Taj Bengal - Wednesday Wine O'Clock at the Junction.

'TGIW'-Thank God Its Wednesday 'Wine O'Clock' at Taj Bengal Kolkata. Party-goers and professionals do not need to wait till Friday any longer with The Kolkata Taj Bengal breaking barriers yet again with their Wednesday Wine O'Clock, Wine by the Glass overdrive. 

Taj Bengal has opened up their cellars in a way that has made wine sampling very enjoyable, affordable and available to people at large.

The brilliant idea behind the concept is to take a midweek stress buster time out from one's heavy work schedule and indulge in a moderate midweek pamper that would refresh you to go on for the rest of the second half of the week. It is for this reason that the Taj has designed this Wednesday Wine O'Clock where one can sample wine by the glass from a selection of more than twenty five Indian and International wines ranging from Champagnes and Sparkling Wine to various types of White and Red Wines. Whats more, the wines has been priced so aggressively that it makes more sense to make a bee-line at the Taj Bengal Junction than any other popular joints in the city where wine is generally served more by the bottle.

The effect, if not the after effect, of Wednesday Wine O clock was instant on me as that happened to be one of my busiest day and with the blogger team from Kolkata Food Bloggers invited in the first Wednesday launch, I was running against time to be there.  Exactly as the concept visualized, the evening after that stress filled day was truly very reviving and rejuvenating.

chips and peanuts

Selection from the cheese platter- English Cheddar Cheese and Gouda Cheese to go with wine.

With Vinod Pandey of Taj Bengal

As a food blogger I love to write about food and at the same time it intrigues me to know about the people behind that food or programme which would normally go unnoticed.  

I had a great opportunity to interact with Mr. Vinod Pandey, Executive Assistant Manager Food & Beverage of Taj Bengal. During an exclusive casual interaction with him I found him having a sea of knowledge about wine and has been an appreciator himself for over many years. He helped me to understand and know the story and history of the selection of wines in the offering. He also happens to be an avid collector of numerous wine cork openers, something that I had never heard or have come across before.

The knowledge of wine was reflected in the rest of the staff as well who were very courteous and helpful to select wine and food.

Mr Jaydeep Biswas, Manager Junction Bar was also full of indepth understanding about all the wines in the offering and chatted a great deal about the enthusiasm about Taj Bengal's Wine O'Clock drive.     

The Soave Allegrini DOC ''Corte Giara'' Pagus from Garganega was a very crisp young wine for all occasion casual drinking and a great one for beginners.

The experience of the G H Mumm Cordon Rouge champagne was as magical as experiencing a podium finish at a Formula One Grand Prix. You can pamper yourself with this champagne by the glass and again at a very affordable price.

Ebeia Riberia Del Duero DOC made from Tempranillo grapes from Spain was again a full bodied red wine.

The Oxford Landing, full bodied wine from Australia goes extremely well with red meats such as steak and chops. 

The Wednesday Wine O'Clock at the Junction Taj Bengal will be an ongoing campaign and you can sample from a range of twenty five wines. The carte of twenty five wines would keep changing from time to time to roll more options. The idea of twenty five wines is to celebrate the 25 Years of Taj Bengal. 

The range of wine by the glass is very aggressively priced from Rs 250 to Rs 1000 and for ac compliments you can choose from their range of exotic starters to pair the wine of your choice.  Truly now you can say 'Thank God Its Wednesday'.

Cheers

Vishal & Amrita Tupper

Disclaimer: The views presented above are solely individualistic and was not influenced or paid monetarily. The consumption of alcohol can be injurious to health. Individual's desecration is required.    

International Vine and Food Experience at Taj Bengal

Probably this particular post will clear the clouds of a special 'soft corner' that I have developed over past few years for the Four Seasons Wine brand without taking away the credit, contribution, accomplishments and market standing of other prominent wine brands in India. For me, however, it was the Four Seasons that first introduced and unlocked the mysteries of wine to me in their ongoing efforts to educate Indian public at large of the wonders of wine through their wine trail events. Ever since, my culinary world has taken a higher dimension with the addition of wine pairing.

The International Vine and Food Experience at Taj Bengal was the very first of its kind in Kolkata and in such a huge scale where numerous Indian and International wine brands came together under a single roof. You could sample from a range of more than hundred Indian and International wines. I wish to sincerely thank the Four Seasons for inviting me to cover their participation in this event. 

