Walking from the new wing at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel to the shopping arcade, one crosses Aquarius, the outdoor lounge for residents, by the poolside. It tempts residents to stop by for a quite glass of wine or whatever.

Sitting in the lounge one evening last week for a pre-dinner aperitif in the company of a couple of friends in the garden, with cool gentle breeze, beautiful green surroundings, soft lights around, and the old world charm oozing out of the old guest rooms- environ made me exclaim.. ‘Wah Taj!’

Till I had a look at their wine list and experienced their wine service.

I squirmed and writhed looking at the high four digit prices of most wines screaming to touch five digits till I remembered the unfortunate increase in excise duties on the imported wines in Maharashtra a quarter ago. I also wondered if the central government had withdrawn the duty free status for import of wine and liquor for hotels like the Taj during the two days I had been away from the capital.

Even the prices of Indian wines in the list seemed to keep up with the foreign cousins. I wondered what the justification for the price of Rs. 2250 ($56) was, for the all-popular Sula Chenin Blanc (that their more expensive Sauvignon Blanc was also priced the same was no consolation).

We decided to go with the by-the-glass route and ordered a couple of glasses of the young Dr. Loosen Riesling. The Maruti Alto of the well known Mosel winery owned by my friend Ernie Loosen can be a great starter in any part of India at any time of the day, even though at around Rs.800 a glass ($20) even he would find it too shocking a price.

Not available, was the reply after the waiter consulted his superior. We would not mind settling for the same, delicious varietal from Burklin (Dr. Bürklin Wolf). Sorry, N.A., was the reply after a few waiting moments. A glass of Le Rime from Castello di Banfi at Rs. 750 a shot would be refreshing too, with the blend of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, we felt. The hassled waiter came back and apologetically confided it was not available either.

Had Aman Dhall of Brindco stopped supplying the Taj or what, I wondered? All these wines were from his portfolio.

By this time I had also started wondering if the bar did not approve of us being there as we were only by-the-glass guests (mind you, the bar is meant for residents only, and most tables had been taken by the expats very early in the evening, like a ringside seat for an opera.) No wine available by the glass?

…Aah Taj! What was happening?

We decided to order a full bottle and delay our dinner. A bottle of Dr. Loosen? Sorry, sir, we are out of stock. One would have thought that the lower end wines would be available in plenty even though the higher priced wines might be problematic due to the higher excise.

How about the refreshing Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine from Loire Valley at Rs. 2950? Sorry sir, not available. Just when I was ready to ask the waiter if they had anything under Rs.4000 ($100) in stock, the waiter nodded in affirmation at our last, desperate choice, a Macon Village 2003 from Maison Louis Latour.

What did not surprise me was the price tag of Rs.2950 (20% VAT would be extra!) for a bottle that retails for under $12* in the USA. What surprised me was they still had it in stock- the vintage of 2003 went past its prime at least 2 years ago! What others are drinking around the world are 2006 and 2007 versions of the low end, slightly oaked Chardonnay from the southern part of Burgundy.

If the hotel had bought the bottle post – massacre ( in November 2007 when the excise had gone up further to 200% from the earlier increase to 150%) they had been taken for a ride because of the ‘dead’ vintage. If they had bought it before the massacre, we were being taken for a ride. In any case, I figured, it would be an opportunity to see how the wine had survived the extra years in the warehouse.

Further surprise was in store when we touched the bottle- it was not at the service temperature of 12° C, not even the advisable storage temperature of 13-15° C or even at the acceptable storage temperature of 18-20°C but pretty much at the ambient temperature of over 23-25°C. ‘No problem, sir, I will chill it in ice,’ said the waiter optimistically. And how long would that be? ‘Only 10 minutes, sir,’ he said uncertainly.

Just as I was about to lose my cool despite the fine company, the waiter sensed my indignation and quickly talked to his senior who like Houdini, produced another bottle of the same label and vintage but at quaffable16-18°C.

The bottle was opened with the usual rituals without any further ado. A few sips in the glass and the balance left in the ice bucket to chill.

And how was the wine on the palate? It was not vinegar, but every sip was a drag on the palate for the wine was quite dead. Suffice it to say that if I did not know any better, I would have screamed- Anything But Chardonnay in future.

I must admit though that by the time we were able to reach the bottom of the bottle slowly, it was a perfect 10 (temperature wise only!) and all I could mutter was.

…Ugh Taj!

*The street price taken from www.wine-searcher.com

Subhash Arora

March 23, 2008