 There was a shadow of doubt in many members' minds as the Gujjars had chosen that day, the 29th of May, to shut down all access to the Capital. As the afternoon wore on, many calls went flying between members and Subhash Arora, the President decided to carry on with the plans.
Many members had been pleasantly surprised a couple of weeks earlier to receive the e-mail from the Delhi Wine Club regarding the planned 124th club event at the Brazilian Churrascaria at the recently opened Crowne Plaza in Gurgaon. Fireball Restaurant where the carnivorous can have a ball and fire in the belly had been highly praised by the press.
The bandh turned out to be a blessing, because the traffic turned out to be lighter than usual and the 25-km. drive from Defence Colony to Gurgaon was smooth and took a mere 30 minutes.
We assembled in the very chic and modern lobby bar of the hotel where we started the evening sipping Müller Thurgau semi-sparkling wine from Santa Margarita, a wine made from the grape of the same name. This chilled, fresh, clean tasting sparkler combined beautifully with the jalapeño cheese balls and crisp onion rings and was a welcome start to the evening.
The bar, with a wide opening into the lobby and overlooking the beautifully landscaped grounds outside, gives the feeling of openness. There are cozy corners for making light conversation after a heavy day or have heavy conversations negotiating deals.
It is a short walk from the bar to the Wildfire, nestled in a corner of the lobby and fronted by a wide open grill kitchen. A variety of meats and seafood under preparation and closely observed by hungry eyed diners emitted pleasing aromas. Mr. Nitish Sharma, the dynamic F & B Manager and his restaurant staff had gone to the trouble of printing a special menu for the evening which was indicative of the planning that had gone into making this evening a success. The big ball outside the restaurant was spewing fire as if welcoming the guests.
We started off with a Sauvignon Lahn 2006, from St. Michael Eppan in Alto Adige region – a delightful wine with excellent aromatic quality and a lingering mouth feel .This was an excellent complement to the salmon sashimi – a classic example of a good marriage between light bodied white wine and seafood.
 Next we had a Myrto Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco and Incrocio Manzoni, the indigenous grape of Veneto. A medium bodied wine with a very mineral tone but a short finish, it did not detract from the mushroom cappuccino which had a fusion twist with cumin dust and curry salt.
At this stage, the club bid farewell to the departing Italian Trade Commissioner, Mr. Giancarlo Lamio and his wife with a vote of appreciation for his support of the Delhi Wine Club. The guest of honour, H.E. Antonio Armellini, the Ambassador of Italy had words of praise about the Club and heartily acknowledged the efforts made by the club and especially our President, for the promotion of wine culture in India.
Onto the main course and the red wine choices for the evening which began with the Felsina Fontalloro Sangiovese 2003 to go with the char grilled lobster from Cochin. The Fontalloro is a mix of grapes from vineyards in the southern tip of the Chianti Classico production region but because parts of these vineyards lie outside of the Classico borders, this wine cannot be labeled Chianti Classico, but rather an IGT wine. This wine follows up its elegant and fresh start with intense fruity flavour on the palate.
Those guests that had the grilled lamb chops agreed that they paired very well with Il Falcone 2000 Rivera Riserva from Puglia, which I found to be a rich, powerful and earthy wine from Puglia with a complex nose and good tannin structure. This wine is a 70% blend of Nero di Troia and 30% Montepulciano varietal.
All in all, an excellent pairing of food and wine which was complemented by service that, for a newly opened restaurant, was smooth, efficient and vibrant. Maybe some of the hard core carnivores may have felt the hotel could have used this opportunity to showcase their repertoire of red meats better but the menu and the chef did deliver good quality and variety.
Another wine club event where the synergy between food, wine, quality, ambience and service made the members want to have another dinner at the same venue and the hotel management requesting them to come back soon.
Perhaps our carnivores may still look forward to a hearty and meaty meal with meaty and chewy wines!
Arun Batra is a Delhi based management consultant, a food and wine enthusiast and a long time member of the Delhi Wine Club |