‘You just can’t have one glass of FISHING CAT Pinot Grigio’ has been my typical refrain for the last couple of years. Sold for under Rs. 1400 MRP in Delhi it is the most affordable quaff, especially for novices, after I experimented on several novices and teetotalers. I used to believe that if you are serving wine to a teetotaler, any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is your best bet. After tasting Fishing Cat Pinot Grigio a couple of years ago I came to the conclusion that this is the best affordable wine-it, light, juicy, fruity, crisp and pleasant and non-intrusive even for teetotalers.

But there is a problem- after the first sip, you tend to finish off the glass, and soon ready for another chilled bottle at 8°C. It may get embarrassing if 2-3 people are having a glass each and the bottle finishes- you need to open another bottle- one is just not enough!! Ditto for the red wine lovers- the Merlot does the same for the novices!!

Once you have had a white (Pinot Grigio) and red (Merlot) – some people prefer the fuller-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. I had the pleasure of tasting not only these 3 wines but also the premium versions with exclusive grapes-all from Abruzzo – a hilly terrain, underappreciated region in East Italy, with Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Molise as the neighbouring regions, recently at a Lunch curated by Chef Matteo Fracalossi from Trento.

Anna Maya is an all-day dining restaurant with a host of Indian and Italian dishes served in a buffet but thanks to Chef Matteo, more and more Italian dishes are being introduced and because of the Chef with a long experience of working with the Michelin star chefs and working with different Hyatt properties and long international experience in Doha and Vietnam, is introducing more and more Italian dishes matched with his favourite Fishing Cat wines from Abruzzo.

At this Lunch there were 6 wines of the label that were served as a part of an exclusive Menu:

Fishing Cat Pinot Grigio

This affordable IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta/Protected Geographical Indication) wine is clean and crisp, pale straw coloured wine which is fresh and fruity on the palate. The medium-bodied wine is delicate and slightly savoury in the mouth. It is so pleasant that even the novices and teetotalers are ever-ready for a second glass as a starter, snacks or fish dishes. The ubiquitous wine is an excellent quaff and is an anytime- wine for a glass or two. No wonder it has ruled the Delhi restaurant market as the maximum selling wine for around 2 years, I was told by Sanjeev Gupta, the importer. Its pairing was excellent with Fritto Misto- a potpourri of Seafood including calamari and pieces of different fish that Chef Matteo had rustled up when I told him how I loved the Fritto Misto.

It was an excellent match with the first dish on the Menu-Capasante- Pan seared Scallops with Sautéed Mushrooms and Porcini Consommé that elevated the flavour of the Plebeian Pinot!

Fishing Cat Cabernet Sauvignon was a delight for cabernet lovers who do not expect wonders in the wine that retails for under Rs. 1400 in the retail shops and about Rs.600-800 a glass in most of the restaurants in Delhi including AnnaMaya at Andaz. Unless you expect the nuances of a California Cabernet or the Grand Vins of Bordeaux, costing 5-50 times the price, it is a good partner for lamb/mutton dishes or aubergine based lasagna. The bright ruby red medium wine with purple hues had subtle savoury and smooth floral notes with hints of black cherries and velvety tannins. It was paired well with Tortelli di Zucca- a Pumpkin Ravioli with Cheese Fondue.

Fishing Cat Merlot The red sibling of Pinot Grigio is the all-weather wine for red wine drinkers. Made from lush Merlot grapes, this bright red colour wine is a light fruity wine that can be served cooled in Delhi Summers. The fresh and soft wine had a tinge of tannins with aromas of red cherries and pleasing red fruit flavours and can be a good match for soft and slightly seasoned cheeses- and even with Tortelli.

Fishing Cat Pecorino DOC Abruzzo My most favourite wine for the day had to be this white wine made from Pecorino grapes usually grown in Abruzzo, Marche, Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio regions of Italy. This 100% Pecorino wine is pale straw colour with aromas of tropical fruits, citrus and floral notes. It was a perfect match with Moeche, a Venetian dish made with fried soft shell crab on creamy Polenta base by the Chef who slowly poured herb infused milk on the dish.

Also Read: Fishing Cat- In Love with Abruzzo

Fishing Cat Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Besides Pecorino, Abruzzo is most popular for this wine that used to be of mediocre quality earlier but in this century, the quality has been consistently improving-so much so that this is the most premium wine in the Fishing Cat range, along with Pecorino white wine.

Fishing Cat Rosato Christened as Cerasuolo (Cherry colour) it is also made with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red grape with dark cherry red colour (the grape or wine is not related to Nero d’Avola grape blended with Frappato in Sicily to make their only docg red wine, Cerasuolo di Vittoria) using 85% of Montepulciano and 15% of other authorised grapes like Sangiovese. The chilled Rosato (Rosé) was a good match as the dessert wine as it handled the Yogurt and Fragole- Yogurt Mousse and Strawberry Compression and the Honeycomb Crumble very well.

Chef Matteo had specially curated a special wine-matched Menu for all six wines. But he is so involved and passionate about his cooking that he actually went much beyond the curated Menu. Curiously, the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo did not pair very well with the Sea Bass and his favourite condiments- but this is my personal taste. I would have perhaps preferred with an-aubergine based lasagna or a mushroom dish as these two dishes match this red wine the best for my palate, though for me the dish would have tasted even better with Pecorino.

Though AnnaMaya is an all-day restaurant where you find Indian cuisine and Italian food as well for Rs. 2500++ (alcohol extra at Rs. 1000++), Chef Matteo has been meticulously working on the ‘Italization’ of dishes with the Menu getting more and more Italian dishes. The Chef is currently working on the winter Menu that will be ready within a month and it should be worthwhile to visit exclusively an Italian Menu.

But remember, you just can’t have a Glass or a bottle of this Fishing Cat from the Italian coastal region of Abruzzo, so order at your own risk. I hope they will soon have a tasting flight of all 6 Fishing Cat variants, that has been the leading Italian wine being served in the 5-star hotels in Delhi because of the affordable price and quaffable quality with Italian food (not only!).

Subhash Arora