Sommelier INDIA
Volume 7: Issue 3 June-July 2012
For Indians around the world who enjoy the good life
Lure of the
Loire Valley Superb wines and historic châteaux
MERCHANT’S VINTAGE
Bordeaux 2011 will be drinkable in 2015-25
iPAD VS THE SOMMELIER
The pros and cons of using iPads to manage wine lists
SEAT OF EXCELLENCE
The secret of Alfred Tesseron’s success
India’s LeadingWine Lifestyle Magazine. For Controlled Circulation Only.
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Contents Volume 7: Issue 3, 2012
ON THE GRAPEVINE
4 NEWS, NOTES AND VIEWS FOR THE WINE BUFF 9 WINE CLINIC
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22 CAN THE iPAD REPLACE THE SOMMELIER? As more restaurants use iPads to manage their wine lists, Carol Wright presents the pros and cons of this new phenomenon
Your questions about wines answered
26 BORDEAUX FOR EVERYMAN
COLUMNS
David Cobbold spotlights generic Bordeaux, the lesser known face of the largest wine appellation in the world
Champagne producers owe it to us to provide more information on their back labels, says Jancis Robinson
30 INDIAN VITICULTURE GETS A THUMBS UP
10 INFORMATION DEFECIT
Cover Image: Château Chenonceau set in extensive gardens bordering the river Cher in the Loire Valley
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12 SHAHRUKH SHIRAZ, ANYONE?
Sonal Holland asks Philip Deverell, wine consultant for Pernod Ricard, about the challenges of cultivating grapes in India
Raghu Bahadur turns his thoughts to celebrity wine producers and their motivation for producing wine
34 THE IRRESISTABLE LURE OF THE LOIRE VALLEY
14 THE 2011 BORDEAUX: A WINE MERCHANT’S VINTAGE
Known as the Garden of France, the Loire Valley produces every kind of wine you can ask for, reveals Rosemary George
Steven Spurrier describes the 2011 vintage in Bordeaux as “very nice wines indeed”
40 WINES THAT FLY WELL
16 SPREADING WINE CULTURE Indian diplomat, B S Prakash is bemused by the extent and manner in which wine culture has spread in India
18 “I WAS LUCKY TO START MY CAREER WITH SULA” Suneeta Sodhi Kanga in conversation with Ajoy Shaw, Chief Winemaker of Sula Vineyards
Pairing food and wine at 35,000 ft is no mean feat. Carol Wright explains how highflying labels are selected by British Airways
44 REVERING DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI Ken Gargett makes a pilgrimage to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti which he describes as the most mystical vineyard on Earth
Eric Asimov tastes Château Musar wines from Lebanon with the wine producer Serge Hochar on his whistlestop visit to New York
REGULARS
60 RESTAURANTS FOR WINE LOVERS Rejoice in our writers’ choice of restaurants that give wine equal billing with food
66 CHEF’S TABLE Ruchira Hoon meets Chef Sabyasachi Gorai and finds him refreshingly direct and simple, despite receiving a prestigious award from the President of India
69 WINELOVER’S COOKBOOK Simple recipe for a risotto
50 SEAT OF EXCELLENCE
20 GUSTO MUCHO!
Peter Csizmadia-Honigh meets Alfred Tesseron, the proprietor of Château PontetCanet, to learn the secret of his success
Brinda Gill talks to Kadambari Kapoor, founder of Gusto Imports, who offers Indians quality international wines
56 REMARKABLE WINES FROM STRIFE-TORN LEBANON
FEATURES
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70 PHOTO FINISH Hungarian wines auctioned at Delhi’s Taj Mahal Hotel and the launch party of Mumbai’s first wine bar, Vinoteca
72 SI LISTINGS
Publisher, editor and owner: Reva K Singh. Co-publisher: Shiv B Singh. Assistant Editor: Ruchira Hoon. Copy chief: Bunny Suraiya. Copy editor: Vandana Mohindra. Design: Layout artist: Sandeep Singh Rana. Printed at EIH Ltd. 7, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi - 110054. Sommelier India is a restricted circulation bi-monthly produced by CMI, Consolidated Media Int, C-320, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India. Tel: +91 11 2433 1013. E-mail: info@indianwinemagazine.com. Web: www.sommelierindia.com. The views expressed in this publication are the writers’ own and not necessarily those of the publishers. Subscription price: ` 1,500 for two years and ` 1,900 for three years. International $56 for two years and $82 for three years, excluding postage.