Sommelier India - October November TOC

Sommelier INDIA For Indians around the world who enjoy the good life

PENFOLDS ICONIC RED WINES OF AUSTRALIA MASTERS OF WINE EXPERT VIEWS

India’s First Wine Magazine – Restricted circulation

Issue 5: October-November 2012

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Contents Volume 7: Issue 5, 2012

ON THE GRAPEVINE 4 NEWS, NOTES AND VIEWS FOR THE WINE BUFF

COLUMNS 10 O TO BE IN OHIO Raghu Bahadur discovers the bounty of wine retail in the US Midwest

12 COMING UP ROSES

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32 DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY 8 INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS Michèle Shah interviews Masters of Wine during their tour of Sicily exclusively for Sommelier India

38 HOW I BECAME A WINE COLLECTOR Charles Curtis describes how he went from advising wine buyers to becoming a collector himself

Romain Bonnaud has good news for rosé lovers as these wines join the “fine wine” club

42 A FLAVOUR OF THE DECCAN

14 SATELLITES IN THE SANCERRE ORBIT

46 A FEW DAYS IN GIOIA DEL COLLE

Eric Asimov goes beyond pricey Sancerre to taste Sauvignon Blancs that are just as good but cost less

SPOTLIGHT 16 SIENA’S SECRET STASH

Cover Image: Penfolds 2012 Bin Release. Courtesy: Penfolds

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The Deccan Plateau Winery near Pune is worth a visit, writes Brinda Gill

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Anne Krebiehl takes us to the heel of Italy’s peninsular boot, home of the Primitivo grape

52 HOLLYWOOD DREAM IN THE PENEDES

REGULARS 74 RESTAURANTS THAT LOVE WINE

Jug Suraiya discovers a treasure trove of wine in Italy

Accompany Ruma Singh to a boutique winery in Spain which is as famous as its patron Jean Leon

20 CROWN PRINCE RETURNS HOME

56 A TRYST WITH HISTORY

Soni Sangwan on the rich legacy Miguel Torres Maczassek leaves behind in Chile as he moves back to Spain

Brinda Gill is surprised to find the historic San Antonio winery just minutes away from downtown Los Angeles

76 WINE CLINIC

22 A TALENT FOR MAKING WINE

62 RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH

Sonal Holland meets Christine Lurton of André Lurton Vineyards who visited India recently

77 WINELOVER’S COOKBOOK

Stuart George toasts the sparkling wines of Trento DOC

Jazz up a simple prawn dish with Pinot Grigio and fresh tomato and basil

FEATURES

66 UNDER THE HAMMER

78 CHEF’S TABLE

Carol Wright explains why it makes sense to buy wine at an auction

Ruchira Hoon catches up with poster-boy chef Vikas Khanna as he talks about his journey from Amritsar to New York

24 PENFOLDS THE LODE STAR OF AUSTRALIA’S WINE INDUSTRY James Halliday tells the story of Penfolds iconic winery that has a history going back to the 19th century

70 TALKING SHOP Ruma Singh reports on the makeover that wine retail has undergone in Bangalore

Brinda Gill dines out in Mumbai and gives the low down on Dum Pukht and Ellipsis

Your wine queries answered by our in-house expert Reva K Singh

80 LISTINGS Directory of wine producers and importers

Publisher, editor and owner: Reva K Singh. Co-publisher: Shiv B Singh. Managing Editor: Soni Sangwan. Copy chief: Bunny Suraiya.

Copy editor: Vandana Mohindra. Design: Rashi Singh. Layout artist: Sandeep Singh Rana. Printed at EIH Ltd. 7, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi - 110054. Sommelier India is a restricted circulation bi-monthly 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.

The views expressed in this publication are the writers’ own and not necessarily those of the publishers. Subscription price: ` 1,450 for two years and ` 1,900 for three years. International $56 for two years and $82 for three years, excluding postage.