The range of wine from Four Seasons

The Four Season's station had all their range of wines to be sampled, which they harvest and process in Maharashtra. The range included Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Blush, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon etc and my personal favourite the Barrique Reserve Cabrenet Sauvignon and Barrique Reserve Shiraz.

Master Class by Abhay Kewadkar "In the Barrel"

The reserve wines are matured in the oak barrels and to explain the art of barrel aging we had a master class from none other than Mr Abhay Kewadkar himself, Chief Wine Maker of Four Seasons, who shared deep insights in the subject. He covered points such as

subtle flavours are imparted to wine as it ages in barrels,

different types of oaks used,

the subtle changes that the wine goes through as it matures in the barrel resulting in greater complexity and softening of tannins and flavours present at the end of fermentation,

flavour notes from Barrel

Origin of Oak, choosing the barrel etc

No wonder that the Barrique Reserve from Four Season is truly a result of such intricate art of wine making where the oak barrels are imported from France itself and wines are matured for months at a time which gives an infusion of a beautiful woody vanilla flavours and other complexities to pamper our taste buds. 

With Peter Mitter and Abhay Kewadkar of the Four Seasons

International Brands.

I enjoyed the company of very charismatic F. Javier Perez Bernal of Grupo Faustino representing the Gusto brand. He shared with me a very special Faustino V Reserve from the region of Rioja in Spain.

With F. Javier Perez Bernal of Grupo Faustino

  

 The evening was marked with many prominent chefs displaying their culinary expertise. It was truly a great combination of great wine and great food.

 

I believe that the appreciation for wine in India is perfectly poised to take off at a remarkable rate and events such as this would contribute to spreading the awareness and go on to build a strong base for people to be educated. Certainly with the explosion of the food industry it is only a matter of time when India sees itself as a major consumer of wine. 

I wish to thank Four Seasons Wine again for their cordial invite as a part of their team to cover their participation and also congratulate all the wine brands and Taj Bengal as a whole for organizing such an event.

Vishal Tupper

Read about Kamalika's experience of this event here.

Disclaimer: Views expressed above is purely individualistic and without any monetary compensation. 

The Kolkata Grape Harvest Feast- Swissotel

Perhaps for the first time in Kolkata the giant wine brands of India like the Four Seasons, Sula, Nine Hills, Grovers and Antarez came together to celebrate the spirit of good food and great wine at the event organized by Swissotel which was rightly called The Grape Harvest Feast on Sunday 23rd February, 2014. With the exponential explosion of the food industry in India the appreciation for wine is poised to surge at a trajectory that only can be contained by imagination. The world of wine opens up to experience a higher culinary dynamics and the Kolkata Grape Harvest Feast singularly broadcasted the effects of great wine and great food by having the major wine brands of India come together on a common platform and open up their cellars and reserves for novice and experts to sample the best Indian wines. 

 

The Kolkata Grape Harvest Feast in Swissotel was marked with a casual atmosphere to party over endless flow of wine alongside live music and exquisite food. There was also grape stomping with the GM of Swissotel Marco Saxer and his wife Nina Saxer who were joined by Anant Iyer, COO-RPC East & Nepal of United Spirits Limited and his wife Jyoti Sachdev Iyer who also took part in the Bengal Fashion Week at Park Hotel earlier in the week. 

      

From the Four Seasons Stable. 

Four Seasons have emerged as a major player in the Indian wine market. They have their wineries at Baramati, Maharashtra, which is also becoming a popular tourist attraction. 

 

Sula were the first to enter into the wine market in India by growing and harvesting wine in Nasik. Sine its inception other players followed marking India as one of the finest new world wine growers.

 Collection from the Seagram's Nine Hills Wines.

Seagram's Nine Hills wine gets it name from the nine hills surrounding Nasik where the company's winery and the vineyards are located

Grovers wines have gained great respect and admiration from wine lovers in India. They too have become a major player in the Indian market with their range of wines. 

With Shubhadip Deb Roy of Grovers and Keith W Edgar, Sommelier, Wine Ambassador.

