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 In a message from Neustadt near Frankfurt, where the competition is being held, Arora writes that he feels this achievement reflects strongly on the increasing importance of India in the wine world but it is also an achievement he is naturally ecstatic about. The fact that he has been asked to judge repeatedly every year since the first invitation in 2007 shows the confidence the organisers have in his judging capabilities. ‘This does not mean I am a great taster. I am neither a sommelier nor a trained, certified professional but tastings of around 20,000 wines in the last 15 years including hundreds of winery visits and 50 competitions, does give me the opportunity to add the Indian palate at these competitions,’ he says. He admits quite modestly ‘we will see many young Indians cross the mark in the coming years with increased presence of committed wine journalists, sommeliers and professionals, but being the first Indian does give me a kick and a sense of pride.’
Christoph Meininger, CEO of Mundusvini GmbH says, ‘I have known Subhash for 10 years now. My congratulations to him for completing 10 years of Mundusvini! I believe it is the first time ever than an Indian has taken part in an international competition for 10 consecutive years and we are also happy that this milestone has been achieved at Mundusvini. We are into 19th edition now and almost touching 10,000 samples annually. This has been possible because of the quality and integrity of our international judges who also help us culturally by lending their palates. Subhash is a very good example and though it feels like he has been here only for a few years, he has already  become a part of our extended family of regular judges and has made dozens of friends from the other countries, about 300 of whom are invited to judge at the two editions of Mundusvini every year.’
Robert Joseph is a Director of the competition for over a decade and has known Arora for more than 12 years when he met him at IFE India Food and Wine Show in Delhi. Congratulating Arora, he says, ‘Over the last 30 years I have been involved with over 60 wine competitions ranging from the International Wine Challenges in London, China, Russia and the India Wine Challenge which I conducted in London, New Delhi and Mumbai. I first met Subhash at a wine show in Delhi in 2004 and of course in Mundusvini when I have been a Director since 2006. He was a part of each of the Indian Competitions. I have watched Mundusvini grow to become one of the biggest in the world. What I love about it and what sets it apart is the extraordinary breadth of the tasters that brings together palates from places as diverse as Colombia and Moldova and of course India through Subhash. Coupled with the rigorous efficiency with which Germany is associated, it has become a great competition and I am happy to see Subhash come back every year for 10 editions.’
Cost of the ‘kick’
 The ‘kick’ does come at a cost. ‘Not only are these tastings honourary assignments, but they can be physically gruelling and palate-exhausting with a lot of opportunity cost. They involve many personal sacrifices besides being away from family and work. The daughter of one of my closest friends in the US is getting married there on September 4. Traditionally, we have always attended the weddings of all our children and I had promised him I would be there. But the date clashed with the current competition and I had to decline attending the wedding,’ says Arora who also regrets that participation in competitions like Mundusvini and visiting wineries has taken a toll on his most favourite pastime, golf.
Despite the constraints, he remains passion driven and is confident that if he were to do it all over again, he would repeat the same. ‘The number of friends I’ve made during these visits has been really fantastic. Some of the judges whom I met at the first tasting are still here at most tastings. Many others who have not been seen here for various reasons are still good friends,’ he adds.
Visiting wineries and regions
One of the excellent benefits of judging at Mundusvini is the winery visits organised every afternoon after lunch. Palatinate, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Nahe and Baden are some of the close-by regions where he has had an opportunity to visit dozens of wineries-from small, boutique wineries to big co-operatives. Tasting regional cuisine from different parts is another bonus. ‘I also had an opportunity to visit the regions of Palatinate (Pfalz), Mosel and Franconia (Franken) on my own during the 4 days that were available earlier between the two 3-day weekends (Fri-Sun). I make it a point to attend both tastings despite having the choice given by the organisers of attending either. During such visits at Mundusvini, the response I have received as a taster from India has been really very touching and I was always received with open arms wherever I went.’
For the last couple of years, the competition has been split into two parts-spring tasting in February to encourage participation by the Southern Hemisphere producers like Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and the traditional summer tastings during the long weekend of August-end and September beginning, each lasting for 4 days. Over 4000-5000 samples are submitted by producers at each of these tastings.
How has the experience at Mundusvini been for 10 editions? ‘Generally excellent,’ he says. ‘Most jury presidents allow discussion on the scores if they are disparate. General discussions, especially about the wines on which experts differ significantly, have given me a tremendous opportunity to learn - something that might not be available in a structured programme.’
Mambo No. 5-0
Coincidentally, this is also his 50th international competition. Besides these 10 consecutive competitions at Mundusvini, he has judged in Italy, Spain, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Chile, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong and India where he participated in every edition of the Indian Wine Challenge chaired by Robert Joseph, including the maiden edition in London. He is proud of the fact that he has never solicited to judge at any competition and does not accept invitations to judge where he is expected to bring samples for  judging. The 50 competitions do not include Indian competitions like the one BT had organised a few years ago in Delhi and a similar one in Mumbai. Due to paucity of time he avoids assignments in new competitions.
DelWine Awards
Arora has more reasons to be in the celebratory mode. DelWine, the weekly eNewsletter he founded in 2006, also completed 10 years this year with 710 issues emailed so far to 32,000 subscribers in 70 countries. DelWine is launching the delWine Excellence Awards this month as well, the first-ever Awards in the wine and hospitality industry in India to recognise and promote excellence in the wine industry and more specifically in the Delhi-NCR region (to begin with). He is the Chairman of the jury for The Awards which will culminate in a sit-down wine dinner for about 300 people, being hosted by Pullman Aerocity Hotel, New Delhi on September 14, 2016.
For Arora, 10 years at Mundusvini are not the pinnacle but a mere milestone in the promotion of wine as a culture. He is already getting ready for his 51st competition next month; the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition where also he has been invited since its inception and will be taking part for the seventh consecutive time.
Cheers to several more milestones, or as he likes to say it, Jai Ho!
Natasha Vohra
For related Articles about Mundusvini for the previous 9 occasions, visit
2015
MundusVini 2015 International Wine Award attracts Record Entries.aspx
2014
15th edition of MUNDUS vini 2014 concludes Successfully
2013
Indian Wines debut at Mundusvini International Competition
2012
Over 6000 Wines Vie for Medals at MundusVini 2012
2011
MundusVini Concludes with Record Entries Tasted
2010
MUNDUSvini Completes a Decade
2009
MundusVini displays Strong Italian Accent
2008
Record Wine Entries for Mundusvini
2007
Mundus Vini: Judgement at Neustadt |