Indian Wine Day @The Lalit Great Eastern

Possibly the other task that most fairly approximates sipping wine is writing about it. November 16 was the date that all the Lalit Hotels, jointly with Indian Wine Academy, pledged to promotion of wine across India as Indian Wine day. So swearing a random day to the recondite glory of wine did surprise like rashly naming one after Mt. Fuji that remains as snow-capped and tall any other day. So be it! I was proudly a part of that vinous celebration this year at The Lalit Great Eastern in Calcutta. #uncookedwords

Sula Brut Tropicale, an expressive Blanc de Noirs, was wisely let ring in the promising evening. Processed after Méthode Traditionelle with shreds of dark varietals as marquee as Pinot Noir and what not, this sparkling stumped with a nose of crispy, fruity mischief, that could as well be called elegantly unobtrusive if weighed strictly on lightness. My deep-seated belief in the fiction of food-wine pairing luckily didn’t cloud the relish of cheese-stuffed chicken cigars so insensitively named Kadak Seekhs. Impressed and settled, I buckled up in delicious anxiety!

A slovenly Tikkia kebab pointlessly sprinkled with withering shreds of Marigold that barely bore any talent to brisk up tongues, was tabled as Amuse Bouché with an untaught naiveté. However, Sula Sauvignon Blanc’s affable tartness lent a timely and selfless foil to its failing pair - yielding a staid but lasting mouthfeel more relatable to method than madness. And, like a trusted libation kept the evening aflame that was well past a sprightly sparkling but surely raring for robust Reds. While sipping it obligingly, I kept missing Chenin.

I wish I had reams all to myself to describe the wine that followed. A Jancis Robinson favourite and once exalted as the Best New world Wine by Steven Spurrier, Grover’s La Réserve Icon Red – an oak-aged Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend, revealed how swimmingly could a vertical and relatively unvarying Cab partner with sprightly Syrah. And, in time, shine. By sporting a bouquet that at once was discernibly fruity and playfully spicy, and a finish as ample as that of The Misfits’s Monroe, La Réserve laid a stage for one to follow that ought to be as profound or more. Though accompanying Murgh ke Parchey made a lesser pair by not yielding to my fork and knife gracefully, spicy Chapa Vepadu as juicy fish-fillets dry-rubbed and griddled, redeemed with a treble uniquely animating La Réserve’s rich bass.

The wine that ensued did more harm than good by quietly notching my deep allegiance to varietals! Touted as one of the boldest expressions of red awash in jammy notes of dark-fruits and spices, Fratelli Sette – a blend of Sangiovese and Cab Sauvignon, proved one I could sway with till far into the night. Slow-nursing let it sagely unfold to a delicious drink rich in all that a bold red could offer in earnest. Obscurity is best feted with wine. And, Sette packed that in plenty. Among the pairing mains, Laal-maas splendidly lifed Sette’s mystique with a native richness. The rest were just edibles with doubtable merits to be served on that fine occasion. I dodged the Brut as dessert to linger with Sette till the end. And, I did wisely.

That evening’s wine-spread was an elegant and coming-of-age assortment. I commend both The Lalit and Indian Wine Academy for conceiving such an occasion, and wish Indian Wine Day all success in days to come. 

Hang on! Slipping the dime in makes you hear me till I clock out!

Wine's is an intellectual pursuit. But, surprisingly no discourse was held to acquaint the guests to the nuanced wines. Moreover, while all the vinos did splendidly at ennobling Indian terroir, our host’s spread that evening could scarcely delight. I almost heard Dean crooning from the void, ‘Wham bam thank you man, hope you're satisfied’! I was clearly not.

Oenophiles wish for more. Until then, cin cin!