Sommelier INDIA
Volume 7: Issue 2, 2012
For Indians around the world who enjoy the good life
SPECIAL TRAVEL SECTION BARGING THROUGH Burgundy
VISITING FRATELLI Maharashtra
PORT OF CALL Douro, Portugal
BLAUFRĂ„NKISCH
Red Wine Grape of Austria
BANGALORE WINE CLUB
Turns Ten
OAK BARRELS
In the making
Restricted circulation magazine dedicated to wine lovers and the wine trade
62
Contents Volume 7: Issue 2, 2012
` 150
26
COLUMNS
FEATURES
Steven Spurrier assesses Bordeaux 2008, Domaine de La Romanée-Conti and Dom Perignon 2003
The Bangalore Wine Club completes a decade of celebrating wine. Ruma Singh reports
10 NOTABLE TASTINGS
36 WINE LOVERS’ COLLECTIVE
12 PRESS EMBARGOES RIGHT OR WRONG?
39 ALPINE WINERIES
In an age of blogs and tweets, how relevant are press embargoes, asks Jancis Robinson
With the release of his first vintage, Raghavendra Gowda talks to Alok Chandra about his future plans
14 WINE ON THE INDIAN MIND
74
Raghu Bahadur looks at how wine has taken shape in the Indian imagination
42 THE MANY AVATARS OF CHÂTEAUNEUFDUPAPE
SPECIAL TRAVEL SECTION 16 VISITING FRATELLI
Harshal Shah on why the affectionatelynamed CNDP is sometimes great, and sometimes unequivocally pedestrian
the en primeur system and explains how you can buy premium Bordeaux wines long before they are released
A visit to Fratelli vineyards in Akluj offers many diversions, writes Brinda Gill
52 ROLL OUT THE BARRELS
REGULARS
20 BARGING THROUGH BURGUNDY
Oak barrels have a key role to play in the production of wine, notes Priyanka Dhar
67 WINE CLINIC Your questions answered about wine
56 TERROIR OR TERRITOIRE?
72 CHEF’S TABLE
With modern advances in winemaking, Steven Spurrier considers the term “territoire” more descriptive than terroir
Ruchira Hoon catches up with celebrity chef, Igor Macchia during his last visit
Carol Wright samples the best of Burgundy’s food and wine on an unhurried canal boat cruise
26 AMARONE MON AMOUR An attractive tourist destination, Verona is also the best place to discover one of Italy’s top red wines, says Michèle Shah
30 PORT OF CALL Anne Krebiehl braves the harsh terrain of Portugal’s upper Douro Valley to visit one of the world’s finest producers of Port
46 TRAILING THE VINE By road and by air are not the only ways to travel in pursuit of great wines, discovers Carol Wright
60 BULLISH ON BLAUFRÄNKISCH Eric Asimov describes how he got hooked on the Austrian varietal Blaufränkisch, despite the obstacle of the umlaut
62 WINE’S WACKY WIZARD Ken Gargett on the success of Chester Osborne, the colourful owner of Australia’s d’Arenberg winery
74 RESTAURANTS FOR WINE LOVERS Award-winning restaurants to visit: Megu in Delhi, Meadowood in Napa Valley and Yauatcha in Mumbai
77 GLOSSARY Proper names and specialist wine terminology used in this issue
78 PHOTO FINISH SI wine moments to remember
68 BORDEAUX STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BARREL David Cobbold unravels the mysteries of
80 LISTINGS
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. Subscription price: `1500 two years (12 copies) and `1700 three years (18 copies); international $56 two years (12 copies) and $82 three years (18 copies) without postage. Cover price (single copy) `150.