|
 Ask
a cricket- crazy Indian from Kolkata or Mumbai about the cricket pitch
and he is likely to mouth his encyclopedic knowledge of how it is designed
for pace bowlers in Australia and how a broken pitch in India can help
the spinners third day onwards.
Ask a cricket-crazy Australian in New South Wales or
the neighbouring Victoria and he is likely to tell you about the Cricket
Pitch wine made by the well-known Hunter Valley winery Brokenwood and
how he loves the value-for-money moniker, on or off the cricket ground.
However, he may not tell you that the winery was not
owned by the current CEO- winemaker Ian Riggs when it was founded in 1970
by three Sydney professionals including the noted Australian wine writer
and author, James Halliday. The original owners were replaced by many
investors until 1982 when Riggs was crowned.
Pretty soon that Indian will know that the Cricket Pitch
is a label, a range of wines, that's has been named after the vineyard,
which was originally planned as a cricket ground for the local community,
in the hot and humid Cowra region of New South Wales. Soon, he will be
able to drink and talk the Cricket Pitch.
Incidentally, the solicitor trio- Tony Albert, John Beeston
and James Halliday had paid a record price at that time of $970 per acre
for a 10-acre block in the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges. What started
out as a weekend hobby, soon turned into a well respect Hunter Valley
winery.
Brokenwood's focus on excellence combined with a passion
for making great wines has created an interesting style that showcases
elegance, balance and consistency in the great value-for-money Cricket
Pitch.
Worth a special mention is the Bordeaux white blend with
55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc. This bright, pale yellow wine with
green tints and citrus aromas has the powerful fruit backbone of Sauvignon
Blanc with Semillon from the hot region giving structure of richness to
the palate. Short barrel fermentation has added subtle complexity and
extra dimension for the palate with a lively finish.
 Red
version is an Aussie-Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet
Franc and Shiraz. Plumy and toasty flavours beckon you as does the mid-palate
firmness.
The Cricket Pitch and other wines from Brokenwood are
being imported by FineWinesnMore, Mumbai and are reportedly available
across several hotels and select retailers in the country, within the
price range of Rs 2500 ($60) to Rs 14,000. Presumably the prices are in
Mumbai hotels.
'My partner, Sumedh, and I are ardent cricket fans and
we love the whole excitement of actually watching the action live on the
cricket pitch,' says Dharti Desai, CEO and Founder of FWM. 'We love to
discover the history and the background of every label we import and the
cricket pitch story had me totally fascinated. But I do enjoy this wine
for its wonderful quality as well!" she pitches in.
When the cricket season is not on (is it 29th August?)
, you may want to check out their wide range of 140 labels
of premium champagne, Canard Duchêne, exclusive single vineyard
wines from Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain and Chile.
The alcohol drinkers belonging to the 99% category may also raise a toast
with their quality spirits such like Martinique Rum, Grappa, Tequila and
Limoncello.
|