Celebrating wine

February has been quite the month for wine lovers. There have been wine festivals galore across India, which oenophiles have been traipsing to, to taste and enjoy some unique plonk.

Bengaluru recently hosted the biggest wine and performing arts festival, The Great Grover Wine Festival, while Goa came alive with the Grape Escapade by GTDC and the Department of Tourism, and in Nashik was the annual Sula Fest.

These festivals offered attendees an exclusive chance to experience the age-old tradition of grape stomping which is an imperative part of the wine making process, as well as sample some yet-to-be-retailed vintages.

Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO, Grover Zampa Vineyards, told me, “The wine segment is finding greater acceptance in Indian culture and we have been working towards improving its quality and educating the consumer. The Great Grover Wine Festival was launched with an aim to create an annual platform to offer a memorable wine experience to wine lovers.”

The wines I got to taste at some of these festivals were unparalleled. I even got a sneak preview of a Reserve wine being launched by Grover Zampa soon, which is going to be one of the most expensive Indian wines.

This was my first time at The Grape Escapade in Goa, and over 20 wineries participated in the extravaganza. The grape stomping, which is a tradition here, was a source of much delight and fun for the visitors. The wines — especially the ones by small entrepreneurs like Santanse Wines — were extraordinary; fruits like oranges and tomatoes had been used to make these sweet offerings. It is amazing how Goans are experimenting with wines apart from their usual port. These wines were rustic no doubt, but the flavours and textures got an unequivocal thumbs up.

An amla wine — Elixir, from Secunderabad — also caught my fancy. The Seco Gooseberry was a simple dry wine, not overly sweet, and replete with health benefits.

The ninth edition of the Sula Festivak at Nashik was quite the treat! I began with the Brut Tropicale, a blanc de noir Méthode Champenoise sparkler, made from premium black grapes including Pinot Noir. It was fresh, fruity and rejuvenating.

The Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in premium French oak barrels for over a year and then further matured in the bottle before its release, was elegant, velvety smooth and perfectly balanced. There was a Riesling too which I could not resist: A fruity aromatic wine with hints of green apple, peach and honey.

I have had enough wines this month to last me a while! Got to take a break from these now and sample some other tipple soon. Cheers to that!

Mini is a food writer