It was a cool January evening when the Taj Mahal Palace unveiled its private wine label to a clutch of connoisseurs. Mumbai's well-heeled flocked to the Taj Chambers Terrace, all suitably togged up for the event: everyone from Rati Agnihotri, Kailash and Arti Surendranath to Anil Dharker. And as the evening stretched into night, guests tarried over spirituous cups and Chef Oberoi's delicious hors d'oeuvres, while Magandeep Singh waxed eloquent over the wines in a presentation.
The wine industry has burst like a bomb all over India. Cannily feeding into this, the Taj group of hotels has splashed out on a bouquet of six wines—two whites and four reds. "This new world range of wines creates a stunning flavour palate of delicate flavours with mesmerising undertones of rich enigmatic aromas. Each wine has been carefully hand-picked, procured and bottled exclusively to be a part of the Taj Private Label Wines," says Gaurav Pokhariyal, GM, Taj Mahal Palace.
Trundling from Australia's Penfolds Koonunga Hills comes Seventy Six Taj Cellar Selection Cabernet Shiraz 2010, purple-hued and redolent of berries. From languid Tuscany comes the ruby red Palais Castellani Toscana IGT 2009. The rich red Les Pagodes De Cos Au the Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai 2008 is born in the house of Cos D'Estournel, Taj's tribute to the long history between the Chateau and India. Closer to home, Fratelli Wines has concocted a crisp, fruity red called Svara.
Thirsty throats will be cheered by the cool pungency of New Zealand's Saint Clair Pioneer Block 2 Taj Cellar Selection Sauvignon 2013. And Veneta's Palais Corte Giara Pinot Grigio IGT Delle Venezie 2013 offers delicate flavours as clear and subtle as spring flowers.
Svara has a funky label that was created together with Blippar, an attempt to recreate the vibrant spirit of our country.
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