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Photos By:: Adil Arora
Organising a wine dinner with Indian wines from a single producer at a 5-str hotel is no big deal today since the producers are looking for opportunities to make an entry into the hotel wine lists. This is not otherwise an easy task since they are paradoxically more expensive to buy than the duty free imported wines with an additional caveat, at least in Delhi that a full case must be ordered even if a bottle is needed to taste and sample a label.
To get four producers to participate in the same event at the same time would be an achievement. To get the winemakers to attend the evening and that too during the harvest season, is normally unfathomable. But thinking out of the box is par for the course for the suave but friendly General Manager Designate Tristan de Lomenie who came to India during the construction of the hotel near the international airport in Delhi and opened it only around 15 months ago and in an even shorter time- with less than a year since he procured the liquor license, he has the whole city focusing on the F & B operations and especially his wine promoting events.
Two private Indian wine labels- Pullman Rouge and Blanc were introduced a couple of weeks ago, after 5 months delay due to the excise formalities. They have not even been launched formally yet and he organised yet a Winemaker Dinner with a difference. Ajoy Shaw, Karishma Grover, Ravi Gurnani and Ashok Patil flew in from Mumbai on the afternoon of January 24, only to participate in the evening dinner where 2-3 labels of Sula, Grover Zampa, York and Charosa were presented. Ravi represented his brother Kailash Gurnani, the Aussie-educated winemaker who had to stay back due to harvest.
Four wineries and fourteen labels for the Show
A total of 14 wines including the Pullman duo crafted by Grover Zampa, Bangalore were uncorked with the four winemakers ready to mingle with the invitees, not all of whom expected to get excited about the winemaking process. Nevertheless, a good number were serious and sincere in knowing more than what was in the bottle and were not disappointed. There is nothing better than talking to a winemaker about the wines and the connoisseurs generally know it and do not miss an opportunity to get some complimentary tips about their wines in particular and wines in general. Information about grapes, style, climate, soil, winery processes were all available for the asking. Interestingly, when Kailash was away studying, Ravi used to also supervise the wine making process though they had a consultant winemaker on the payroll.
 So what was the motivation for Tristan to organise the dinner before even launching the Pullman labels officially and how was the response so far? ‘It is our explicit philosophy to promote wine and Indian wines in particular. For the last 3 years that I have been in India, the quality has been steadily going up and we wanted to showcase as many Indian wines as possible for our customers. We are committed to give high priority to wines in our F & B programme. Though we have had a limited success so far, we are not going to give up and will stay committed,’ he says and giving me the ultimate compliment says, ‘I wouldn't have been able to reach where we have, if it wasn’t for you and your inspiration.’ A sincere word of appreciation, that!
The evening was also an opportunity for the guests to have a guided tasting of 14 Indian labels including the bubblies from Grover, Sula and York and the Pullman duo of Rouge and Blanc: Grover Zampa Sauvignon Blanc and Chene Grande Reserve 2010, Sula Riesling 2016, Rasa Shiraz 2014 and Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2016; York Chenin Blanc 2016 and Arros 2013; Charosa Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The food and presentation by Exec Chef Ajay Anand’s team did a superlative job, as did Kriti Malhotra, the certified Sommelier who also talked about the experiential aspect of their wine service where they focus also on the client’s mood and needs at the table.
‘A Taste of India’ is a catchy title that conveyed the essence of the evening-not only the Indian wines but also Indian food served in the inimitable Pluck style, giving the guests an opportunity to match wines with the different dishes and interact with the Sommelier and the winemakers and to taste the modern Indian cuisine specialties.
Subhash Arora |