On a winter afternoon in January, about a hundred wine enthusiasts gathered at Sofitel, Bandra-Kurla Complex. Over hundred wine bottles, covered in aluminum foil to hide their labels, waited on a large table.
Each judge was given wine glasses and a sheet of paper. This was the setting at the tasting session before the fourth edition of the Indian Wine Consumer’s Choice Awards (IWCCA) 2016, in association with HT48Hours. This year, the IWCCA, which is the only Indian accreditation that focusses on Indian vintage wines and new launches in the market, received the maximum number of participants yet – 136 wines from 21 labels.
The wines were scored on three criteria: colour (1 to 3 points), aroma (1 to 7 points) and palate (1 to 10 points). The IWCCA invited opinions of consumers, the people who ultimately buy the wine, unlike international wine awards that invite professional wine tasters to judge their entries. “The awards should reflect the choice and preferences of the drinker in India. The event is also a platform for generating feedback for the wine producers in the country”, says Nikhil Agarwal, sommelier and CEO of All Things Nice, a wine and spirits consultancy that organises the awards.
The participating wines were picked and segregated into different categories on the basis of their style: sparkling, white, red and dessert. “The whites and reds were further divided on the basis of the grape varieties such as chardonnay, shiraz, merlot, chenin blanc and cabernet sauvignon,” says Agarwal. Total points for each wine were tallied and the top three wines, in each category, were segregated into gold, silver, and bronze winner categories.
A consumer tasting wine at the event. (Photo courtesy: All Things Nice )
And the awards go to…
GOLD
• Soma Brut Cuvée 2014
• Casablanca Rosé Spumante 2015
• Nine Hills Chenin Blanc 2015
• Sula Riesling 2015
• Myra Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
• Charosa Pleasures Cabernet Shiraz NV
• Oakwood Reisha Grand Cru Reserve 2013
• Charosa Pleasures Sauvignon Blanc NV
• Sula Sauvignon Blanc 2015
• York Rosé 2015
• York Shiraz 2013
• Reveilo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2012
• Charosa Selections Viognier 2015
• Reveilo Chardonnay Reserve 2015
• Charosa Reserve Tempranillo 2013
• Reveilo Nero D’Avola 2015
• Reveilo Merlot 2015
• Vallonné Reserve Merlot 2013
• Myra Reserve Shiraz 2014
• SDU Trilogy 2015
• Big Banyan Bellissima NV
SILVER
• Good Drop Frizzano Semi-dry 2015
• Reveilo Chenin Blanc 2015
• Reveilo Grillo 2015
• Big Banyan Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
• SDU Deva 2014
• Myra Misfit 2013
• York Arros 2013
• Soma Sauvignon Blanc Gold 2014
• Vallonné Rosé 2014
• Reveilo Syrah 2015
• SDU Deva Syrah 2014
• Good Earth Basso 2014
• Vallonné Viognier 2015
• Reveilo Chardonnay 2015
• Reveilo Sangiovese 2015
• Big Banyan Merlot 2014
• SDU Reserva Syrah 2012
• Vallonné Syrah Merlot 2014
• Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2015
BRONZE
• Sula Brut Tropicale NV
• Myra Chenin Blanc 2014
• Reveilo Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
• Big Banyan Sauvignon Blanc 2014
• Myra Shiraz 2014
• Myra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
• Reveilo Syrah Reserve 2012
• Vallonné Crimson Glory 2013
• Reveilo Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2013\
Log On: To know more about the winners visit allthingsnice.in/iwcca.php
http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/meet-the-winners-of-the-indian-wine-consumer-choice-awards-2016/story-rBBO0lCZK4Cxf21HWlh0cN.html