Mumbai Wine Fest Feb'12

The Mumbai Kala Ghoda Festival pulls in crowd from all parts of the world. It is an art festival Mumbai eagerly awaits every year. What better place to showcase the art of winery? Knowing about different wines? Or even the introduction to wines for some?!

Away from the bustling crowd of the Kala Ghoda Fest, somewhere in Rampert Row a chirping crowd was enjoying sipping on their wines, indulging their palettes and senses. If one had been to the Mumbai Oktoberfest, Race Course, they might have seen the resemblance. If you wonder why, then that’s because they were the same benches used there! Comfortable seating and a lot of place to move around, the fest was very well organized!

Hosted on the 11^th and 12^th Feb’12 the Mumbai Wine Festival was a phenomenal success! If little birdies are to be believed, the foot flow at the event was close to 2,000 during the two days!

The crowd was a healthy mix across the ages, between the seasoned and novice, and a heavy presence of men proved wine isn’t just for women! We were blessed to have bumped into an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tolani. Being avid wine enthusiasts they had an interesting perception to offer. Despite having been to various wine fests both internationally and domestically they found this wine fest quite a thing!

Mr. Yogesh R. Bhada, a Wine Making Consultant for several wineries in India was quite positive about the fest. According to him, per capita consumption of wine in India is just about 7-8 ml/annum as compared to about 100 ltrs per annum in European nations. He was happy with the turnout and expects the wine culture in India to grow leaps and bounds.

One Gentleman Mr. Ajay Gupta was happy to see so many youngsters taking interest in wine. After tasting several wines he was commending as to how far Indian wines have come.

Apart from wine tasting the event had special activities like talks by prominent wine connoisseurs, sommeliers, etc. Here is how the days went…

Prahlad Kakkar

Although we need not give an introduction for Mr. Prahlad Kakkar but we must tell you, apart from being an Ad-Guru, he is a connoisseur of fine wines and Vice President of Terroir One (Mumbai Chapter to the Delhi Wine Club).

Wine culture in India is growing second to none.

It was nice of him to grace the occasion on the second day and share his thoughts with the crowd. He made the crowd chuckle every now and then, especially when he pointed out the way men differ under influence of whiskey and wine! He rightly said: Wine spreads love; Makes people beautiful. And, well... whiskey makes them aggressive.

Throughout the event Mr. Kakkar went around mingling with wine enthusiasts, speaking to youngsters about wine etc.

Sommelier Omkar Phadke

Sommelier Omkar Phadke is a very soft spoken and humbled host. He has trained under prominent people like Gary Rhodes an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef. He has done hotel management and wine courses.

 

From time to time he would address to the crowd on the art of opening and uncorking wine bottles. How to preserve wine, The art of using the right type of glass for the selected wine, etc.

While speaking to him we got some of our fundamentals sorted, which we think he should be doing for the crowd as well, next time. He also spoke about the art of wine making, how various things go into the making of wine and how different things affect the wine during its process of transition from wine selection in the farm, crushing, bottling till it eventually reaches in the drinkers hands.

Apart from our passion for alcohol we both share one more thing… our love for Buddha Bar. How we both wish one in Mumbai!

Mixologist Nupur Joshi:

 

She spoke about the art of mixing wine into cocktails or as she calls it wine-tails. Simple concoctions, easy to make, simple yet amazingly refreshing! With a sweet charming smile on her face, she did what she likes the most ‘getting people to drink’

 

Here are the wine-tails she prepared:

LemoSpice: Honey, nutmeg, Cabernet Sauvignon
Aloha Bubbly:
Valentino: Strawberry, Vodka, Mint, Chardon chenin blanc for valentines!
Ocean: Coconut water, blue curacao, Chenin Blanc Chardonnay White
Piink: Strawberries, Vodka, Pinotage Rose
Sangria: Fruits, Red wine and white wine and some cinnamon.

 

While she was at it, she kept the crowd engaged in some activity or the other. A few lucky guests got to shake the concoction, a few tips about it followed by a glass full of the wine-tail!

Bartenders:



The in house bartenders were present to mix some stunning mock-tails for the fest.

Wine Stomping

Clearly the stomping was one of the highlights of the event! It was an instant craze with people! Guests who came during the stomping sessions kicked off their shoes and got right down to business! It definitely was an added experience!

Although some folks did leave disappointed due to lack of cheese and wine but in all fairness it was cheese tasting and not hogging! There still remain some areas of improvement. But then again, the finest wines took time to develop into what they are today. Some day the Mumbai Wine Fest will be that fine wine!

P.S: For those who missed it this time, you're in for a treat. Sooner than you think. Soon!