The Happy HIgh journey of wines with Ace Beveragez

The Happy High has come a long way…our journey started a while back when we hosted the Wine and Masti event with the Mumbai Food Freak some time ago. Ajit Balgi, the man behind the show had done a great job at curating the event with wines from around the world and we were quite happy to learn about the wine basics as we sipped on our large selection of wines that afternoon.

Ajit recently hosted a wine tasting in collaboration with Ace Beveragez where he showcased some very interesting wines from their stables ranging from Argentinian Malbec to Italian Pinot Noir. What really stood out and warrants this cover note, is the fact that not only the wines shone bright during this event but the high tea menu crafted by the newly appointed chef at the Intercontinental – Chef Arzooman Irani also paired beautifully with each of the wines tasted during the evening.

From the wines tasted that evening, I would definitely recommend the Chablis from Adet Seward and the beautifully seductive Pinot Noir from Folinari as the stand out wines. With the summer vacations just around the corner, both of these offer an excellent value for money option for easy going good quality wines for you to have at home over a lazy weekend.

I definitely commend the efforts of the entire team from Ace Beveragez and Hotel Intercontinental to put together an event that broke the traditional norms of a wine tasting and created a High tea space which worked quite well for me.  The wine list curated by the Happy High was surely the star of the evening and I would be looking forward to more such engagements in the future.

This event was held on the 21^st of April 2016.

Press Release – Quote

Last evening, InterContinental Marine Drive along with Ace Beveragez redefined the concept of drinking wine at the fun-dining gastrobar Long & Short. An eclectic range of premium wines was paired with the most delectable High Tea hors d’oeuvres as the afternoon deconstructed the formal air around wine drinking.

Starting with a glass of crisp Prosecco, and followed by a guided wine tasting by Ace Beveragez’s wine expert Ajit Balgi, those present got to try premium wines such as a Chablis from Adet Seward, an Italian Pinot Noir from Folinari, a big Barolo from the renowned house of Michele Chiarlo and a Drappier Brut, world’s first carbon neutral Champagne Co.

The specially crafted menu by Executive Chef Arzooman Irani included Vietnamese rice paper roll, cheese tofu mash, micro herbs & pansy; smoke salmon mousse on arugula blinis, salmon roe & chives; honey garlic rosemary infused baked camembert, chili almond biscotti; Braised lamb chops, baby veggies, morels jus; Herb crusted sea bass. Chilly tamarind sauce, pumpkin mash; Beetroot Macaroons to name a few; paired perfectly with the assortment of wines.

Says executive chef Arzooman Irani, “People associate a certain formal protocol when it comes to wine. They either drink it with a meal or open a bottle in the evening. We’re telling people that even late afternoon, surrounded by some nibbles, would be a great time to drink wine. With appetisers that best bring out the flavours of the wine, this is a quintessential Long & Short initiative; where it’s all about making wining and dining fun.”

Rikshit Parsan, Director Ace Beveragez says, “Wines have been confined to dinner times in Mumbai and this tasting is to break away from the mould and portray wine as an anytime drink given the varied styles of wine. We are glad we chose Long & Short for this evening and we would love to see patrons to come socialize over high tea and wines or conduct their day end meetings and watch the sun go down with a glass of Champagne.”

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