Keshav Suri

The third edition of the Indian Wine Day (IWD) kept its date with 16 Nov 2019 and one can safely say that it is here to stay, much like the Beaujolais Nouveau Day with which it coincided two years ago. Indian wines over the years, have been impressing with their quality if international awards and restaurant listings are anything to go by. Events like Indian Wine Day serve well to emphasize this position further.

 

Much like the previous years,this year too the IWD saw its main thrust being spearheaded by The Lalit Hotels. “The Lalit” properties in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, Udaipur, Chandigarh and London hosted specially curated dinners with Indian wines and cuisine from their Indian restaurant The Baluchi.  The engagements were received warmly by wine lovers at all these places.

Apart from the marquee events, this year the IWD also featured week long celebrations of Indian wines from 15-21 November. To this end, several restaurants offered wine flights with finger food at very reasonable prices (Rs. 700 upwards) for a flight of 3-5 wines. There were also special discounts by some wineries on winery visits, restaurant bills and free bottles of wine on specific minimum purchases.

New Delhi- The Hub Centre of Indian Wine Day

Subhash Arora, a key founder of the IWD was at his energetic best at the event in New Delhi that happened indoors as opposed to the al-fresco setting of the previous years owing to some regulatory issues. Each setting  having its distinct advantages, the advantage this year emerged as the convenience in serving the food that arrived hot and timely for each diner (around 70 of us) thanks to the proximity to the kitchen. Another  benefit was better acoustics inside the expansive restaurant that facilitated crystal clear communication while the wines were presented with each course.
The evening started with Sula Brut Tropicale, a Methode Traditionelle sparkler which is an interesting blend of several grape varietals such as Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Riesling, its composition varying across vintages.

A delectable spread of Indian “Tapas” style starters made the aperitif wine shine as the guests got mingling. I particularly liked the Achari Masala Lamb Leg Mousse on Karara Toast which worked like magic with the wine.

Next came the sit-down dinner with York Sauvignon Blanc, Sula Chardonnay, Fratelli Sette and York Arros being served with well paired meals.  My choice of the main course was the Parat ka Murg Tikka with its accompaniments that visually appeared like a Lasagna but  was a layered preparation of fine chicken tikka chunks and Filo sheets. Two powerful Indian Reds viz. York Arros and Fratelli Sette were served with this course and both of them worked well with their great structure.

The evening concluded at Kitty- Su, The Lalit’s prolific night club with chilled bubbly doing the rounds and toasts being raised to yet another successful edition of the Indian Wine Day.

The Essence of Indian Wine Day

Speaking on the occasion, Subhash Arora a.k.a. “WineGuyIndia” said – “The objective of Indian Wine Day is to create more awareness about Indian wines through as many programs as possible, where people can enjoy the wines and hopefully learn a bit more about Indian wine as also their quality levels and taste profiles.”

Ravindra Kumar, General Manager Corporate Food and Beverage ,The Lalit added- “We are the first hotel to serve cuisine with our in-house produce, thus reducing our carbon footprint. We are also the first Indian hotel chain to promote “Make in India” with our domestic and traditional gastronomy. A large credit for bringing together Indian wines and cuisine through Indian Wine Day goes to our Executive Director Mr. Keshav Suri who has been a firm believer of the inherent harmony between Indian food and wine.

Speaking on the future of the Indian Wine Day, The Lalit’s Corporate Sommelier Donnadieu Charles– the man behind the ground level success of IWD ever since its inception- expressed  hope that in the coming years, the Indian Wine Day would proliferate much beyond The Lalit properties  in order to grow both in its scope  and reach.

A thought that the world of Indian wines would undoubtedly welcome with open arms.

Often, when presented with an elaborate wine list in a restaurant, the diner is strained to narrow down an option for the occasion especially if (s)he is pressed for time. The experience is not different from a “child in a candy shop” and it has nothing to do with the level of wine knowledge.

