Amid the resurgent Covid 19 gloom, there are shimmers of hope in various forms. For a wine lover, being able to taste some enthusing wines may be one such respite. Recently, I tasted a collection of wines imported in India by Monika Enterprises– a reputed wine and spirits importer of the country. The eclectic range of wines impressed me for their value proposition- each of them priced at a uniform ₹ 2000 (ex Gurugram retail) and having a definitive character of their own. These are some wines that you may like to try in the ensuing summer.
Villa Sandi Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Country/Region: Italy/Veneto
ABV: 11%
With a distinctive bottle recognisable even among a crowd on the shelf, this Prosecco is special in other ways too. For starters, the producer makes it only on order, meaning that the entire production process starts only once the order is received from a client. To my knowledge, it is also the only Prosecco from Asolo DOCG (a famed denomination of origin for Prosecco) currently available in India.
Villa Sandi Asolo Prosecco Superiore incorporates 100% Glera grapes harvested entirely by hand. After first fermentation, the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in autoclaves (Charmat method) where it attains a level of complexity from its own yeasts.
Tasting notes: Villa Sandi Asolo Prosecco Superiore
This Spumante (fully sparkling) wine has aromas of citrus and ripe stone fruits. It has a dry and delicious palate with buoyant acidity and a mineral finish. Overall, it is a very expressive and refreshing Prosecco, good on its own or with seafood and creamy dishes.
Fantini Pinot Grigio, IGP
Country/Region: Italy/Sicily
ABV: 12%
Fantini is based in Abruzzo, with vineyards also in Puglia and Sicily. This Pinot Grigio comes from their vineyards in the Agrigento province in Sicily. It is an interesting adaptation of the grape varietal (called Pinot Gris in France- both suffixes meaning “grey”) to the Sicilian terroir.
Wine lovers would know that in Italy, Pinot Grigio is cultivated more commonly towards the northern side of the country and generally has a clean, crisp and light character. In that sense, Fantini Pinot Grigio stood out with a difference- being weightier and more luscious on the palate as compared to its northern counterparts. Sure enough, it stimulated the “grey matter” of the participants at the tasting.
Tasting notes: Fantini Pinot Grigio
Pale lemon colour with a green tint. Earthy and leafy aromas, with a medium body and flavours of caped gooseberry and green bell pepper.
Metal Label Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Country/ Region: Australia/South Australia
ABV: 12.8%
Metal Label Sauvignon Blanc is a Single Vineyard wine from the Padhaway sub region of Southern Australia, produced by the 1996 established Berton Vineyards. The wine’s appealing bottle with a light green tint and an embossed metal label makes it a sight to behold. There are no marks for guessing as to why the wine is named as “Metal Label”- a range that also includes their other varietal wines.
Tasting Notes: Metal Label Sauvignon Blanc 2020
A straw yellow coloured wine with tropical aromas of guava and pineapple. A hint of pepper gives it an added complexity. On the palate, the wine was dry, with a well balanced acidity.
Premius Sauvignon Bordeaux
Country/Region: France/Bordeaux
ABV: 11.5%
Premius Sauvignon is a generic Bordeaux white wine by Yvon Mau, a well known producer of fine Bordeaux wines since 1897. Apart from producing their own wines, Yvon Mau also distributes some of the most prestigious wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Premius Sauvignon is an 85:15. blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes.
Since 2001, Yvon Mau is a part of the famed Freixenet group of Spain most well known for its iconic Cava wines. Freixenet later merged with the German Sparkling wine giant Henkell to form Henkell-Freixenet group, making them the largest sparkling wine producer of the world.
Tasting Notes: Premius Sauvignon Bordeaux
A pale gold wine with a bouquet of citrus and stone fruits. The wine was very refreshing on the palate with flavours of apricot and pear. Apart from being an excellent aperitif wine, this wine has the potential to match up to a good range of cuisine, besides the stereotypical pairing of seafood with white wine. A good example would be with Indian tandoori cuisine.
Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Country/Region: Italy/Abruzzo
ABV: 13%
This was another pleasant wine from the Fantini winery at the tasting. The wine is made from Montepulciano -Abruzzo’s signature red grape variety . Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo came across as an approachable yet complex wine that one can start-with as an aperitif and subsequently carry it over to the dining table.
Tasting notes: Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
A clear medium-ruby coloured wine with a refined nose of red cherries and strawberries. The wine was medium bodied and dry on the palate with a pleasant mouth-filling juiciness. I tried the wine with paneer puff– a shortcrust pastry puff with greens and cottage cheese and it worked like a dream!
El Goru Jumilla DOP
Country/Region: Spain/Jumilla
ABV: 14.5%
El Goru is a typical “iron fist in a velvet glove” kind of wine. It is a powerful, well rounded Spanish wine quite similar to the GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre) blends of the Rhône Valley albeit with more voluptuousness on the palate. It is a 50:30:20 blend of Monastrell (Mourvèdre in France), Syrah and Petit Verdot grapes respectively.
Tasting notes: El Goru
Deep Ruby with a violet hue. Aromas of dense black fruits followed by a full bodied palate of berry compote and sweet spice amid well rounded tannins. After 10 minutes in the glass, the wine shone further with appetising pastry shop aromas.
Metal Label, The Black Shiraz
Country/ Region: Australia/South Australia
ABV: 14.4%
The Black Shiraz was another variant at the tasting from the Metal Label range of Berton Vineyards. The wine is a good example of a bold Aussie Shiraz with a ripe, full bodied, and powerful character. The grapes for this wine ferment separately in stainless steel tanks for each of their respective vineyards. After pressing out the juice, the respective cuvées are racked into French Oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. Thereafter, they are clarified, blended and bottled.
Tasting Notes: The Black Shiraz
A deep ruby coloured wine having aromas of dark berries and spice. It had velvety tannins accompanied by dense flavours of blackberries and dark plums culminating in a lingering finish. At the tasting, it worked wonders with Royal Podi Kozi– a dry boneless chicken preparation with coarse spices from Southern India.
Sujata Patil, Sales Head Wines at Monika Enterprises who conducted the tasting, informed that these wines have been available for some time in Mumbai, Goa and Bangalore before introducing them in Gurugram. The wine are also likely to be available in Delhi once the State’s new Excise policy comes into effect.
That’s surely some welcome news for vinos in the current pandemic duress.
