 "Iconic associations")
Tennis and wine may make strange bedfellows, but neither Vijay Amritraj nor Kapil Grover seem to think so. Grover Zampa (formed recently by the merger of Grover Vineyards and Vallee du Vin, the erstwhile producer of Zampa wines) is rolling out a set of two new reserve wines - the Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve White and the Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve Red - through a series of media-cum-trade launches for consumers and connoisseurs in Indian metros.
Amritraj is, of course, India's best-known tennis player- he' s played with (and sometimes beaten) the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Conners in the early 1980s, having reached world number 16 in 1980. He is also known for his role in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy starring Roger Moore (and the delectable Maud Adams), and also as a sports commentator at Wimbledon.
The wines were actually launched on June 29 with a celebrity dinner at the Tata-owned St. James Court Hotel in London, whose Wimbledon Summer Party is a signature annual event. They are being retailed in the UK at £14.99 (about Rs 1,500) per bottle.
In Bangalore, the wines were unveiled on September 12 at a glittering sit-down dinner for the Bangalore Wine Club at the Jamawar restaurant of the Leela Palace hotel. Company directors Kapil Grover and Ravi Jain had flown in just for the event and the wines were introduced by CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla. Amritraj delivered a stirring accolade to the company for its efforts to re-define quality and the passion with which it has pursued the project.
Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve White (Rs 1,100 in Bangalore): A barrel-fermented Viognier that has been matured on its lees in oak casks for four months. Aromatic and soft, the wine has notes of peach, apricot and honey and a smooth, balanced medium-bodied taste. I thought it was quite wonderful.
Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve Red (Rs 1,100): A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Viognier (yes, the white wine grape adds some 'zing' to red wines) that's been matured in French oak casks for 12 months. The wine's aroma is expressive: fruity, with notes of spice and pepper (from the Shiraz) and some jam and oak, on the palate. It's still young, with assertive tannins and oak, but should evolve into a very good full-bodied wine.
The Indian wine market is now chock-a-block with new reserve wines being launched by all major players, and Grover Zampa is a welcome addition to this space. What marks the current effort is the wines' association with an iconic brand ambassador like Amritraj, whose erudite support should stimulate trials and listings across the board, although I wish they had both mentioned the vintage as well as declared the grape varietals on the labels.
Wines I've Been Drinking: Apart from the two wines above, also served at the dinner was the Grover Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2013 which quite took my breath away with its quality: crisp, aromatic, terrific balance, something worth going back to.
Amritraj is, of course, India's best-known tennis player- he' s played with (and sometimes beaten) the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Conners in the early 1980s, having reached world number 16 in 1980. He is also known for his role in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy starring Roger Moore (and the delectable Maud Adams), and also as a sports commentator at Wimbledon.
The wines were actually launched on June 29 with a celebrity dinner at the Tata-owned St. James Court Hotel in London, whose Wimbledon Summer Party is a signature annual event. They are being retailed in the UK at £14.99 (about Rs 1,500) per bottle.
In Bangalore, the wines were unveiled on September 12 at a glittering sit-down dinner for the Bangalore Wine Club at the Jamawar restaurant of the Leela Palace hotel. Company directors Kapil Grover and Ravi Jain had flown in just for the event and the wines were introduced by CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla. Amritraj delivered a stirring accolade to the company for its efforts to re-define quality and the passion with which it has pursued the project.
Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve White (Rs 1,100 in Bangalore): A barrel-fermented Viognier that has been matured on its lees in oak casks for four months. Aromatic and soft, the wine has notes of peach, apricot and honey and a smooth, balanced medium-bodied taste. I thought it was quite wonderful.
Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve Red (Rs 1,100): A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Viognier (yes, the white wine grape adds some 'zing' to red wines) that's been matured in French oak casks for 12 months. The wine's aroma is expressive: fruity, with notes of spice and pepper (from the Shiraz) and some jam and oak, on the palate. It's still young, with assertive tannins and oak, but should evolve into a very good full-bodied wine.
The Indian wine market is now chock-a-block with new reserve wines being launched by all major players, and Grover Zampa is a welcome addition to this space. What marks the current effort is the wines' association with an iconic brand ambassador like Amritraj, whose erudite support should stimulate trials and listings across the board, although I wish they had both mentioned the vintage as well as declared the grape varietals on the labels.
Wines I've Been Drinking: Apart from the two wines above, also served at the dinner was the Grover Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2013 which quite took my breath away with its quality: crisp, aromatic, terrific balance, something worth going back to.
Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant