Sommelier India June/July 2011

Sommelier INDIA

Issue 3 June-July 2011 ` 150

For Indians around the world who enjoy the good life

RIESLING MASTERCLASS

Germany’s bounty of white wine 17

FRATERNALLY YOURS

Indo-Italian venture 28

SIZZLING SICILY

For the wine traveller 48

BIODYNAMIC WINE

Is it all moonshine? 54

38

WINERY DESIGN Spain’s modern

temples to Bacchus Restricted circulation magazine dedicated to wine lovers and the wine trade

54

June-July 2011 On The Grapevine

` 150

38

4-7 NEWS, NOTES AND VIEWS

32 WHEN ETIENNE HUGEL PLAYED HOST IN BANGALORE

Columns

Ruma Singh enjoyed an evening of Indian food paired with Hugel’s Alsace wines

8 IF YOU DON’T TELL, YOU CAN’T SELL Jancis Robinson wants winemakers to provide relevant information on wine labels

10 IS BORDEAUX 2010 BETTER THAN 2009?

Find out what CH’NG Poh Tiong has to say about the latest vintage

12 WATERING DOWN TO FLAVOUR UP Whisky and water, perhaps, but wine and water? Raghu Bahadur is not so sure

14 2001 BORDEAUX: 10 YEARS ON Steven Spurrier goes back in time to see how the 2001 vintage has matured

Features

34 BRINGING COLOUR TO A WHITE LANDSCAPE Diale Rangaka runs the only black- and family-owned vineyard in South Africa, M’Hudi. He speaks to Ranjan Pal

38 MODERN TEMPLES TO BACCHUS

68 IT’S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE AT ALTITUDE

48 SIZZLING SICILY

How does altitude affect wine? Bob Ecker conducts an experiment

Michele Shah explores Sicily and introduces us to her favourite wines

Regulars/Departments

54 IS IT ALL MOONSHINE?

German Ambassador Thomas Matussek talks to Soni Sangwan about wines and more

Carol Wright demystifies a growing trend in the world of wines – following the dictates of the lunar calendar

Harshal Shah guides us through a tasting of Riesling wines imported specially for SI

60 FROM A CHEF’S DIARY VIGNETTES OF VERONA 2011

25 A TASTE OF BURGUNDY WITH MAISON LOUIS JADOT

In an exclusive for SI, Chef Manu Chandra of Olive Beach, Bangalore, describes his impressions of Vinitaly 2011 in Verona

Romain Bonnaud finds the perfect lens to focus on Burgundy with Maison Louis Jadot

28 THE BROTHERS FRATELLI Alok Chandra visits a new venture set up by three sets of brothers

48

Enter the world of winery architecture with Carol Wright as she takes you through some of Spain’s futuristic wineries designed by the world’s top architects

17 AN UNEXPECTED BOUNTY OF WINE

22 SI RIESLING MASTERCLASS

Cover Photo: Courtesy Marques de Riscal

Contents

70 WINE BASICS

Pitfalls and challenges of pairing wine and food. Follow Lindsay Groves’ guidelines

73 RESTAURANTS THAT LOVE WINE Royal Afghan, Bangalore, Two One Two Bar & Grill, Mumbai

76 CHEF’S TABLE Brinda Gill finds Chef Vincenzo Di Tuoro’s take on modern Italian cuisine delightfully fresh

64 THE WINE SELLER

78 PHOTO FINISH

João Pires is a sommelier who combines passion with keen business acumen. He shares his secrets with Zainab B

Snapshots from our Photo Album

80 SI 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: `1300 for two years and `1500 for three years; international $56 for two years and $82 for three years.

Editors Note

Indian Wines Cross Our Shores

S

ome people may still consider us a fledgling wine industry but Indian wines are beginning to be noticed. As I travel and meet people from around the world I’m surprised how many people know and appreciate Indian wine. This is due no doubt to the improved quality of Indian wine, as also to the efforts of the Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB) in taking Indian wineries beyond our shores and exhibiting at international wine fairs. Last month it was at the London International Wine Fair and prior to that at Prowein in Germany, both highly respected trade fairs.

Sommelier India got an unexpected windfall when a friend in Frankfurt sent me a large consignment of fabulous Rieslings to taste. I decided to replace our regular Panel Tasting with a masterclass and an expanded panel of wine experts and connoisseurs. The Ambassador of Germany, Thomas Matussek and Mrs Ulla Matussek very graciously opened up their home for Sommelier India and cohosted the event. Read about the wines and our interview with the Ambassador on pages 17 and 22.

Don’t miss what our columnists have to say in this issue. Jancis Robinson comments on how producers often think their customers are as well informed about their wines as they are and there’s no need to provide additional information on the label. However, ‘If you don’t tell, you can’t sell’! (See page 8.) Raghu Bahadur goes back to his early drinking days when very little liquor was imported and he had to rely on the services of an itinerant salesman whose supply was often suspect. (See ‘Watering Down to Flavour Up’, page 12.) Steven Spurrier and Ch’ng Poh Tiong share their views on Bordeaux but on wines of different vintages, 10 years apart – the 2001 which is drinking rather well and the current vintage which is still maturing in barrels.

Wine, as you will agree, is no ordinary beverage. It stands for and represents the finer things in life and is not only associated with good living and gastronomy but also art and culture. And, as you will see in our stunning photo feature on wineries, architecture and good design is also a part of the wine life. (Page 38.)

I’m sure there will be other stories that will catch your eye as you flick through the pages of the latest edition of Sommelier India. Keep up the conversation with us because this is your magazine and some of our best ideas are generated from the feedback we receive. Y

E-mail: rks@indianwinemagazine.com