 Indian wines have now become an accepted feature of the international world of wines. Prowein is considered to be one of the biggest and most important professional wine events, visited by not only the Germans but by wine professionals from all over the World.
Most wine importers have a portfolio of wines from the majority of wine-producing countries and with just about every country exhibiting at Prowein, this was the ideal opportunity for them to meet all of their winemakers, seek out new additions and more important of all, to taste the wines from the newly bottled, much awaited 2011 vintage. The 2011 wines produced in Europe benefited from an exceptionally good late summer with optimum ripening conditions for the grapes and wines with a good, rich concentration of flavours.
The Indian wines on display were mostly from the 2011 vintage, for the whites and rosés at least, harvested of course in the early part of the year, as opposed to autumn in Europe. Many of them are already proudly displaying for the first time awards and medals from international wine competitions, a recognition that they are now on a level with the World’s best. These included Fratelli’s Chenin Blanc, Zampa Reserve Cabernet-Shiraz and Sparkling Rosé and Ritu’s (Four Seasons Export Brand) Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique Reserve.
Despite the relatively small quantities of wine being produced in comparison to other countries, India as a country never fails to excite consumer interest with its unique colourful, mystic appeal.
Those present on the stand under the banner of the Indian Grape Processing Board, hosted by CEO Awadhesh Kumar were Ritu Wines with their Chief Winemaker Abhay Kewadkar and my .jpg) favourite Indian rosé, Luca, whose unusual range of crisp, fruity Litchi and Mango wines certainly stimulated a lot of interest.
Sumit Jaiswal, Senior Marketing Manager of Vallée de Vin was showing Zampa’s new highly attractive spiral design labels. Their sparkling rosé received the compliments of several well-known champagne producers. Viral Pancholia and his charming sister Susmeta of Mercury were present with their ArYaa range and a most unusual rosé blend of Moscato and Zinfandel, dry rather than sweet, but floral and spicy - excellent inspiration for a lavish desert menu. I also found their Fumé Blanc so beautifully crisp and crystal clear. Fratelli’s brand new marketing manager, Tarun Sibal, previously project manager at Sopexa India was at Prowein to promote their very extensive range of whites and reds and surprised me with their delicious, refined Sangiovese and award winning Chenin Blanc.
It is good to see such an exciting range of top quality, beautifully labelled Indian wines now sitting so comfortably in place in Europe.
Maureen Kerleau |