Time flies. Since my last post I've been to Mumbai as one of the judges at Robert Joseph's 'India Wine Challenge' (the third year running), part & parcel of te 'Taste' exhibition at the Gurgaon Exhibition Centre. I also spent 3 days in Nasik visiting vineyards and seeing what's happening there - and have written about this in 'the Wine Club' article for Business Standards' 'Weekend' section last Saturday.
India Wine Challenge
India Wine Challenge
Robert Josep
h is a well-known wine expert based in London, and has self-admitedly managed some 57 wine competitions to-date - he was for many years managing the International Wine Competition (the world's largest such exercise). I've been on the tasting panel in 2007 (the first such event) as well as in 2008 (they skipped the event in 2009). This year there were 12 judges - including 7 from overseas, and we tasted 240 wines in 9 hours (80 wines each by 3 panels) - check out the details in www.taste-expo.com/iwc.php
h is a well-known wine expert based in London, and has self-admitedly managed some 57 wine competitions to-date - he was for many years managing the International Wine Competition (the world's largest such exercise). I've been on the tasting panel in 2007 (the first such event) as well as in 2008 (they skipped the event in 2009). This year there were 12 judges - including 7 from overseas, and we tasted 240 wines in 9 hours (80 wines each by 3 panels) - check out the details in www.taste-expo.com/iwc.phpThe wines come all bagged and sealed - it's always a blind tasting at these competitions - one knows the grape, the vintage, and the origin (country of) of each wine; tasting is in 'flights' of anywhere from 4 to 8 wines each, with wines in any one flight being similar. One swirls, sniffs, sips, and spits (the last is essential, if you're not to end up under the table after just a few wines).
Vineyard visits in Nasik
The grape harvest in India happens Feb - April, and being invited to the Zampa Crush, I wangled visits to a few new vineyards in that area.
I've already written about the Zampa Crush and York winery in last Saturday's 'Weekend' section of Business Standard - you could check out http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/three-cheers-for-enterprise/384734/
People may be amazed to know there are some 67 wineries operating in Maharashtra, 5 in Karnataka (with at least 5 more in the pipeline), and some 10-odd units producing Goan-style ports in Goa. will talk about numbers later- suffice it to mention that the old joke of "How do you make a small fortune in Wine?" "Start with a large fortune"! holds true, even in Bharat Desh.
Bangalore
8th February 2010
