November 12 and 13 were both sunny days with lovely spell of early winter coolness that set the evenings for the Bandra Wine Tasting Festival held for the 3rd consecutive year. Men in their casuals, women and the young visitors in their weekend colors loitered around in the D'Monte Park in Bandra West.
Four Seasons, Vallone, Reveilo, Moksh, Good Earth Winery, Vinsura, Zampa and Pause were amongst the busiest amongst the stall on Saturday; from mid -day to late in the evening till about 10 pm they were engaged in pouring for the visitors. Sunday saw an equal enthusiasm and spirit to savor the service.
The recent entrant Fratelli wines, made a grand entry with their maiden presence at the festival. A promising group with commitments to offer quality and class is in the offing. Already a prize winner in London, Fratelli may look forward to winning many hearts in the coming season. Their impressive presentations and personalized attention to interested audience was commendable.
The event also saw a presentation with lucky draws, tasting and food pairing lessons, food court with varieties of pasta, cheese, fries and rolls, to name a few items.
Many picked up their choice at a discount, specially announced during the event days. The fair might have made some difference in changing wine lists for all visitors, individuals or corporate buyers.
"Wine is a leisure drink" and the organizers seemed to relish the theme. Colorful stalls presenting their wines for tasting with talks and explanations on their vineyards, choice of the soil, aging and their warm invitations to visit their vineyards impressed the wine loving crowd. Forward looking plans and programs were discussed. Bright week-end sun welcomed one and all.
The organizers have already declared their next major event in Pune in mid December and one can look forward to a great time in tasting wines from the Indian stable.
DelWine wholeheartedly supports such wine festivals to popularize the wine culture and informally educate the people in various cities while demystifying the healthy beverage and hopes that the excise departments in different cities do not play a spoil sport like they do in Delhi which is more conservative than most of the other conservative states.
Sidd Banerji |