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It was for the first time perhaps in the 30-year history of Hyatt Regency that it converted what used to be a coffee shop and is now a chic all-night café into a party place by closing a major portion of the restaurant after 10 pm, putting their in-house DJ in place with non- balle balle music and the granite floor which served as the natural dance floor near the live station area in the far corner of the restaurant.
The party was co-hosted by Hyatt Regency to honour Subhash Arora, President of Indian Wine Academy, Delhi Wine Club and Editor of delWine eNewsletter, who had been knighted by the Italian government and was bestowed the official title of Cavaliere last month. Talking of the novel idea for the venue, Tim Bruce, General Manager of Hyatt explained, ‘ my F & B team came out with the concept because the café has a 24-hour license whereas in banquet room and the other restaurants alcohol cannot be served after 1 pm.’
For the uninitiated Delhi wakes up for parties only after 10 pm and the younger you are, the later you are expected to reach a party. Most of the hotel- resident café clients finish their dinner by 10 pm. ‘We gave our clients who’d come after 10 pm, the option to use one section of the restaurant or be served the same menu at the nearby Polo Lounge,’ said Liz Fleming, the Resident Manager who was also seen on the dance floor.
The idea was a resounding success. Most of the hundred or so guests felt that it was the most happening party they had been to in a long time. Although the DJ Ankush deserves full credit for tweaking the music to the average age of the guests, credit goes to the executive chef Dieter Lengauer and Puneet Baijal, the F &B Director who had designed the menu of the evening. The antipasti and the live stations made sure ample delicious food was laid out seductively the moment the guests walked in.
The Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Roberto Toscano was the chief guest of the evening. He was received by Tim Bruce who had been jet-lagging after his recent return from the US, but stayed on for a couple of hours till the Ambassador had to leave to take a flight to Doha to attend an international conference. The South African High Commission Mr. Francis Moloi was also present with his radiant smile to personally congratulate his friend for the honour of knighthood. ‘My government is very serious and selective about this award,’ Mr. Toscano was heard telling Mr. Moloi. ‘Our embassy monitors constantly monitors the initiatives of people who are working diligently in promoting Indo-Italian friendship and the prospective candidate has no clue till he is selected for the award.’
 Keeping the flavour of the evening in mind, the menu was all-Italian; so were the five wines. ‘It is our experience that most guests love to have some biryani or simple dal-roti after a few hours. So a simple menu with mutton, chicken and vegetarian biryanis, kebabs, dal and roti was laid out for the die-hard Indian food lovers,’ was Puneet’s suggestion that turned out to be a brilliant idea later in the evening.
The service was absolutely impeccable. Every one in the staff was on his or her toes-even Dieter was seen mixing with guests with a third eye on the kitchen and the service tables to make sure nothing was short and was being served properly and at the right temperature, including the wine. The credit for the successful execution for the evening goes fully to Puneet Baijal who led his team from the front (he was there at least till 2:45 pm, frequently showing up at the ‘wine bar’ and discreetingly watching and making sure each guest was being given a special and personal attention.
Vini Italiani at Café Bar
The unending stream of following wines-Italian all, flowed throughout the evening and early morning:
Cuvée di Pinot 2006 Santa Margherita
Cuvée di Pinot is the blend of Pinot Grigio and Blanco grape varieties from the Eastern Veneto region. Produced by the 3rd largest family winery of Italy, it has made Pinot Grigio the fastest growing imported varietal in the US and is reportedly the number one imported brand in the US as well as holds the top spot in the Italian restaurant sales.
Light, pleasantly fragrant wine with fragrant nose that has a touch of apple, is dry but fresh and with crisp acidity that makes it a great party wine apart from a good match with salads, vegetable or chicken biryani, grilled fish or lightly sauced sea-foods. It was served at the perfect temperature of 10-12 º C. degrees. Amfora Wines who have taken the lead in quality Italian wines import this label
Lagrein DOC Alto Adige 2006 St. Michael Eppan
St. Michael Eppan is a cooperative in Italy’s northern region of Trentino- Alto Adige, also known as Süditrol. It was voted as the best vineyard in 2000 by Gambero Rosso and has 16 wines that have won the most prestigious Gambero Rosso tre bicchieri awards (Three glasses, the highest award given to any wine)
 This red wine is made from the autochthonous (a term used in Italy universally to denote the local, indigenous wine grapes-and Italy is full of such varietals, in all the wine regions) grape called Lagrein and not everyone loves it at first sight-as one discovered watching faces who took a sip for the first time. But this is one grape which finds favours with the Indian palate after a couple of dates with the bottle.
This lively ruby red colour wine imported also by Amfora has aromas of ripe red fruits but with a characteristic Lagrein touch. It is a full-bodied wine, warm, soft and velvety on the palate. By the end of the evening, people were asking for re-refills.
Cipressi della Court Barbera d’Asti 2006 Michele Chiarlo
Barbera is the grape from Piemonte. It makes a delicious, soft daily drinking wine although it is also possible to age the wine now. The dark ruby red wine has intense bouquet, ample with obvious notes of ripe and juicy black cherry fruit. The wine is rich on the palate with a full mouth-feel and is quite harmonious and persistent. It was a perfect accompaniment for the pasta and the risotto that were being prepared on the live stations under the watchful eyes of Dieter. The mellowed tannins made it delightful for most and this was perhaps the fist wine to have been polished off-the whole case of 12. Michele Chiarlo is a very respected producer who has been in India for a decade and the wine is imported by Ace Beveragez.
Greco di Tufo "Novaserra" 2007 Mastroberardino
Talk to anyone South of Rome and he will swear that the best Italian wines are from Campania. Some even say that it is the Piemonte of the south as the Aglianico grape makes Taurasi wines like Nebbiolo in Barolo-with the same age-ability and elegance. The white signature wine is made here with Greco de Tufo, again an indigenous grape that was perhaps brought in from Greece over two thousand years ago. It has character and charming personality- perhaps the equivalent of being ‘suave’.
The deep straw colour wine has mineral aromas that overshadow the fruity aromas of apples and apricots. The flavour is smooth and full of crisp acidity with the mineral taste carrying on along with that of pears and almonds right till the end. This is a wine of slight ‘sophistication’ and once you have had a few glasses of it, you would ask for more as many did after finishing the first glass.
Lacryma Christi Rosso 2007 Mastroberardino
 Mastroberardino is a very well-respected producer in Campania and is certainly a member of the top quality producers’ group in this region where Naples and Salento are situated. The label has certainly added to the quality of the portfolio for Sovereign Impex who has been importing these wines for 2-3 years now.
Since the emphasis of the evening was to showcase lesser known and authentic Italian grape varieties, Lacryma was a welcome addition as the third red wine. Made from Piedirosso red grapes, the dark ruby red colour wine is a full bodied dry wine with ample ripe fruits like cherries, strawberries and plums exploding into your mouth, slightly overshadowing the firm tannins which make it a great food wine as well. The spicy aromas and peppery flavour on the back-end makes it a wine for the sophisticated Indian palate.
The Hyatt seems to have come up with a cheerful concept that can make an excellent business sense for the Delhi party persons who love to hang out and be seen- many diners in La Piazza were wondering about the changed scene from the side gallery overlooking the restaurant. The party room can take 200 guests for an excellent service. One can safely predict many more of such parties at the ‘new’ hot spot of the hotel. Recession or no recession, it appears that the creative juices are flowing at Hyatt!!
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