 

 With Joyjit Chakraborty, Director of Food & Beverage, Swissotel, the man behind the Kolkata Grape Harvest Feast. He and his team conceptualized and brought together this event with all the brands supporting the spirit of wine.

The event was also marked with the encouragement and awareness support for organic food and organic colours for Holi. Green Tokri with their tagline of 'Fresh from our farms to your Fridge' have started home deliveries of the fresh and organic food. Their vegetables are grown in specially built Hydrophonic Greenhouses which makes it possible for them to grow without the use of chemicals and pesticides. They also have a range of herb dressings and other delicacies like Basil pesto, Sun dried tomato in oil, pickled capsicum etc.  

The Kolkata Food Bloggers Team have been thrilled to cover the event which has reeled off a true appreciation for great Indian wines along with having a passion for food. 

We believe that the wine market in India is going to grow at a phenomenal rate and as the awareness of the wine spreads amongst the people, we would look back and credit events such as this that helped campaign the true spirit of wine.

Keep Sipping

Vishal & Amrita

Chicken Valentine

 

Each one of us have a story to tell

And there is one that I have too

Of our tales through numerous spell

Each season marked with different hue

'Midst turn and bends, highs and lows 

Our discretion of life clearer grows.

One of the mediums through which I tried to impress my wife during our courtship was poetry. Today much of poetry has turned into passion for cooking and food that we commonly share. This Valentine week friends from Kolkata Food Bloggers decided to celebrate it through the theme 'Love on the Plate-Dinner for Two' where we were supposed to make dinner for two (two of us ofcourse). Coincidentally Valentine Day also happens to be our marriage anniversary so the idea of 'dinner for two' particularly intrigued me. 

Its been four amazing years with my wonderful wife and certainly I do not need a Valentine Day to remind me how fortunate I have been to have her in my life. She complements and completes, encourages and appreciates, ignores my shortcomings, bears my complacency, forgives my inadequacies and loves unconditionally. 

Like cooking, sometime life begins to sing in a monotonic song.  Some of my cooking style, like the chicken roast, became very monotonic and predictable to Amrita in the sense that she more or less knew what group of ingredients and spices I would be use in the process. Therefore I mustered up enough courage to try something different this time. I had conceptualized this myself and hoped it to be edible. Thankfully it did impress her. I, naturally, could think of no better name for it but 'Chicken Valentine'.

Ingredients : 

Roast Chicken:

• Chicken breast boneless 2 pieces about 500 gm
• Balsamic Vinegar- 2 tbsp
• Worcestershire Sauce- 1 tbsp
• Red wine (I used a homemade one)- 100 ml
• Vegetable Oil- 2 tbsp
• Salt to Taste

Sautéed Vegetables:

• Broccoli- 25gm
• Baby Corn- 3 sticks
• Green Capsicum- 1/2 Capsicum
• Garlic- 2 Cloves
• Olive Oil-1 tbsp
• Salt to Taste
• Freshly crackled black pepper
• Cherry Tomatoes- 6 Pcs

Procedure:

Wash and clean chicken.

Marinate it in Balsamic Vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce and salt for 1/2 hr.

Chop Capsicum, Baby Corn and Broccoli very finely. Crush and chop garlic.

In a pan warm olive oil and put garlic. Cook for few second till it releases the aroma.

Place the finely chopped veggies and whole cherry tomatoes. Sauté slightly, not overcooking it and at the same time maintaining the crispness of the veggies. Season with salt and freshly crackled pepper. Set aside.

In another pan heat oil and pan roast the marinated chicken. Cook for about 6 minutes each side or till done. Set aside.

Deglaze the fond in the pan with wine and reduce to a medium consistency.

To deglaze a pan means adding liquid such as stock or wine to a pan to loosen and dissolve food particles (called fond) that are stuck to the bottom. The flavorful mixture produced by deglazing can then be used to make a sauce. (Source:About.com)

Plating

Place the  sauté vegetables on one side and place the chicken breast slightly on the inner side towards the center. Drizzle with wine sauce.

Serve with toasted garlic bread and choice of wine.

Happy Valentine

Vishal

Four Season's Gourmet Indulgence !

