso Cavalli Interviewed 64 Restricted circulation magazine dedicated to wine lovers and the wine trade

64

Contents April-May 2011

50

On The Grapevine

26 ANTEPRIMA 2011: TASTING TUSCANY

Columns

Rosemary George tastes the latest vintages from the three pivotal wine regions of Tuscany

4-7 NEWS, NOTES AND VIEWS 8 OLD WHINE IN NEW BOTTLES Jug Suraiya vents his spleen at wine tasting events where you only get to play with the wine, not drink it

10 WHAT’S IN MY WINE Jancis Robinson would like wine labels to be brutally honest about what has gone into the making of the wine

12 RISING FROM THE BATHTUB, CHILLED TO PERFECTION Raghu Bahadur looks for practical substitutes for a Slovenian underwater cellar and comes up with a creative rejoinder

14 WINES OF CHILE – RECOGNISING QUALITY

Cover image: Courtesy Grande Provence Estate South Africa

` 150

Special Section: Wine Tourism

30 LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD David Cobbold presents a potted history of wine tourism going back to the pioneers

26

34 WINE TOURS TAKE OFF IN NASHIK

64 A PASSION FOR WINE

Vikram Achanta sees a bright future for wine tourism in India with more tasting rooms opening up for visitors

Tommaso Cavalli, winemaker son of the iconic fashion designer, Roberto, talks to Brinda Gill

38 VINEYARD VENUES

68 THE RISING LEVEL OF ALCOHOL IN WINE

Carol Wright takes us on a whirlwind tour of some of the best vineyard hotels

David Cobbold studies the issue of new wines with higher alcohol content

44 SOUTH AFRICAN WINES BECKON

70 WINE SERVICE AND HANDLING

Ranjan Pal romances the grape at some of the best vineyards of South Africa

In Part 2 of her article on wine service, Lindsay Groves talks about the condition of the wine before it reaches the glass

Steven Spurrier comments on the future of the Chilean wine industry after judging the 8th Annual Wines of Chile Awards

50 GRAPES OF PLEASURE

16 CAN SINGAPORE COMPETE WITH HONG KONG?

Gustasp and Jeroo Irani get a taste of wine and the good life at Smith Haut Lafitte Bordeaux

CH’NG Poh Tiong thinks not, and goes on to explain why

56 DRINKING AUSTRIAN SUNSHINE

76 CHEF’S TABLE

Kishore and Smita Iyengar taste boutique Austrian wines and discover some outstanding gems

Chef Glen Eastman tells Soni Sangwan about his love for the environment, food and wine

60 ST EMILION: THE AFFORDABLE BORDEAUX EXPERIENCE

Your wine questions answered

Richard Saxton finds all the romance and glamour of Bordeaux wines without breaking the bank

Snapshots from our Photo Album

Features

18 MERLOT THE SMOOTH OPERATOR Harshal Shah demystifies Merlot, one of the most debated wines in the world

22 FLYING TO THE RESCUE OF WINE The ‘flying’ oenologist, Michel Rolland, talks to René Lambert about his work

Regulars/Departments

72 - 75 RESTAURANTS THAT LOVE WINE Koh, Tote on the Turf & Alto Vino

78 WINE CLINIC 79 PHOTO FINISH

Publisher, editor and owner: Reva K Singh. Co-publisher Shiv B Singh. Copy editor: Bunny Suraiya. Executive Assistant: Aienla Ozukum. Creative Director: Peali Dutta Gupta. Design: Shamik Kundu. Layout artist: TMJ. Printed at EIH Ltd. 7, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi - 110054. Sommelier India is a trade bi-monthly privately produced by CMI, Consolidated Media Int, C-320, Defence Colony, New Delhi - 110 024, India. Tel: +91 11 2433 1013. E-mail: info@indianwinemagazine.com. Web: www.sommelierindia.com.

For restricted circulation only. The views expressed in this publication are the writers’ own and not necessarily those of the publishers.

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