|
 Cono Sur was introduced in India by Sula with much fanfare in November 2011 when it was also presented at the Chilean Wine Festival in Mumbai and Delhi where members of the Delhi Wine Club were also invited. Cono Sur may rhyme with Connoisseurs with a nice musical note as Sur means in Hindi but the then Chilean Ambassador, His Excellency Cristian Barros had clarified that it was a Latin American word that meant “the Southern Cone,” the shape of South America. The evening was reported in delWine
Made by using organic farming Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir has been my favourite from the very beginning. It’s a brilliant, light coloured, light bodied wine made in Burgundy style with juicy flavours of strawberries and red cherries. Very clean wine with smooth and silky tannins and a full and fruity mouth feel with a decently long and a rather juicy end that makes you salivate as it beckons you to have the next sip in a hurry. This made it comparable to many other Pinots costing a lot more.
In 2000, Cono Sur started their first organically managed vineyard, being the first winery in South America to receive two ISO Certifications, one for quality assurance and the other for environmental policies, making it worthwhile for the environment conscious connoisseurs to go slightly out of the way and support the project.
Moreover, there has been some realigning of pricing and has made it much more attractive at Rs. 1300 in Delhi. What’s more, Gurgaon is back in action, after a miserable year when the duties were jacked up (by mistake as most stakeholder made us believe), it can be available at Rs. 1150-1200 if bought in higher quantities at which price it is a great bargain.
A note of caution is in order. Although many Pinot Noirs may be served at 14-16°C, this Pinot has slightly closed flavours when too chilled. When it warms up in the glass to 16-18 °C it shows its true flavours with aplomb.
It’s light enough to go with fish, chicken and most vegetarian dishes. But red meats and even chicken with heavy sauces, mutton (including sikandri raan), lamb or game may find it too light in comparison. For such occasions, the full bodied Cono Sur Bicicleta Cabernet Sauvignon comes in very handy as it is powerful, full bodied and opulent wine with good structure and balance with hints of ripe plum, sweet spices, chocolate and vanilla make it very complex. It also has long and complex finish making it a good value even at slightly higher price of Rs.1430 in Delhi. You should be able to buy it at Rs. 1200-1250 in Gurgaon. Serve slightly cool-under 18°C. But remember, you cannot legally carry more than 2 bottles at a time inter-state. You may also like to visit:
José Tomás Gillet of Cono Sur from Chile
Subhash Arora |