With Abhay Kewadkar, Business Head (Wines) and Chief Wine Maker, United Spirits Limited

On entering the the classy venue at Park Hotel, Kolkata, I was immediately greeted with the options of a White and a Red wine. I spontaneously went for the red and after a swirl and smell reckoned it, without a doubt, to be the 'Barrique Reserve Cabernet Savignon'. The woody vanilla aroma was a clear indication of the wine matured in the oak barrels imported from France itself.

Such was the impact of information imparted by Peter Mitter, Regional Manager -Trade & Marketing of UB Group, on our last wine trail event held in Kolkata.

Earlier this month I was at one of the Four Season's retail outlet at a supermarket to buy the Barrique Reserve for someone who had come down from Canada, and who preferred wine over other spirits. In the outlet there was a couple who looked absolutely confused in their attempt to buy wine for a dinner party which they planned to host for their friends. Citing their bewildered look on their face, I offered myself to help, which they gladly accepted, and after a brief inquiry on their menu spread, which happened to be on the Mughlai cuisine with kebabs as starters, I was able to recommend them to go for Shiraz. If it was not for the Four Seasons Wine Trail Session, I would have been as lost as the couple I had helped in that outlet. The person from Canada, for whom I bought the wine, exclaimed that it was as good as any other international renowned wine.

Salads

The Gourmet Indulgence was a reflection of the world of wine that opened up in front of us in conjunction to the food journey that we have been on. It was a perfect union of great food and great wine with the Executive Chef of Park Hotel, Chef Sharad Dewan, preparing the exotic food spread, and Abhay Kewadkar, Business Head (Wines) and Chief Wine Maker, United Spirits Limited marking their presence at the occasion.

Abhay Kewadkar briefly shared with us the plans Four Seasons has to tie up with various restaurants and food joints beside their ongoing efforts to educate the larger audience into demystifying wine. In the past few years the wine consumption in the country has witnessed a steady growth although the current consumption level is still at its formative stage. The growth witnessed in countries like China does give a clearer picture of the future we can be looking at with regard to the increase in wine consumption and appreciation. Having wineries, like the one in Baramati, India has stepped into a global recognition of the new world wine producers and has matched quality with the likes of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.  
The food industry has exploded exponentially in India over the past few years as well and it is obvious that eventually wine will too. The marriage of good food and great wine is as natural as the four seasons itself.

Starters

Chef Dewan's spread were like a breath of fresh air exhibiting both, the exquisite flavours and splendid presentation. The flavours were balanced to perfection without any isolated loudness of any specific spices in all the sets of three course service. It was exhilarating to see such an array of explicit dishes come together in a manner that complemented the choice of wine at its disposal. By explicit dishes I mean that each dish had an identity of their own with specific flavours and spices that could be paired with the range of wine that was being served.      

Main Course

Desserts

As I close this review I look forward to the time, in the future nearer than one would imagine, where the weekend home meal invitations would be seconded with the choice of wine in the offering. My home for sure is geared up for the same.

As a part of the Kolkata Food Bloggers group we wish to thank Ginger Claps for extending this invitation to us to experience the Gourmet Indulgence.

For more Details on 4 Season's Wine, check here & here.


This post is part of the KFB Blogging Marathon. Find what my other dear friends are making for the marathon in the following links :  
A Homemaker's Diary
Silence Sings
My Food My Life
Recipe Junction

Vishal & Amrita

Disclaimer: The reviewer was not paid for the review and was neither influenced to write positively or negatively.  The review is an unbiased honest opinion.
         

The Four Seasons Structured Wine Trail Event

Pic Courtsey: Kamalika Chakraborty

The run up to the much awaited Four Seasons Structured Wine Trail in Kolkata was a mix of suspense, anticipation and ignorance towards the mystery of wine, much like the larger novice non wine drinking Indian crowd at large. The Four Season Wine Trail was held in Kolkata at the Conclave, Rose Room. Being a food blogger along with my wife, Amrita, at Sweet’n’Savoury we had the opportunity to attend it with our fellow Kolkata Food Bloggers group, through Ginger Claps.

For us, The Four Seasons Structured Wine Trail has definitely opened up a whole new chapter of wines in our little food world with the immense insight and knowledge that Peter Mitter, Region Manager-Trade Marketing of UB Group imparted in the session. Earlier the idea of wine was only restricted to homemade wines during Christmas with cakes and salted meat but now we are more than excited to discover wine in a whole new way.

