Indian Wine Consumer Choice Awards 2014

Written by

gagandeepgrover

25 Feb 20144 min read16,834 views

All Things Nice hosted India’s second Wine Consumer Choice Wine Awards at the Taj Lands End on the 18^th of January, 2014. Over 100 wine enthusiasts, including yours truly, got an opportunity to taste the entire spectrum of Indian wines available. The tasting was based on a 20 point scale, which was easy to understand and provided a wide enough range for competitive analysis.

Being my first wine tasting event as a jury member, I was a bit nervous about the process and decorum expected at the event. But meeting Nikhil Agarwal, a trained Sommelier and the brains behind the event, helped me understand the process and stick to my gut feel. The best part about being a consumer wine award judge, is to think like a normal consumer and not like a critic. The vineyards at the event were the following: Charosa, Myra, Sula, Big Banyan, Chateau d’Ori, Fusion, Grover-Zampa, Deva, KRSMA, Reveilo, Vallonne, Fratelli, Pause, York, Fourseasons and Moksh.

The blind tasting started with the whites, with 11 wines on the tasting menu. The judges were to rate the wines on Color, Taste and Aroma (instead of the full spread of 5 S’s: Color (See), Swirl, Aroma (Sniff), and Savor) on a scale of 1 to 10. The wines were covered in silver cloth to keep the judge from knowing the wine.

The tasting was a wonderful experience with many surprises, where some of the expensive wines were rated lower than some of the inexpensive ones. The Whites were followed by the sparkling, the Rieslings and the Reds. In all, each judge tasted 25 wines during the event, with each table getting a different sequence of wines to keep things interesting. No one would be able to judge what you would get at your table at any given point in time.

The event lasted a good 4 hours, with the table conversation getting more interesting as the wines poured. The diverse set of consumers rating the wines on offer ensured the ratings were fair from the heart.

The ratings were collated and released to the public on 30^th January 2014, giving wine consumers a market reference for this year’s selection.

A wonderfully managed event with a gracious host provided a fitting opportunity for consumers to participate and provide feedback directly to the vineyard.

And the winners are:

GOLD MEDAL