La Piazza at Hotel Hyatt was buzzing last night with unusual activity. About 80 people having dinner may not be a very unusual sight at this well-established Italian restaurant but the goblets filled with red wine visible all round would transport one to a wine bar in Italy. And if a casual customer knew one stemware had Barbaresco 2007 with Barolo 2007 in the other, and that too from Pio Cesare, a premium Piemonte producer with a historical back-ground, he would swear that wine culture has finally arrived in Delhi and the people in Delhi have finally come to appreciate the wine known to be meant for kings.
It could be also perhaps indicate that the wine connoisseurs in Delhi are smart and look for value- for- money -at Rs. 3200 AI, a dinner with 4 high quality wines would be a steal. The 5-course meal crafted and prepared by Chef Igor who owns a Michelin starred restaurant, La Credenza near the Caselle airport at Torino (Turin) was a treat for the Italian food and wine lovers. He has earned his Michelin star for his clean regional cuisine specializing in locally sourced ingredients.
The evening started with the staple Caesar Salad 2012 which was quite an appetiser, the tiny blobs of mashed potatoes adding to the appearance and texture. Arneis Langhe DOC 2010, produced from the local grape Arneis, was a perfect, no-nonsense match for the salad which was fresh and crisp, like the white wine. Lobster cappuccino with salted croissants that followed, was outstanding and perhaps the best dish of the evening for me. One must give due credit to the accompanying wine Pio Cesare Gavi 2010. Made from Cortese grapes, this wine was dry but fruity, medium body and weighty on the palate. A trace of tropical elements like pineapple and citrus fruits with a shade of peaches made it quite palatable with the soup with thick texture. I felt sorry for the vegetarians who got the pumpkin soup which was well made technically but a bit sweet and fairly pedestrian- it was not a patch on the real Italian pumpkin soup, a specialty of Italian cuisine, perhaps at la Credenza too.
Piemonte cheese risotto with coffee powder and black truffle was a bit of disappointment. Of course, it was Al dente, and with plenty of cheese. One could also dig down the coffee flavour and a few specs of coffee. But I could not spot any black truffle-on the plate or the palate and certainly not on the nose. I am not a racist but I love white truffle from Piemonte and I was hoping to taste at least the next best thing- the black truffle (this year the white truffle crop has been much smaller and one does not find the white truffle as often in Piemonte this season) in one of the dishes and hence the disappointment. However, Barbaresco 2007 from Pio Cesare partially alleviated my mood because of its feminine character, balance and elegance that made it very easy drinking and a good match with the risotto.
Marinated lamb with sweet corn ragout would be a classical match for any Barolo and Pio Cesare Barolo ’07, though still too young to show off its regal charm, did a commendable job of bringing out the flavours of the food which helped enhanced its flavour too. Surprisingly, the Barolo kept on caressing the palate even when the lamb was gone. A dosage of hard and seasoned cheese would have been ecstatic with the wine, before the hazelnut parfait that brought an excellent finish to the meal. The hotel guests would have found the evening a great value-for-money, especially the Italian wine connoisseurs. Barbaresco and Barolo are top end wines of Italy and are a brand in their own right and Pio Cesare is a well recognized name, not only in Italy but throughout the world, especially in the US where Pio Boffa, the owner of Pio Cesare, was headed. Hotel Hyatt Regency well rewarded its loyal customers with an evening to remember. Presence of Boffa added to the experience of the evening as he went from table to table talking about his wines.
The Italian food and wine festival with Chef Igor starts today and will run for a week. Special A La carte lunch and dinner menu is in place, with dishes matched with Pio Cesare wines. Make sure to tell the Chef to point out the black truffle on the dish you order-if it calls for it. He will also conduct a cooking class on 16th February at 10:30 am that will include Lunch at La Piazza with a glass of Pio Cesare wine.
Pio Cesare wines were introduced in India by Sovereign Impex about 4-5 years ago. However due to commercial compulsions and with mutual consent, the agency was changed to Prestige Wines and Spirits, a JV with Torres of Spain. Pio Cesare is already being imported by Torres China and Torres Sweden.
Subhash Arora |