|
 It is interesting that barring Chene which is made by Grover Zampa in Maharashtra, all the wines winning Recognition are from Karnataka. The Commendations are not really a medal but implies that the judges feel that the wine is approved by the panel for easy drinking. International Trophy, Gold and Silver are the most important trophies-a total of 2,398 have been awarded out of 15,929 wine tasted, making it 15% of the total. A total of 4,810 Bronze medals have been awarded, with 3,945 that includes the 3 from India, constituting the rest of the recognitions. Here are the awards reproduced from the Decanter website:
Grover  La Réserve  India Karnataka Nandi Hills 2014 White View
Grover  Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection  India Karnataka Nandi Hills 2013 White View
Grover Zampa  Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc  India Karnataka Nandi Hills 2014 White View
KRSMA  Sauvignon Blanc  India Karnataka Hampi Hills 2014 White View
Zampa  Chêne Grande Réserve  India Maharashtra Nashik 2013 Red
Grover Zampa Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc had won the regional trophy at the Decanter Asia Awards last year. Sumedh S Mandla, CEO of Grover Zampa is surprised with only a ‘Commended’ but has a reasonable explanation. ‘We did not submit the samples directly for the competition and our distributor might have had some issues with storage and logistics. I am confident we will do a lot better at the DAWA and HKIWSC later this year when our current vintage will be ready by then.’ He is however, glad they won 4 recognitions, maintaining the leadership position. With their recent entry into Japan and Hong Kong, their sights would be on these two competitions.
Miguel Torres scooped the international trophy in the Red Bordeaux varietals costing over £ 15 for Reserva Real 2010 vintage from Penedes in Catalonia. The wine is a blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) with a dash of Cabernet Franc (5%) and Merlot (5%) . It was created in the 1990s, following a visit of Spain’s King Don Juan Carlos to the winery. Torres wines are imported by Prestige Wines and Spirits Pvt Ltd, a Joint venture of Torres and the Thapar Group.
Piper Heidsieck Brut 2006 Champagne also received the International Trophy in the sparkling wine category (over £15). Piper Heidsieck NV Brut is imported by Sula Selections, the import arm of Sula group. Coincidentally, Piper Heidsieck NV Brut was served at the Delhi Wine Club Dinner organized at Hotel Sheraton very recently, on June 11, 2015 and was a winner with all the guests.
International trophies-35 have been awarded, are the highest accolade a wine can achieve at the DWWA. Wines that have already been awarded regional trophies – all gold medal winners – are tasted against each other according to their style in lengthy blind tasting sessions.
There was also a sweet surprise from Slovenia which I had visited last month and was impressed with their wines. The International Trophy for Sweet Wine over £15 was won by Ptujska Klet Pullus’ Laski Rizling 2012 vintage. Decanter World Wine Awards regional chair for Eastern and Central Europe, Caroline Gilby MW, said, ‘It’s a real achievement for a tiny country like Slovenia to win this trophy ahead of so many countries that are more famous for their sweet wines. And while sweet wine is pretty small in production terms for Slovenia, it definitely punches above its weight in quality – because it has both great Terroir and a passionate new generation of winemakers.’ Laski Rizling is Welschriesling and though quite well known in Austria, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia, has nothing to do with Riesling and is another grape variety altogether.
For detailed results of DWWA, visit
Subhash Arora |