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 When was the last time you had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Noir at a 5-star Deluxe Hotel or even a stand-alone restaurant in Delhi or anywhere else in India for under Rs. 600-800 a glass-if sold as such? And take the bottle home-even if sealed! Wear your seat belt today and head towards Hotel Trident Gurgaon where you can drink as much of Mud House Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir for Rs. 275 a glass (150 mL)+ taxes in their bar and over 50 wines at the same price.
Abhijit Mukherji, a wine connoisseur and the 30-year+ veteran of the Taj group, who quit as Executive Director of Hotel Operations earlier this year was the General Manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi when I met him first about 12 years ago. The government had declared import of duty-free wines and the excise duty used to be Rs. 150 a bottle only. He used to tell me that one day soon he would make sure that his hotel would sell a glass of house wine cheaper than the glass of coke which was priced then at Rs. 150 a glass.
Despite his efforts, he could not fulfill his desire and did not keep the promise he made me as a journalist, wine promoter and the President of the Delhi Wine Club. Over a decade  later, Hotel Trident has finally done what Mukherji dreamt of, and lowered the price on not one-or-two but over 50 wines at their Bar to Rs. 275++ a glass during the December Wine Month when the wine would cost less than a cup of Cappuccino or a glass of orange juice.
I have had nothing to do with the concept, wine selection or anything else except several motivational chats to bring out consumer friendly schemes so the wine drinking population may be increased and people stop being overawed due to high prices and lack of knowledge. I did suggest to their dynamic sommelier Rakesh Awaghade to add a few Indian wines so that people-especially the expats at the two hotels, might find it worthwhile to taste them to compare. Sula Riesling & Zinfandel Rose, Grover Zampa Vijay Amritraj White & Red collection plus a huge selection of regular domestic wines are being added, confirms Rakesh.
The Wine List prepared by the hotel is attached in Toto. Here are my Top Twelve Recommendations (for 2 visits* 6 labels each) covering 7 countries and over 10 grape varieties:
White
Castillo de Molina Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)
Marchesi de' Frescobaldi 'Attems' Sauvignon Blanc (Italy)
Mirapiana Toscana Bianco igt 2013 (Italy)
Baron Philippe de Rothschild Cadet D'OC Chardonnay (France)
Mud House Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) *
Red
Viña Laroche Pinot Noir (Chile)
Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Carmanere (Chile)
Masi Modello delle Venezie Rosso (Italy)
Bodega Norton Merlot (Argentina)
L'Avenir Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa)
Brand’s Laira “1893” Range Shiraz (Australia)
Mud House Pinot Noir (New Zealand) *
* Will be available within this week
 Nitesh Gandhi. General Manager of Trident was very excited when I met him. He told me, 'we are putting our heart and soul into this event and want our guests to come and try several labels by the glass or the bottle. We are barely recovering out costs with this scheme. But we want to encourage our clients to ask for a glass of wine instead of orange juice and relax at the Bar.' Although this event is only for the month of December, he hopes to continue to offer similar programmes later to encourage people to think of the hotel as a wine destination.
Create your own food and wine match
If the prices on wines have been brought down to incredibly low levels, the snack prices have been hugely slashed to only Rs. 200++. One may plan a fun evening with friends and relatives and learn about wines and also enjoy pairing food and wine for individual palates and make a pleasant experience. Here is what you get at Rs. 200 a plate:
Snacks Menu
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Triple cooked hand cut fries served with Maldon Fleur de Sel and Truffle oil |
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Hara kebab- |
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Medallions of spinach crisp pressed rice coated patties, filled with lentils, yoghurt and raw mango chutney |
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Chatpate tandoori aloo- Tandoor cooked potatoes marinated with fennel, honey and home ground spices |
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Nachos served with Mexican salsa |
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Greek feta cheese and tomato Bruschetta with basil |
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Kashmiri Seekh Kebab from Minced lamb made with Kashmiri spices |
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Cajun spiced chicken tenders with olive and cheese dip |
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Home smoked chicken & green apple bruschetta |
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Mustard marinated fish fingers in homemade Tartare sauce |
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Chicken tikka |
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My Recommendations
For a balanced tasting I recommend a group of 6 people for the evening. Order 2 glasses each of 6 wines and split amongst the group the quantity of 50 mL each. Total cost- Rs. 3300
Order 12 plates of snacks of choice. Total cost- Rs. 2400
You spend Rs. 5700 (Rs. 950 a head) and make a relaxed meal out of the evening with 6 wines and drinking 300 mL wine-just the right amount of wine-if you spend over 2 hours, it is even safe to drive home yourself.
Rider
 There are some very good wines in the Menu and my Top Ten engulf most of them. But do not expect them to be fine wines! They are mostly entry level wines and would not impress you if you are used to drinking Barolo, Bordeaux, Burgundy or Brunello. But one glass of any of those wines would set you back by Rs. 1200 or more and this way you can learn about 6 wines at much less cost. If you are serious about learning about wines, this is a great programme.
I must also caution you that the deal is for one month only. I have recommended several good deals in the past but only to those who were swift enough took advantage of those schemes. The prices are generally revised upwards and it is unlikely that the scheme will be extended.
Subhash Arora
I must also emphasize that there is no monetary gain for me directly or indirectly. I am suitably impressed and feel my duty and responsibility to advise our subscribers and hope the big numbers would take advantage and this would encourage other hotels to experiment with such brilliant ideas. My objective is that more young people must get into the habit of drinking wine casually (and hopefully be weaned away, even if partially, from liquor) and the hotels should become more wine oriented-it would make good business sense for them only if the volumes get bigger.
List of Wines at Rs. 275++ a glass |