LaCave India

That wine and food have a hand and glove affinity would be an understatement. Ever since mankind has known wine, food has played a key role in bringing out its characteristics in full glory. This is probably the reason why reputed wine enterprises establish in-house culinary setups. Brian Streeter, Culinary Director  Cakebread Cellars– a reputed Napa Valley wine producer- reinforced this point this March in India.

Brian arrived on a multi-city visit to India on invitation from Cakebread’s India importers Brindco and their retail frontage La Cave Fine Wines and Spirits. Curating special menus in Delhi and Mumbai, he personalised the Cakebread experience for wine lovers in both cities alike.  I attended the dinner at Delhi courtesy Madhulika Bhattacharya aka Madame La Cave, owner of La Cave Store.

Madhulika,  known well for her consumer wine sessions titled Unwined with LaCave has been creating a strong buzz in the wine space of India. Brian’s session was yet another of her endeavours to connect wineries directly with the consumer.

A quarter of a decade with Cakebread Cellars

Having been with Cakebread Cellars since 1989, Brian has been highlighting their wines with seasonal, product-driven menus. Known particularly  for his affinity towards the Mediterranean cuisine, Brian uses well its historical linkage with wine. It was something which was noticeable on the menu at Delhi (detailed later in the post) where Mediterranean and Asian components of the cuisine were presented with a Californian touch.  It made me recollect my interaction with Bruce Cakebread last year where he highlighted the adaptability of their region to global cuisine.

In the US, particularly in the Napa valley, San Francisco and Bay area, people are liberal and open to innovation. This is probably why the Silicon Valley landed in the Bay area. These are the areas where you can expect a fresh Salmon or Cod from the Pacific coast prepared in an Asian way. It exhibits a keenness of wineries to experiment pairings with different cuisines, which in turn makes the appeal of their wines global.

– Bruce Cakebread in 2017

Click here to read my complete conversation with Bruce Cakebread during his visit to India last year.

My aperitif round with Brian Streeter

I recorded some exclusive moments with Brian before the dinner commenced. The interaction revealed Brian as having taken to Indian cuisine admirably well in a short duration. Watch the video below to know of his  maiden experience.  A highlight in Brian’s words is:

Like a sponge, I am trying to to absorb the various flavors and textures of Indian cuisine.

Brian Streeter’s Menu for New Delhi

The dinner started on a special note at The Lodhi‘s new Italian restaurant  Perbacco. A unique feature of the restaurant is an attached  Italian wines cellar established by La Cave that serves as many as 130 wines by the glass! To my knowledge, this would be the largest assemblage of wines by the glass from a particular country served in a five-star property in India.

Three of Cakebread wines already present in India were served at the dinner.  In addition, Dancing Bear Ranch 2009, a Bordeaux style blend coming from Cakebread’s prized parcels in the Vaca mountain ranges, was also served.

Course 1

Kimchi and Potato Pierogi

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

The herbaceous flavors of the wine, notably bell peppers, worked well with the savoury and tangy filling of the Pierogi- a dumpling originally from Eastern Europe.

Courses 2 & 3

2. Asparagus Red Flint Corn Polenta, Burrata & Pickled Mushrooms

3. Seared Sea Scallops with Carrot-Brown Butter Emulsion, Spinach, English Peas & Pumpkin Seed Dukkah 

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

My neighbouring diner clearly preferred the Sauvignon Blanc from the earlier course with these two courses. For me, both the wines worked well, looking at the pairings from different angles.  The Chardonnay stood up well to the dense textures of polenta and the creaminess of brown butter emulsion. So did the Sauvignon Blanc that complemented the herbaceous elements with ease.

Course 4

Spice Rubbed Duck Breast with Fig Mostarda, Braised Radishes. Kohlrabi & Sugar Snap Peas

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch (DBR) 2009

“Good wine is a good familiar creature if it is well used,” recorded William Shakespeare in Othello. Using a good wine with the right food can never be overemphasized.

The grapes for DBR blend come from some prized parcels on the Howell Mountain in the Vaca ranges of eastern Napa Valley. The vines are rooted in well-drained volcanic soils and enjoy excellent sun exposure, prompting their fruit to ripen earlier than those from Cakebread’s valley floor vineyards.

The blend for DBR 2009 is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4 % Cabernet Franc. The blend constituents are changed every year to give each vintage its unique character.

DBR 2009 worked extremely well with the powerfully textured Duck Breast served around a melange of sweet and spicy flavours.

The wine decanted well, which was evident in its expressive nose at the outset.  Due credit goes to Sommelier Nitin Raj who pranced around pouring the wine from the decanter. With an extremely active General Manager  Vikram Aditya Singh at the helm, a great level of service was quite expected too.

On the palate, DBR 2009 was robust and rounded with flavours of blackberries, blackcurrant, mint, vanilla and earthy tones. This course turned out my best for the evening.

Course 5

Blue Cheese Soufflé with Wild Flower Honey, Garden Beets, Dried Persimmons & Toasted Pecans

Served with: Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon  2013

The biggest plus of this pairing was the exotic nature of the food incorporating a range of flavours and textures that went naturally well with the wine. The decadently crusted blue cheese soufflé drizzled with pure honey, complemented by crispy crunchy and juicy components, made it a heavenly indulgence. The wine didn’t fail too, with a medium body, silky tannins and dark berry flavours coupled with distinctive mineral notes.

Serving this wine after the DBR 2009 though,  stole its thunder.  An order swap between the two courses would have been a good idea.

