For wine lovers around the world who enjoy wine and the good life Volume 14: Issue 1, January - March 2018 INDIA SommelierTHE WINE MAGAZINE FRATELLI VINEYARDS SOMMELIER INDIA WINE MAGAZINE VOLUME 14: ISSUE 1, JANUARY MARCH 2018 MARCH JANUARY 1, ISSUE 14: VOLUME MAGAZINE WINE INDIA SOMMELIER COOL CLIMATE GRAPES page 20 KEEP YOUR CITY GREEN URBAN VINEYARDS page 36 AFFORDABLE BORDEAUX CRU BOURGEOIS page 42 INDIA’S PREMIER WINE MAGAZINE. CONTROLLED CIRCULATION from the editor s we welcome in the new year and bid farewell to the old, Sommelier India embarks on a new path while remaining Atrue to its original mission of providing SI readers who constitute our core audience of wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs strong editorial features, news, profiles and interviews from around the world. Keeping in mind the changing landscape of communications worldwide, SI is charting a new course to actively engage the reader. So stay tuned, “For the times they are a-changin…” ! (Bob Dylan) Fratelli Vineyards is one of India’s top wine producers winning national and international acclaim in a relatively short time. This issue’s cover story describes its success in cultivating cool climate grapes in an environment that one would least expect in which they would do well, as Brinda Gill expounds on page 20. Marques de Riscal, located in the heart of the famous Rioja wine region, is one of the very few wineries which have achieved major increases in production while significantly improving quality. Michael Fridjhon was hugely impressed when he visited the winery recently after some 25 years. Read his comments on page 14. Urban vineyards are being rejuvenated or created, says Carol Wright. Some of them are sponsored by city councils to preserve the city’s green lungs. Find out more about this trend on page 36. Cru Bourgeois wines have never been greater value for money than now. The quality is so good that some of them could be upgraded to Cru Classé, if those ranks hadn’t been immutably established in 1855, writes Ashika Mathews. Don’t miss Stephen Quinn’s article on Amarone, page 58 – an intense wine from Valpolicella in northern Italy, regarded as one of Italy’s greatest red wines. Another popular Italian red is Brunello di Montalcino. To discover how a poor hill-top town in Tuscany put it on the global map read Michele Shah’s Castello Banfi story on page 26. Elsewhere, Ruma Singh interviews Paul John about “Kanya” his latest award-winning single malt, page 48. Karina Aggarwal explains why Rémy Martin’s cognac is in a class apart, page 32, and Rosemary George MW expatiates on the many forms of port, page 52. The issue closes with a photo feature of an SI dinner celebrating the magazine’s contribution to the spread of wine culture in India and a decade-and-a-half of publishing. 42 Sommelier INDIA JANUARY-MARCH 2018 Volume 14: Issue 1, January-February 2018 `220 VOLUME 14: ISSUE 1, JANUARY-MARCH 2018 Founder Reva K Singh contents Publisher Shiv B Singh Advisory Council Sonal Holland – Mumbai FRONT OF THE BOOK successfully planted at Akluj in 32 THE BIRTH OF BRANDY AND Dhruv M Sawhney – New Delhi southern Maharashtra by Fratelli THE CRAFT OF COGNAC Steven Spurrier – London Ravi Viswanathan – Singapore 06 OENOPHILE’S NOTEBOOK Vineyards are producing exciting, Karina Aggarwal provides a 42 Tips, News and Trends for the unusual blends. Brinda Gill reports fascinating glimpse into the origins Editor in Chief Reva K Singh wine enthusiast of brandy and the emergence of Copy Chief Bunny Suraiya 26 CASTELLO BANFI Cognac as its best example GASTRONOMY Tastings Co-ordinator Gagan Sharma 12 OF WINE STYLES, OLD Michèle Shah visited Castello 68 IN PERFECT HARMONY AND NEW Banfi to discover how a poor hilltop 36 VINEYARDS AT YOUR Kaveri Ponnapa speaks to Chef Mir Correspondents – India Alok Chandra, Piyush Gadkari, Jancis Robinson on the duopoly of town in Tuscany put Brunello di DOORSTEP Zafar Ali at Le Cirque Signature in Brinda Gill, Aditi Pai, 21st century wines being produced Montalcino on the global map Cities around the world have Bengaluru and is impressed with his Kaveri Ponnapa alongside the very diffferent styles embraced the concept of urban culinary creativity Correspondents – Overseas of the past vineyards to withstand the advance Renu Chahil-Graf – EU, Rosemary George – UK, Mira Advani of concrete, notes Carol Wright 72 AFTER THE HARVEST, Honeycutt – US, Jancis Robinson 14 ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT 26 COMES THE REWARD – UK, Michèle Shah – Italy, Steven GOLD. TRUE OR FALSE? 