Editor’s Note

Readers Write

EAT, DRINK, READ AND WRITE

T

he cover story in this issue is about Penfolds Grange, which has forged a formidable reputation and has had a tremendous influence on Australian winemaking from its earliest days. The story of this iconic winery is told by none other than James Halliday – vigneron and wine critic – who is himself a colossus on the Australian wine scene. We are fortunate and honoured to have him writing for us.

Michèle Shah, who writes regularly for SI and is our Italian correspondent, felt privileged to be escorting Masters of Wine on a tour of Sicily. “I shan’t conceal the excitement of preparing for, and then receiving, 20 of the most authoritative personalities in the world of wine here in Sicily!” she told me.

“It was possibly one of the most inspiring wine study-trips I have ever had the pleasure of leading!” Michele interviewed them specially for Sommelier India.

Their perceptive responses make fascinating reading. Edited excerpts appear on page 32.

In other news, SI readers will be pleased to learn that we are organising a special wine dinner early next year during the India visit of some of the best wine producers from Sicily. Watch this space and follow us online for more details.

Other good reads in this issue are, “How I Became a Wine Collector” by Charles Curtis, which set me thinking about starting a serious wine collection to leave behind for the kids. Something I could take real pleasure in now, as compared to stocks and shares. Then there are stories of interest to the wine traveller which take the reader from Los Angeles to Italy or closer home, less than an hour’s drive from Pune. In our Industry Insider Q&A on page 8, Ranjit Gupta of Amfora Wine & Foods tells us why wines are so expensive in India.

One of my favourite reads in a magazine is the Readers Letters’ page. To encourage you to write to us with your news and views, we are giving a gift for the best letter. What’s the gift? Wait and see…

So keep reading and start writing!

Show off your decanters I really liked Eric Asimov’s piece, “Why Decant?” in Issue 4, 2012. While it seems logical that decanting is necessary to rid wine of sediment, radical treatments like “hyperdecanting” – where the wine is put through some excruciating exercise in a blender – do make you want to throw up your hands in horror.

You want to release the aromas of the wine, not exorcise its spirit. It was interesting to know that even white wines can be decanted. On a lighter note, I would like to add another reason for decanting – to showcase exquisite crystal decanters!

If wine drinking is all about the experience, then this should certainly extend to the vessels that hold the ambrosia.

Colonel Kuldeep Singh, Panchkula

Evocative reading I immensely enjoyed Ch’ng Poh Tiong’s piece on Château Talbot in Sommelier India’s Issue 4, 2012. His evocative description of the estate’s history gave it a wonderful sense of place, while the connection (however distant) to Richard the Lionheart brought up images of Robin Hood and had me scrambling to learn more about Coeur de Lion’s lineage, particularly his mother – the intriguing Eleanor of Aquitaine.

I also loved the review of Napa Valley’s Brix restaurant.

Its detailed account of “farm-to-table” Californian cuisine and staggering wine list, its inventive wine-bottle chandeliers and superb garden setting made me want to visit someday!

Vandana Mohindra, New Delhi

Dash it! SI has become a blur There’s a cataract ripening in my right eye that must be taken out, but only after my catastrophic blood sugar count has been brought down. So while the two glasses of wine I drink with every meal I eat are now under attack by wife and doctor, the pages of your magazine are turning into a blur before me. And yet, I find each issue very informative and it educates me immensely on the wonderful world of wine. So I’m dashed if I will stop reading SI, or imbibing the wines it recommends, any time soon.

Stanley Pinto, Bangalore

Grazie – Your Title is the Best E-mail: rks@indianwinemagazine.com

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Chandra Kurt wrote a beautiful interview but your title, The Inimitable Gaia Gaja, is the best I have ever read about Gaja! You are the best!! Thank you. Harvest goes on in Barbaresco. This morning I went out with my father to visit all the vineyards. The grapes look really great and we hope the weather will be supportive and will help us to collect all in perfect condition.

Gaia Gaja, Barbaresco, Italy

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