A sweet adieu

A decadent Cacao Nib Ice Cream Sandwich with Balsamic & Cracked Black Pepper (not discreetly paired with a wine)  topped the dinner experience for the day. The deeply satiating dessert was the best I’ve had in a while, so much so, that I already crave one as I write these lines.

I guess that’s a befitting testimony to a well-curated experience.

Penfolds- Australia’s iconic wine brand has been in India for several years now. But it’s grand coming in the country happened just recently with it’s fresh alignment with Brindco– the top importer of the country. This synergy is likely to catapult Penfolds into the next rung of wine success, given Brindco’s firm grip over the wine market in India.

Sam Stephens, Brand Ambassador  Penfolds, who arrived specially for a multi city relaunch of his wines was upbeat at the fresh alignment. Fresh from high profile events and dinners in Bangalore and Mumbai, Sam mixed around with wine lovers, trade and media in New Delhi at the resplendent Bikaner House, a heritage building built in early twentieth century to house the royals of the erstwhile princely state of Bikaner. Only this time it was splashed with  red,  in sync with the brand’s ubiquitous identity. Yodi Mootoosamy, Regional Sales Director- Emerging Markets Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) – the umbrella organization that owns Penfolds brand, was in attendance as well.

Five wines from Penfolds stable  (details towards the end) were fielded at the launch event. Coupled with several courses whipped up by One Fine Meal– a Delhi based fine catering concern, the event literally put the pairings in the delighted guests’ mouths. The images below silently narrate the soirée.

The Penfolds Story

Foundation

The world of wine is replete with fascinating stories and Penfolds is surely one such inspiring tale. It all started in 1844 when Christopher Rawson Penfold (1811-1870), a medical practitioner from Brighton, England, and his wife Mary- both of them passionate vinos- arrived in South Australia and purchased a plot of land in Adelaide. They  planted with the root stalks from back home in what is now famous as Magill Estate–  Penfolds headquarters which is barely a few kilometres away from the Adelaide Central Business District.

Initially starting with fortified wines Penfolds’ stature quickly grew and by 1907 it became South Australia’s largest winery. Throughout its history, Penfolds has owned and leased vineyards in addition to sourcing grapes from independent growers. The company has vineyards spread all over South Australia viz. Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa and Eden Valley.

The Grange Story

But the most defining moment for Penfolds current standing in the world came with an experiment that created its flagship wine Grange. The person central to this experiment was Penfolds first Chief Winemaker Max Schubert who joined the company as a messenger boy in 1931. In 1948, at the age of 33, Schubert became Penfolds’ first Chief Winemaker.

It was in 1950 that Schubert was sent to Europe to investigate winemaking practices in Spain & Portugal. On a side trip to Bordeaux, he became inspired by the French style of wines  and started dreaming of making ‘something different and lasting’ of his own.

Back in Adelaide, Schubert set about looking for appropriate ‘raw material’ and discovered Shiraz as his grape of choice. Combining traditional Australian techniques with his knowledge acquired in Europe, he made his first experimental wine, which to his disappointment did not find favour with the Penfolds management.

Not to be discouraged, Max continued to craft his Grange vintages in secret, hiding three vintages ’57, ’58 and ’59, in the depths of his cellars. His optimism eventually paid, with the Penfolds board ordering the  production of Grange, just in time for the 1960 vintage. Three decades later, he was vindicated as the 1990 vintage of Grange was named Wine Spectator’s Red Wine of the Year.  Awards have ever since become a norm for this ‘prestige cuvée’ of Penfolds. So much so, that in 2008, Grange won a perfect score of 100 points by two of the world’s most influential wine magazines- Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Advantage Brindco

So what is significant in making the fresh alliance in India? Stephens is quite upfront in accepting that it is only now that they have aligned with the right partner who can truly realize their aspirations in the  promising Indian market for wine. Aman Dhall, the Chef d’Entreprise  of Brindco has similar thoughts. Dhall brings out that the addition of Penfolds in their portfolio also brings  better synergy within other TWE brands with them viz. Rawson’s Retreat, Rosemount Estate and Lindeman’s .

Turbo Charging through La Cave

But there is another ace up Brindco’s sleeve to enhance the value proposition offered to brands like Penfolds. It is the forward integration with  their in-house retail venture “La Cave”  spearheaded by  Madame LaCave née Madhulika Bhattacharya, who is also Dhall’s wife. Madhulika’s penchant to connect with consumers through initiatives like Unwined by LaCave dinners, Fine Wine Affair and an effective social media outreach are being well received in the wine circles of India, providing the desired stimulant to popularise wine culture in the country.

Wines at the Launch Event

(Retail Prices indicated ex Delhi)

As informed by Madhulika,  Grange is available in limited numbers, hence allocated on special demand. The other labels though are  freely available in retail in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling 2014 (₹ 2620, 92.5% Riesling 7.5% Traminer, Alc 12%)

An expressive nose of white flowers and citrus fruits. Good acidity yet plump on the palate. A good conversation starter.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2015 (₹ 1660, Alc 13.5%)

Fresh aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers. Refreshing palate with tropical fruit flavours. Good with sea food and grilled cuisine.

Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2014 (₹ 2900, 82% Shiraz, 18 % Mataro, Alc 14.5%, )

Aromas of black cherries and mixed herbs. Juicy with an appreciable structure. Would go famously with charcuterie.

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2014 (₹ 5410, Alc 14.5%)

Inky with ripe aromas of black berries and a hint of smoke. Robust and dense on the palate. Barbecued food will accompany this wine well.

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (₹ 11490, Alc 14.5%)

Refined aromas of black fruits and spice. Savoury on the palate. Lots of power under the hood. Grilled and seared meats will give this wine its due.