Captain’s Cellar has all the trappings of a great wine bar with two Enomatic machines, excellent set up and decor, a Private room for parties and even a room where smokers can enjoy, with most seats comfortable to encourage conversations. There is a Sommelier who can guide you to a wine you are most likely to enjoy, a kitchen that has chefs equipped to make excellent dishes. But somehow it fails to offer an impression of an experiential evening. Besides, there are no wine flights important to educate wine lovers to come back again and again to enjoy while learning more about wines.

Captain’s Cellar has been designed by the architects of the concept to make it the best wine lounge in India, synonymous with the Taj Brand- yet there is something lacking and if one were to assert that was the best in its category in India, it is on a slippery wicket and can be tripped by another hotel soon. I had mixed feelings once again on the evening of 11 April when a full house of 40 members that included the Ambassador of Austria, Ms. Katharina Wieser and her husband and a few other luminaries.

Wines Tasted

They say wine tastes different when drinking in the company of friends. This was a good  example of four quaffable wines tasted and re-tasted several times in a wine bar setting with little plates coming at you at regular intervals though the process could have been smoother. There were times when the service was poor due to the wait staff running around like headless chicken, trying to look busy but in fact appearing confused.

Fattori Pinot Grigio, Beronia white, Scaia Corvina and Valdivieso Cabernet Sauvignon-all with different grapes and regions/ countries (Italy, Spain, Italy and Chile) were selected carefully to give a diversified experience on the palate with Mukul Manku presenting each wine sequentially.

PINOT GRIGIO is a plebeian grape from Italy (Think Prosecco DOC) unless it is from Alto Adige or the French version -Pinot Gris. Clean, simple and quaffable wine with nothing special to write home about. Fruity and clean wine made popular by the US market where it has been glowing and growing in popularity for many years. Served chilled, it was a good example of a conversation starter!

BERONIA from Rioja had a similar story except it has an excellent pedigree- It was bought from the original founders by Gonzalez Byass, a producer of perhaps the most popular Sherry ‘Tio Pepe’, over 40 years ago. It is made from 100% Viura grapes known as Macabeo in Catalonia where it is one of the three blended grapes in the blend to make Cava and makes excellent wine for seafood paella.. Rioja makes excellent red wines but it has not been able to produce matching white wines, due to the single dimension of the grape (like Garganega in Soave, Italy). Some producers have successfully tried blending with small quantities of other grapes making them more delicious and higher quality wines.

SCAIA Corvina Red is one of the labels of Tenuta Sant’Antonio, one of the 13 coveted wineries of Valpolicella area in Veneto known as the Famiglie Storiche (historical wineries). Corvina is the predominant grape in making Valpolicella with few people venturing to make it as Corvina IGT since it is easier to sell it as Valpolicella which tastes more complex because of the other 2 more popular grapes -Rondinella and Molinara and is a DOC wine. A fruity, medium bodied versatile wine, that.

VALDIVIESO Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful example of the international grape variety Chile has excelled in making at a more affordable price than Europe/the US. Pioneers of making sparkling wines known as Champagne when the company was founded in 19th century and makers of the super premium wine Caballo Loco, popular with the affluent connoisseurs, it is a premium winery where the lower end products also benefit from the process used by the winemaker making Grand Cru wines like Bordeaux. This harmonious wine was perhaps the best wine of the evening for me.

Welcome Copenhagen Sparkling Teas

The Cellar did try to make the evening more exciting  and offered 3 variants of excellent non- alcoholic Sparkling Teas made by the Copenhagen Sparkling Wine co. https://sparklingtea.co/process/. Several members never found out it was being offered as a welcome drink. While others  commented boorishly why tea was being served at a wine event. They were oblivious that this champagne type tea bottled at 5+ bar pressure and zero degree alcohol is made with a blend of up to 13 types of organic teas and sells at the Cellar at Rs. 900 is worth tasting- there must be reasons why dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants are serving as an appetizer! It is a non- alcoholic ‘Champagne’!

Another overlooked service that created a lot of heartburn among some members was the dessert table laid  nicely in an area in front of the main counter but no one apparently knew in  another section of the area  because of no announcement and went away without the desserts which were delicious. Perhaps Captain’s Cellar does not normally expect a full house of a group and so the service could falter. But any Restaurant/ Bar in a metro city like Delhi must give its best, if it wants to have the best wine bar (lounge) in its top branded hotel rated as the best in its category.

In their favour, when one caught the right person’s eye, an acceptable service was acceptable even though the soul was missing. But it was a fine evening at the end and one ought to patronize the Captain’s Cellar as the prices are generally quite reasonable. Quite a few labels are between Rs. 800-Rs. 1200 a glass (Indian wines go down to even Rs. 600  a glass and several more expensive labels (Like Chocolate Block) are available by the glass, thanks to the working Enomatic machines. Apparently, they dish out some munchees with compliments too. True wine connoisseurs will enjoy visiting the Cellar frequently. It is an ideal place for a rendezvous for a glass or two of wine before heading to a nearby restaurant for the meal and enjoy an extended and experiential evening.

Subhash Arora