42 THE RISE OF BORDEAUX Margaret Rens describes some Spurrier – UK, Carol Wright – UK Michael Fridjhon returned from a CRU BOURGEOIS which was named the best single of the rituals around the harvest in Contributing writers Raghu Bahadur, Roopa Gulati, visit to Marques de Riscal in Rioja Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé malt in Asia by Jim Murray Bordeaux – and participates in the Naina Hiranandani, Suneeta Sodhi greatly impressed by the quality of wines are greatly prized, but feast that follows the hardwork Kanga, Lavina Kharkwal, the wines produced despite their the discerning customer can 52 IN PURSUIT OF PORT Ruma Singh, Rojita Tiwari volumes also get superb value from On a visit to the Douro Valley in 74 PHOTO FINISH Administration and Accounts Harendra Singh lower classed crus. Ashika Portugal, Rosemary George is Sommelier India, the country’s FEATURES Mathews explains excited about the many forms of premier wine magazine, celebrates Design Kusum Gupta 20 BEATING THE HEAT IN AKLUJ Port she discovers the growth of wine culture in India Production Anu Attri Five cool-climate grape varieties 48 KANYA – ASIA’S TOP SINGLE with a private dinner in the Capital Layout Artist T M Jose MALT WHISKY 58 AMARONE – AN ITALIAN Printed at EIH Ltd, Unit Printing Press, Ruma Singh in conversation WINE TREASURE 76 GLOSSARY Plot no. 22,Sector 5, IMT Manesar, with Paul John about his latest One of Italy’s top wines made in a Wine jargon and foreign terms Haryana - 122050 single malt whisky, Kanya, unique style, Amarone is sometimes explained Sommelier India is a controlled 36 misunderstood and under-rated. circulation bi-monthly produced by Stephen Quinn sets the record CMI, Consolidated Media Int, C-320, straight Defence Colony, New Delhi – 110 024, India. T +91-11-2433-1013. 14 68 E [email protected]. 64 WINE IN THE CITY OF A W www.sommelierindia.com. Subscription: One year `1,000, two HUNDRED SPIRES years `2,000. International: One year Brinda Gill visits Veltin, an iconic $48, two years $96, including postage. wine bar in Prague that offers a The views expressed in the publication variety of “authentic” wines from are the writers’ own and not necessarily those of the publishers. producers in the erstwhile Austro-Hungarian Empire 42 Sommelier INDIA JANUARY-MARCH 201858 JANUARY-MARCH 2018 Sommelier INDIA 3 associations and a constant presence and bi-monthly for a column that Wines” at rumasingh.com. A former at the most important wine is syndicated around the world. An president and committee member competitions worldwide. She will be award-winning TV presenter, editor, of the Bangalore Wine Club, she is back in the next issue. author and co-author of several currently on the Board of the Chaîne contributors authoritative books on wine, her des Rôtisseurs, Bailliage de l’Inde. Sommelier India Wine Magazine is written by some of the best wine writers in Kaveri most recent book is also her shortest, Ruma is also a wine educator who the world. Our cast of writers includes wine experts, wine and food writers, Ponnapa is “The 24-Hour Wine Expert”. Each of conducts formal as well as informal professional journalists as well as emerging writers. Part of our publishing an author and her books is recognised as a standard sessions on wine. She has completed independent writer reference worldwide. In 1984 Jancis her Wine & Spirits Educational Trust mission is to encourage wine writing in India and consider our regular based in was the first person outside the wine (WSET) Level 3 qualifications with contributors our most valuable resource. Bangalore. She graduated from trade to pass the Master of Wine distinction and done the WSET Wine Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, exam. In 2003, she was awarded an Educators course. and took a Master’s Degree in OBE by Queen Elizabeth. In a single Social Anthropology at the School week in April 2016, she was presented Carol Wright Karina Rosemary Ashika of Oriental and African Studies, with France’s Officier du Mérite is a freelance writer Aggarwal is a George is one Mathews has London. Her articles on food, wine, Agricole, the German VDP’s highest based in the UK but beverage writer and of the first women been in the wine travel and heritage appear in leading honour and her fourth US James travelling trainer. She juries Masters of Wine trade for almost publications. Her first book, “The Beard Award. the world. Carol at international and highly regarded 20 years. She Vanishing Kodavas”, is an extensive writes extensively on food, wine and wine and spirit awards and runs the among the UK’s wine writers. She trained in viticulture and oenology at cultural study of the Kodava people. Michèle Shah restaurants and has written 30 books alcobev portal Gigglewater411.com. contributes to Decanter magazine Plumpton College before working in is a wine, food & on food and travel. She has been the With a glass in hand, she is forever and www.zesterdaily.com, and writes Rioja and Bordeaux as a winemaker. Margaret travel writer and chairman of the British Guild of Travel counting down the days to her next a blog, www.tastelanguedoc.