There was a power point presentation which included a short video of the Four Seasons’ state of the art French styled Winery at Baramati, Maharashtra, with the vineyards around it. The winery is turning out to be a huge tourist attraction. Further eye opening information on wine itself was shared like the types of wine, e.g. still, sparkling, and fortified, types of grapes used for making different kind of wine and how to taste and pair wine with food.

Demystifying wine from the white to the red in a series of tasting sessions covering the sight, smell and taste interpretation and subsequently pairing them with the amazing starters that was served was truly an experience that we would not only relish, literally, but also  remember as a starting point to discover the world of wine. 

The yummy starters served at Conclave

The power point covered the wine appreciating guidelines and novice people like us thoroughly enjoyed going through the steps in the series of wine tasting. For beginners like us it was a great suggestion from Peter to begin from white wines and slowly graduate to the red ones. That way we were able to enjoy the gradual ascend and appreciate finer aspects of wine tasting.

There was a shockingly simple revelation to learn that the suggested room temperature to serve Red wine actually refers to the room temperate of the European climates which range between 14 to 18 degree Celsius and not the Indian room temperature which can go up to 40-45 degree Celsius. Similarly the optimum temperature to serve White and Rosé wine is at 8-12 degree Celsius. This is a common misconception in India which has largely affected the general dislike towards wines only because it was not served at the right temperature. It is synonymous to serving aerated drinks like Pepsi, Coca Cola or Thumps Up at Indian room temperatures.      

Sight, Smell and Taste are the three broad classifications. With each wine from the Four Seasons’ series we went through the steps to discover and appreciate wine.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sight- Pale Yellow Coloured, Clear and young wine.
Smell- Fruity with gooseberry tang, hints of green like
asparagus, capsicum
Taste-Mild Acidic, Dry
Food Pairing- goes very well with salads & seafood.

Viognier

Sight- Straw Coloured, Clear
Smell- Flowery, Fruity, peach & cinnamom aroma.
Taste- Mild Acidic, Dry.
Food Pairing- Poultry, Fish etc

Blush

Sight –Very brilliant rosy blush like colour
Smell- Floral, Bouquet
Taste- Fruity, off-dry wine with balancing acidity
Food Pairing- Mildly Spiced Indian and Asian food

Shiraz

Colour- Dark Red Still wine
Smell- Spicy, smoky
Taste- Well balanced, Fruity Acidic, pleasantly spicy
Food pairing- Goes very well with red meat, kebabs and strong flavoured food. Goes exceedingly well with Indian spiced food.

Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Sight- Deep Purple

Smell- Oak barrel, vanilla, black currant
Taste- Mild acidic, off dry, smooth and well-seasoned
Food Pairing- Red Meat, Roast, Ham, Strong flavoured  Cheese and Roasted Vegetables.

All the Four Seasons’ series of the white and the red wines were amazing.  But of course I was blown over with the Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Indian red wine matured in the oak barrels from France itself. The aroma of the oak and vanilla after the swirl of the glass was as smooth as the taste itself, well balanced, off sweet and mellow.

For Amrita, the  Rosé Wine-Blush was the pick with its brilliant rosy blush colour and a beautiful well balanced flowery flavour.  

I was particularly intrigued by the healthy aspects of wine drinking, of course on a moderate level, which is also endorsed by World Health Organization. 'Drinking in moderation' as suggested by WHO is a phrase that Four Seasons Wines stand by and educate. The WHO recommends 3 glasses(310ml) of wine for a male and 2 glasses(230ml) of wine for a female. 
Besides being an appetizer, it also helps reduce risk of heart disease and aging amongst other advantages. Wine is one of the very few alcoholic beverages, both mild and strong, that one can have even after dinner.

I reckon we have found more than one reason to transpose to wine from other drinks and sighting the health advantages that come with it, there shouldn’t be much room for any objection. Moreover, being a food lover, wine has opened up an enormous chapter in our lives the journey of which seems as magical and boundless as its legend and history.  

Check out the Four Season Facebook Page for more information.

Disclaimer: We are in No way promoting drinking alcohol. This is just a review and a write up of our personal experience. As adults, please make the right and responsible choice.

Vishal & Amrita