Private labels come to the rescue. Sourced exclusively for the restaurant, these wines are chosen to match best with the cuisine. These are the go-to wines, in case sommelier’s advice is not on hand. Private labels are created for the buyer using some custom inputs (brand, design, etc.) at the winery, and are not available elsewhere. In addition to this exclusivity, the supply chain from vineyard to table is short (no intermediaries) and the wines should arrive in an optimal condition.

All of this is done to offer a better wine experience for the guests at the restaurants, which has been designed with them in mind.

The Lalit Hotels have recently introduced a private label offer of French wines at the New Delhi property. These wines have been sourced from Domaine de la Pigeade (DDLP) located in the foothills of Mont Ventoux in the south of the Rhône Valley. DDLP is a member of the Vignerons Indépendants de France (Independent winemakers of France) Association that promotes best practices for self-sustaining operations by small and independent winemakers. DDLP is a small wine house that produces all wine from their own vineyards, under very tight quality control.

Mr. Keshav Suri, Executive Director, The Lalit Hotels supported this endeavour. Charles Donnadieu, the Corporate Wine Sommelier for The Lalit Hotels, hopes to deliver the very essence of the region (where he grew up appreciating these wines with family and friends) to his guests by incorporating its cultural aspects around lots of interesting stories.

“The first instance of a private label in India was when a reputed French winemaker created a personal label for one of the doyens of Indian hospitality,” recalls Ravindra Kumar, the very seasoned General Manager – Corporate Food & Beverages at The Lalit Hotels. “At The Lalit, we have created this exclusive private label experience for our esteemed guests where the wines are sourced directly from the producer. Not only are they as fresh as they are in the winery, but at an affordable price as well,” he adds. At this time, the wines will be available only in The Lalit New Delhi – the other properties in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata will have to wait a bit more.

The best goblet forward

Charles took me around the restaurants in The Lalit New Delhi to show how the private labels list has been offered. At the signature pan-Indian restaurant “Baluchi”, a flight of three wines (50ml each) have been paired with Indian breads – ₹ 1000++. At “The Grill Room” the panoramic 28th floor restaurant, a set three course menu (see image) was being offered with a choice of a glass of wine from the two on offer – ₹ 2500++ till 31st March 2016. A quick and affordable fine dining experience without having to stress too much about making the right choice. As I sampled this menu, Charles told me that they will continuously be innovating on such offerings and present the wines in different configurations.

The wines:

(Prices indicated by bottle/by glass, taxes and service charge extra)

VDP Vaucluse Petits Grains de Folie 2014  (₹ 4200/800)
Served at: The Noble House (Asian Cuisine)

A fruity off-dry white wine with medium acidity, even though Charles told me that the residual sugar is below 9 g/l. The wine is from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, a varietal known for its aromatics and a luscious palate.

AOC Ventoux Les Sables 2014 (₹ 3500/700)
Served at: Baluchi (Indian Cuisine)

An easy drinking light-medium bodied red wine from Grenache, Carignan and Syrah varietals. Smooth tannins, red fruit notes and medium finish.

AOC Vacqueras 2012 (₹ 5000/1000)
Served at: The Grill Room (Continental Cuisine)

A blend of the classic Rhône GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre). A full bodied red wine with good structure, blackberry/ cassis flavours and a lingeringly spicy finish.

AOC Beaumes de Venise 2013 (₹ 6000/ NA)
Served at: The Grill Room

A delightful vin doux naturel (wine made from grapes naturally high in sugar) from the Muscat Blanc.
An aromatic dessert wine with the right balance of sweetness and acidity – the key criteria of a sweet wine. Ripe apricots, figs and citrus notes are accompanied by a touch of spice.

The pours ahead

Does The Lalit plan to introduce more wines, maybe from different countries, in this private label collection? Both Kumar and Charles are conservative on this front, and they feel that the program has to be validated and fine-tuned by the guest response. Charles also shared with me that a retail space was being established to enable guests to take their preferred bottles home.

In the meantime, the guests at The Lalit can look forward to promotional activities like in-house wine tours and wine dinners that are planned around these private labels. The first one is already happening in New Delhi on 28th May 2016.

(This is the blog version of my article first published in vino india)