Photos By:: Adil Arora
 The wine evening was organised by the charming Radhika, Ajay & their lovely daughter Bhavna Bahl (who did all the running around & the menu) at their beautifully designed resort Beleza by the Beach. It is located at Betul Batim Colva in South Goa which is 30 minutes away from the Dabolim airport.
The drive through quaint Villages with lush green fields was like an oxygen kick to the city lungs & a calming start to fevered minds, desperately trying to jump off the ever spinning treadmill of our normal rat race. By the time the eager guests were received by the resort staff & escorted in their very comfortable & beautifully designed villas, it was time for a swim & a sun downer.
 The weather was wet, wild & invigorating. As the evening unfolded, the wines were ably introduced by the President of the club, Subhash Arora. The wines included the San Medin Sauvignon Blanc from Torres Chile, Sangre de Toro and Viña Esmeralda from the Spanish stable of Torres, Rosa Rossa Rosé from Big Banyan, Piccini Chianti and the Mahler Besse Bordeaux 2004 with the Bellissima dessert wine to finish off the desert.
We were in for a really pleasant surprise; serenading us the whole evening was a fabulous family run band, consisting of an excellent violinist cum keyboard player Victor & his two dulcet voiced sisters harmonising, like a dream, regaling the gathering with vintage love songs from the sixties to the eighties interspaced with some Goan Mandos (dance songs with love as the major theme) & Portuguese Fados.
 Wine does that to people, gets them all gooey eyed, romantic and completely nostalgic. The entire gathering of the Delhi Wine Club that included the head of ProChile in India, Nester Riveros and his wife Carmen Guede from Chile, whose country’s wines were also being served, plus some lovely people from Calcutta, were swept up in the romantic nostalgia & everybody to a man, swept through the dance floor to foxtrots, waltz, cha cha cha and some spectacular quick steps & jives.
I never realised that so many people could still dance the lovely old ballroom styles of dances. Chef Sachin of the Tentação Restaurant where the exclusive evening was being held had turned out a feast to suit the wines & all had a great time. The two Indian wines from Chateau de Banyan Goa were excellent specially the Rosé which hit on the sweet side, light & crisp with a nice rounded finish.
 The reds, one from Bordeaux & one from Spain were very good. The one from Bordeaux had a complex finish and the other one was ripe with soft tannins, plummy, rounded with a long finish. Both went well with the food specially the chicken Xacutti & pohi (local whole meal bread). It just hit the right spot. All of us OD-ed on a deserts platter groaning with goodies like the ever popular caramel custard. Not to forget was the presence of Goa’s gift to the world, the unique multilayered, smoky ‘Bibinka’.
The evening was magical with the food accompanied by excellent selection of wines. The heavens opened up and the rain beat a tattoo of rhythm & blues along with the band, romance was in the air and everybody was pleasantly high & found their dancing shoes. The evening ended wet & wild with everybody making a dash for their villas through the pouring rain
What an evening!!!!!! 
Prahlad Kakkar
Prahlad Kakkar is the well known star ad guru from Mumbai, a leading ad film director known for his candid and outspoken style. He is a scuba diving instructor, a restaurateur and a celebrity judge at several national events. He is also the Vice President of the Mumbai chapter of the Delhi Wine Club.
Editor’s Note: The Dinner at Tentação was followed by another one (162A) at the Martin’s Corner the next night. Attended by 32 people, it was a gourmands’ delight with calamari, red snapper, prawns, lobster and other delights cooked in Goan style and served with six wines including two different Verdicchio wines from Marche, a Rose from Nine Hills, a Chianti and a Montepulciano from Enzo Mecella, with the Bellissima dessert wine to complete the line-up. Additionally, complimentary Indian wines from Four Seasons, Nine Hills, Big Banyan and Tonia's 'Kandara' were available throughout the 3-night weekend.
The Event was covered by Goa Times. For the article Click Here
Gallery
Beleza of Goa with Wine Dinner at Martin’s Corner |