India

Awards mean recognition. We know that humans crave recognition. Abraham Maslow’s theory defines such an orientation  as ‘esteem need’ wherein a person, who has already achieved physical, security and social needs, aspires to be acknowledged for his/her efforts. No wonder we have awards associated with virtually every sphere of life. At the highest level they come as  Nobel prizes, Grammys, Emmys, Oscars and the list goes on endlesssly into every possible area of expertise.

It was hence logical that the Indian wine industry- a comparatively nascent one-  would come up with its own set of awards sooner than later. It finally happened this year with delWine Excellence (dWE) awards.  The awards are the  outcome of collaboration between three entities -‘delWine’, an e-newsletter on wine,  ‘Indian Wine Academy’, an organisation that promotes wine (both founded by noted wine personality Subhash Arora) and ‘Indian Restaurant Spy’, a food and wine blog by renowned journalist Sourish Bhattacharyya. Supported by India’s first and only Master of Wine Sonal Holland who is also co-chair on the jury and Rifaquat Ali Khan Mirza, an eminent hospitality professional, dWE awards have provided the initial spark to accredit wine professionals across the country for their efforts with requisite deliberation. The awards are envisioned to be held in two stages, one each  in Delhi and Mumbai- India’s major wine hubs.

According to Subhash Arora, the primary consideration for holding these awards at two places is to do full justice to hotels and restaurants engaged in wine service in both these cities. “To make the awards more interesting, we have incorporated different award categories on the national level as well” Arora adds.

The Inaugural Event

The inaugural Delhi-National Capital Region round of dWE awards was held on September 14, 2016 , at the Peacock Ballroom of Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. The awards ceremony was preceded by  a Wines of the World (WOW) showcase, where guests had the opportunity to sample more than 120 wines, Indian as well as international. The engagement also offered good networking opportunity, not otherwise feasible  at such a scale. Ensuite, the awards ceremony was conducted around a sit-down wine-paired dinner for 300 wine professionals, journalists and connoisseurs, admirably managed by Team Pullman  amid an exuberantly circulating audience.

With an eminent jury in place, the objectivity associated with the awards was largely established. However there were hits and misses related to expectations- a normal phenomenon in any competitive environment. Interestingly, there was a tie for the Jury Awards for Best Sommelier of the Year (Five-Star Hotel) and the Popular Perception Award for Best Importer. Also, Editor’s Choice Award for the Best Value for Money Wine List (Five Star Hotel) was not given away because the organizers felt that  Five-Star hotels ought to transfer the price benefit  of duty free imports to the consumer before being considered for such an award.

The Winners

The final list of winners is summarized in the image given below . Please feel free to download and share. Alternately, click here to view and  download as high resolution PDF.

The Road Ahead

delWine Excellence awards have come as a welcome development on the Indian winescape. Such initiatives are  bound to stimulate the wine market in the country towards refinement in wine quality and service levels. Speaking about immediate plans after the inaugural event, Arora said that apart from the Mumbai version of dWE awards, they also plan to host India Wine Awards, which, for the first time in the country, will be based on blind barrel tastings in each of the country’s wine-producing districts by a panel of experts. These Awards are being planned for February-March 2017 and will be held in Mumbai and Bangalore in alternate years.

“With the two awards, we will honor the country’s best wine professionals and cover 360 degrees of the wine experience — from wine service, imports, retail and tourism to the quality of wines being produced in India, from consumer-driven industry awards to tastings-led expert awards,” said Arora.

The wine scene in India seems all set for the next level of evolution.

A furry exterior imitating tiger skin, a nationality orientation and an acknowledged cause to support- are we really talking about a liquor brand here? Indeed. What better if that brand aspires to bid for an unclaimed Indian legacy in the world arena, not on hype alone but with some serious ground work. It translates into the  Indian Tiger arriving  from the Wild in an entirely different avatar- the Rum-avatar (pun unintended). Welcome to the ‘beat’ of Wild Tiger Special Reserve Rum– India’s first super premium rum.

History has it that wherever sugarcane is grown, distillation of rum has logically followed, going by the simple fact that the beverage is produced from molasses- a byproduct of the sugar industry. What originated in the Carribean islands, proliferated to other parts of the world in the colonial times which included India, the second largest sugar producer of the world.

Late this February, as I met Gautom Menon ,  brand owner of  Wild Tiger Rum (WTR)  who prefers being called as its Chief Brand Ambassador, he narrated his  story of passion that steered him towards evolving a super premium rum from India visualised to rub shoulders with the best in the world. Initiated rather reluctantly into their family business of bottling alcoholic beverages for reputed producers, the first thing that came to Gautom’s mind was – why  were they not producing  a brand of their own? And nothing better than rum occured to him as he realised that there wasn’t  a single premium rum brand from India that echoed on a global stage. Presto! The idea of WTR was born,

So what’s so special about WTR? Hasn’t the iconic Old Monk  kept  India on the world rum map since eons? Gautom elaborates- “ the idea behind WTR is entirely different. It pushes the envelope by evolving a flavor profile that is refined and appealing to the global rum lover. Traditional Indian rum is usually from 100% molasses. Wild Tiger is additionally  blended with some percentage of cane juice spirit, which gives the final blend a lot of aromatic notes and flavour depth (aficionados will recall Cachaça from Brazil which is exclusively made from sugarcane juice and is used in their famous national drink Caipirinha) . This cane spirit is double distilled in pot stills to impart the refined dimension to the resultant blend.” Gautom also emphasizes that they mature their rum in American oakwood barrels that are charred to reactivate the wood hence giving it a further layer of complexity.”

WTR however is envisaged as much more than a refined expression of rum. It wears its Indian identity literally on the sleeve with India’s national animal distinctly engraved in its identity. An identity that goes beyond symbolism to contribute 10% profits towards Tiger Conservation in South India in active collaboration with NGOs and prominent Tiger experts.  The social responsibility aspect is also emphasized with their bottles being made from recycled glass and all the paper used in packaging ( labels, neck tags, cartons and brochures)  being made from recycled paper. And yes, each bottle sports a unique stripe pattern to make it exclusive to its buyer.

Time was ripe to sample the rum and Gautom channelised the ‘tiger’ into my glass After the nosing and initial undiluted sip, I added an equal amount of water to let loose the phenolics. The initial impression itself validated the preceding conversation to an extent, before I went quiet to mull over it in deliberation. Here’s sharing the details in the graphic below:(feel free to download and share with your friends):

After a soft launch in London during the UK Rum Fest, WTR  was launched in UAE, followed by Bangalore Duty Free in Feb 2016. It is slated for registrations in the USA and will also be available in UK and Canada before end of March 2016. This will be followed by Thailand, Australia, Denmark and Maldives. “Our goal is to have extensive presence in at least 16 countries by the end of 2016”, said Gautom.  On my query he also informed that in India, the rum will initially be available only in Duty Free owing to limited production. However, a call will be taken subsequently to introduce it in other channels.

Until then the passport to spot the  ‘Wild Tiger’ will be your  Passport itself.