Two days ago, the Wine Outlet’s Greenlake Wines location featured an East vs. West match-up: four wines from Argentina, and four from India. That’s right…India. Although I figured that someone must be making wine in India, home to one out of every six people on Planet Earth, I had never even seen a bottle of Indian wine before. What a treat to have the opportunity to try several!
© Christopher Gronbeck
And a treat–and surprise–it was. The Omar Khayyam sparkling wine, non-vintage and made of 94% Chardonnay and the balance Pinot Noir and Ugni Blanc, was produced in the Champagne style, and was very good…floral with notes of honey and caramel, crisp and brut but with enough sweetness to tantalize. I purchased a bottle of this at $19, and there were half bottles also available.
The other three were also very good…the Sula 2009 Chenin Blanc was soft and slightly sweet with flavors of vanilla, citrus, honey, and strawberries ($13). The Sula 2007 Dindori Reserve Shiraz was bright, spicy and slightly smoky, with flavors of plum and blackberries ($13). The Chateau Indage 2006 “The Mist of Sahyadri” Cabernet Sauvignon was light-to-medium bodied with flavors of fresh bell pepper, spices, strawberries, and red raspberry and a very nice finish ($24).
All four of these were refined and elegant, convincing of India’s capability to produce fine wines. Greenlake Wines has them this weekend for sure, and maybe or maybe not after that. If you have time, stop by and grab one…you’ll impress your friends when you bring over a bottle of Indian wine for dinner!
Jo said,
August 11, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Indian wine! Who’d have thought it. Good Indian wine too! Christopher, this is good news.
Another splendid reason to go to India…to renounce prejudice and meditate on the terroir of Indian wine. Perhaps even experience an epiphany of sorts. Hmm…what would Buddha think?
I think he’d just laugh.