Dear Wine Lover,
Here are some numbers for your consideration.
At the recently held India Wine Awards 2018 Winners’ Night, 184 medals were awarded from 353 entries.
30 Wines picked up the coveted Best in Class trophy.
In the now closely watched Best Wine Pairings with Indian Food, 120 wines were paired with 9 dishes, as diverse as the dense and rustic litti chokha (Bihar) and the tangy Goa prawn curry (Goa!). While this doesn’t cover the diversity of flavours that India boasts of, it is a good start and will be of interest to wine producers around the world with the eye on importing to India.
India Wine Awards: the trophy
The first time section, the Excellence in Restaurant Wine Programs segment saw 20 restaurants from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru being awarded one- and two-star awards. Will this spur some wine list reworking and more entries vying for the coveted three-stars next time? Hopefully, sooner than later. The uniqueness of this segment was that the decisions were made by four Masters of Wine, based on international standards. Besides these, 8 restaurants got the nod for Wine Destination (giving wine pride of place in their restaurants), and 6 got a pat for Best Wine Trained staff – perhaps this might cause more establishments to invest in their staff by giving them more wine training – formal and informal.
Beyond the numbers, there was plenty to see and understand.
-Indian wine is doing better than ever. This means quality is improving, and that is cause for celebration. In some cases, blind tastings saw Indian wine pip imported wines with higher points.
Despite our crippling taxes and dense regulatory system, importers are increasingly looking to India, and that is more good news for us consumers.
There will be more from the learnings of the India Wine Awards 2018, so watch this space (blog) for more.
The wines listed are available in most metro cities, and please get in touch with apurva@indiawineawards.com or check the India Wine Awards website if you need more information or the complete list of Silver, Gold and Diamond winners.
Here is the list of winners:
Best in Class Wines – Indian
Best Red Indian Wine Grover Zampa Chêne Grand Réserve 2015
Best White Indian Wine Sula Dindori Reserve Viognier 2018
Best Rosé Indian Wine Fratelli MS Rosé 2017
Best Sparkling Indian Wine Grover Zampa Soirée Brut Rosé 2015
Best in Class Wines – International
Best Red Wine – Old World Le Volte dell’ Ornellaia 2015, Italy
Best Red Wine – New World Framingham Pinot Noir 2017, New Zealand
Best White Wine – Old World Joseph Drouhin ‘Drouhin-Vaudon’ Chablis Reserve de Vaudon 2015, France
Best White Wine – New World Susana Balbo CRIOS Torrontés 2017, Argentina
Best Rosé Wine – Old World Chateau d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Whispering Angel Rosé 2017, France
Best Champagne Taittinger Les Folies de la Marquetterie NV, France
Best Sparkling Wine (excluding Champagne) Ferrari Brut NV, Italy
Best in Class Wines Indian (based on pricing)
Best Budget Indian Wine – York All Rounder White 2017
Best Mid-Range Indian Wine – Reveilo Nero D’Avola 2017
Best Premium Indian Wine – SDU Reserva Syrah 2014
Best Super-Premium Indian Wine – KRSMA Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Best in Class Wines International (based on pricing)
Best Budget Wine – International Campo Viejo Tempranillo 2017, Spain
Best Mid-Range Wine – International Zonin Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore DOC, Italy
Best Premium Wine – International Domaine Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Pauillac, France
Best Super-Premium Wine – International Torres Mas La Plana 2012, Spain
Best Super-Premium Wine – International Boscoselvo Brunello di Montalcino 2010, Italy
Best Wines Paired with Indian Cuisine
Best Wine pairing with Mutton Rahra Sula Sparkling Shiraz 2018, India
Best Wine pairing with Chicken Chettinaad Sula Brut Rosé 2018, India
Best Wine pairing with Goan Prawn Curry Besserat de Bellefont Champagne NV, France
Best Wine pairing with Malvani Fish Fry Grover Zampa Soirée Brut 2015, India
Best Wine pairing with Litti Chokha The Source Grenache Rosé 2018, India
Best Wine pairing with Paneer Khurchan Casablanca Rosé Spumante NV, India
Best Wine pairing with Dal Makhani (tie) Casablanca Frizzano Semi Dry NV, India and Sula Zinfandel 2018, India
Best Wine pairing with Aloo Poshto Yellow Tail Pink Moscato NV, Australia
Best Wine pairing with Gulab Jamun De Bortoli Noble One 2013, Australia
EXCELLENCE IN RESTAURANT WINE PROGRAM WINNERS
WINE LIST AWARD – One star award
Rivers to Oceans, Mumbai
The Table, Mumbai
The Wine Rack, Mumbai
SanQi, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai
Kebabs and Kurries, ITC Grand Central Mumbai
Romano’s, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar
Fratelli Fresh, Renaissance Mumbai
Artisan – French Bistro, Sofitel Mumbai BKC
Le Cirque Signature, The Leela Mumbai
Luna, The St. Regis Mumbai
Caprese, Shangri-La Hotel Bengaluru
Le Cirque Signature, The Leela Palace Bengaluru
Le Jardin, The Oberoi Bengaluru
The Wine Company, Gurugram
The Hong Kong Club, Andaz Delhi
Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya New Delhi
Pluck, Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity
Two star award
The Chambers, The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai
Wasabi by Morimoto, The Taj Mahal Hotel New Delhi
Le Cirque, The Leela Palace New Delhi
WINE DESTINATION AWARD
The Wine Rack, Mumbai
Romano’s, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar
Le Cirque Signature, The Leela Mumbai
Toscano, Bengaluru
Caprese, Shangri-La Hotel Bengaluru
Le Jardin, The Oberoi Bengaluru
Qla, New Delhi
Le Cirque, The Leela Palace New Delhi
WINE-TRAINED STAFF AWARD
The Table, Mumbai
San: Qi, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai
Dum Pukht, ITC Maratha Mumbai
Dublin, ITC Windsor Bengaluru
The Wine Company, Gurugram
Honk, Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity
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