Posted: Friday, 15 July 2011 15:05

Schlumberger "S" at Olive Beach on Thursdays

At Rs. 415 a glass (150 mL) the fruity, off-dry medium bodied wine made from Pinot Blanc (80%),  Riesling and Gewürztraminer from a well known, old Alsace family-owned winery Schlumberger (pronounced as shloom-ber-jay and not shlum-ber-ger as by the Austrian winery) is an interesting wine. Fairly intensely perfumed, it has shades of peaches, citrus and lychees in its flavours and though not a very long end, it performs well even on the back palate. Generally, it is an attractive wine for ladies and novices or even those who like a tinge of sweetness, especially with slightly spicy appetizers.

Currently on their Thursday special menu (from 6-10 pm, I was told), with a 30% discount, at Rs.290 a glass (+taxes), it is a fabulous offer-especially since it is priced cheaper than the equivalent bottle price of around Rs.2600. I was sure there was some mistake but who am I to judge if the restaurant tells me that this was a special price to promote it by the glass, due to whatever reason?

It could be that they are left with a few bottles only, or too many bottles or a  particular vintage getting past its prime, but a pleasant quaffable wine at Rs.290 a glass from Alsace- that too from a reputable producer, is hard to find in Delhi (it retails for around $16 a bottle in the USA). I was surprised and frankly pained to see that at 8 pm there was not a single person inside the bar, sipping wine! I was told that in June there was an average of more than 100 people every Thursday with several groups booking in advance. It could well be that the French National Day being celebrated at the Embassy nearby-from where I had been able to somehow push my way out, had taken away a chunk of the potential customers, especially the ex-pats.

I had taken a quick small sip to feel that the wine was fairly vivacious even now.

People who complain that wines are being sold at exorbitant prices at restaurants (me included) would not find a better option than visiting such wine bars when the special promotions like this are on offer. It is a pity that one didn’t find the place buzzing with the younger office-going crowd, stopping for a weekly Rendezvous. They also have a range of pizzas at a discount of 30%- hopefully they would go back to offering hot snacks with their compliments as they had started but perhaps only if there are enough wine buffs.

Plan on going there next Thursday and order this wine as a deal-of the week-you won’t be disappointed-it is stored well in the Enomatic machine. If you go in a group, they might even agree to serve you hot snacks beyond their well laid out chips, nachos, delicious dips and various types of olives and other condiments.            

Subhash Arora

DelWine is committed to encouraging higher wine consumption through value-for-money offers anywhere in India. If you come across any such deals or you own a restaurant offering such promotions, we shall be glad to check them out on behalf of our subscribers in that area, especially to attract the new wine consumers.-editor