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Zampa Chene 2014 was the most consistent performer of the Indian contingent with the red wine winning a Silver medal each in the wine and food-wine category. This was followed by Grover La Reserve 2013 which also won a Silver Medal in the wine category but could manage only a Bronze in the food - wine category. Both the Vijay Amritraj Collection wines scored a Bronze medal each for the 2013 Red and 2014 White.
Sula receives a Bronze each for Riesling 2015 and Sauvignon Blanc 2015. Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 had the honour of winning a Bronze medal. There were no Gold Medals and naturally no Trophy. The Trophy and Gold Medal for the Mutton Seekh Kebab category went to Grevino, a small winery in Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County in California for its Syrah 2013.
A total of 58 Gold Medals, 327 Silver Medals and 681 Bronze Medals have been awarded out of around 1700 wines that entered the competition.
The results are not as exciting as last year for India when we had won 18 medals with GroverZ winning 15 medals with 6 Silver Medals-which was way higher than 3 in 2013 for them. The Gold Medal has eluded India so far in this competition for which Arora has been invited since the maiden edition but could manage to start attending from the second edition and has attended all of them-including all the competitions since the food-wine category was started.
Japan leads amongst the Asian countries, cornering 59 medals. However, Thailand has turned out to be the real star of the Competition with the small country winning a whopping 36 medals in the wine category and 4 in the Spirits section. The Medals were cornered by two undisputed leaders in the industry-GranMonte and Siam Winery Co. with GranMonte bagging 25 medals including 2 Golds and 7 Silvers, and Siam Winery bagging the rest 11 medals including one Gold and 3 Silver medals.
The results are so astounding that a group of about dozen judges including Arora have decided to visit the two wineries and the region in December. Thailand has climatic conditions similar to India in that they can also have two crops in a year but take only one crop in both the countries.
One of the major reasons for the Tsunami of medals for Thailand has been their entry in the food and wine segment. Out of 36 medals won between the two wineries, there have been a total of 12 medals (one third) –all Bronzes in the wine category and 24 (two-third) including the 3 Golds and 11 Silvers in the food and wine category-thus being a toast of the Competition.
HKIWSC is one of the rare competitions in the world where food and wines are judged as separate categories and same medals are given for different categories of food-including mutton kebabs from India based on my recommendation. For the last few years chicken tikka was included as a dish on my request. In this category, the judges are given a dish with different wines. They take a dish with all its elements with wine and see how the two taste together on the palate before spitting out. The basic quality of the wine is not important or the subject of judging (it has to be free of any defects of course) but how it works with food is more meaningful- the philosophy being that wine is after all, to be had with food and what better test than the two combined. It’s a level playing field for every wine. Not taking away any credit from the medals won by the Thai contingent, enthusiastic participation in this segment is the key- a segment in which India seems to have been a laggard.
The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition is one of the oldest and most respected competitions in Asia. It is conducted in conjunction with IWSC, one of the oldest and top competitions in the world. It is handled by the IWSC London and Debra Meiburg MW. Judges are all Asians, excepting a VIP judge from outside. The 7th year saw Neil McGuigan, a well-renowned Aussie winemaker and currently the CEO of Australian Vintage Ltd. invited as the VIP judge. It is held every October and the results are announced during the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair, the 8th edition of which opens today for 3 days.
For all the Results, visit http://www.hkiwsc.com/search2015/results
Subhash Arora
Results for Indian Wines |