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Absolut Elyx – A Handcrafted Luxury

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Absolut’s best representation of luxury vodka is a premium, handcrafted vodka made from wheat and naturally filtered water. Unlike the distillation of Absolut Vodka, which is entirely controlled by computers, Absolut Elyx is a much more labor intensive and “handcrafted” process.

The vodka is manually distilled in a copper rectification constructed in 1921. Today, it is operated by a select few who have inherited their knowledge and expertise from generations of vodka makers.  The copper naturally removes traces of compounds in the spirit, purifying the vodka and adding to its unique silky texture.

Elyx is fresh, smooth and silky with aromas of sweet grain followed by spice, vanilla and sweet fruit on the creamy palate.  It is beautiful neat, but can be enjoyed on ice or in a vodka martini.

Elyx bottle

Elyx

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Cardhu Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

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Cardhu

In Scotland’s heartland of whisky making – Speyside – you will find a distillery with a most intriguing history. The distillery was set up by John Cumming, who had previously been a whisky smuggler.  In early 1800’s his wife Helen Cumming distilled the first gallon of Cardhu, the only malt whisky to be pioneered by a woman. For many years Helen Cumming produced only the smallest quantity of malt whisky in Cardhu’s little still, as quality was her main focus. She continued to contribute to Cardhu’s success well into her 90’s.

A much-loved single malt, Cardhu is easy-going with clean, crisp oak and sweet malt flavours of honey and home-made caramel squares. This is one for the sweet-toothed.

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Could We Be Running Out of Prosecco?

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Prosecco+Hills

Prosecco experts claim that shortage is upon us and this lovely summer bubbly may not flow quite as freely this year. High demand and unexpected weather conditions have resulted in limited production of Italy’s most popular sparkling wine, a brand in itself.

Last year’s harvest was very poor, and down by up to 50% in some parts, so there is a very real possibility of a global shortage,” Robert Cremonese, export manager of Bisol, said in an interview with the trade publication The Drinks Business.

“We’ll find out how big the problem is in August when the brokers release their stock. At the moment we don’t know how much Prosecco they’re holding on to.” Cremonese added.

Another reason for this shortage is that global demand for Prosecco has risen sharply over the last several years while supply is still limited. In 2014, Prosecco DOC sales increased by 27%, according to the Italian news organization Italy24. Wine. Wine consumers over the world consider Prosecco as a less expensive, easier to drink alternative to Champagne. It has whizzed past its French rival as the best – selling sparkling in 2014.

 

 

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The Ruffino Dinner at the Sahib Room, Palladium Hotel

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I’ve had the pleasure of dining in the Sahib Room at the Palladium Hotel twice, the first time was when it launched and then again at the Ruffino dinner hosted by Sula last week.

Both times have been incredible and I think it is Chef Angad’s brilliance and Palladium’s hospitality that make it so special. Chef Angad specializes in North West Frontier cuisine with an expertise in Awadhi, Hyderabadi, and Kashmiri cuisines. He actually didn’t say much when I thanked him, but his colleagues who I spoke with the next day said they weren’t surprised, as he’d rather have his food do the talking. Well Amen to that!

Way back in my days with Sula, I had the opportunity of placing the first order for Ruffino to India, so I wasn’t going to miss this dinner for anything.  In my excitement, my guest and I were the first people to arrive. The dinner was hosted to welcome Joe Milner – Regional Director Asia and Jake Jacob, VP Asia of Constellation Brands. Ruffino is part of the Constellation Group – the world’s largest wine company.

The evening started off with Ruffino’s Orvietto Classico served as an aperitif. This easy drinking wine with lovely fresh, fruity and floral notes was served at the Sahib Rooms bar area. After a few glasses we were ushered into the restaurant’s plush dining space.

What followed was Chef Angad’s magic, a slew of dishes that included avocado and bamboo shoot tikkis, smoked spring lamb, grilled tiger prawns all of which paired really well with Ruffino’s Chianti – a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I had not tasted this wine in about 13 years and was pleasantly surprised by how well the wine worked with the food.

For the main course we had an indulgent black dal that I devoured along with the Kashmiri hand pulled lamb and biryani. This was served with a more serious wine, Ruffino’s Riserva Ducale, a Chianti Classico Riserva. By then I was completely satiated but pure greed made me ask for another glass. I really do like this wine and the label is just stunning. Dessert was delicious with the now fabled Kolkatta paan ice cream. You’ve got to try it. If you had to switch off the lights and have that served to you without disclosure you probably wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t actually paan.

The wines and the company at my table were great and the Sahib Room managed to put me into a Sahib like food coma once again. With a number of great restaurants attempting to modernize Indian food springing up across the country, I am actually very glad that the Sahib Room has chosen to stick to tradition and I think that we can all raise a glass or two of Ruffino’s Riserva Ducale to that.

By Sommelier Nikhil Agarwal, Director at All Things Nice

Palladium Hotel's Chef Angad
Palladium Hotel’s Chef Angad
Ruffino's Riserva Ducale pairs perfectly
Ruffino’s Riserva Ducale pairs perfectly
Jake Jacob,Vice President Constellation Brands Asia
Jake Jacob,Vice President Constellation Brands Asia

Image 4 Blog

Joe Milner, Regional Sales Director, Constellation Brands Asia
Joe Milner, Regional Sales Director, Constellation Brands Asia
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Gateway Brewing Co.

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Gateway 1FoundersFermantation Tanks filled with Beer

A few years ago, the only beer we were familiar with was the one we were subjected to by the ‘King of Good Times’. Home-brewing was uncommon; there were no regulations, no ingredient supplies and worst of all absolute lack of awareness of craft beer

Mumbai got one its first micro-brewery when duo Rahul Mehra and Krishna Naik quit their jobs to get into the business of beer. They were joined by Navin Mittal armed with a Business Degree from Clark University and over 20 years of experience in product development and marketing. What started off as secret beer making sessions in their kitchen turned to beer workshops for a few enthusiasts. In 2011, they established a business plan to supply beers on tap to various restaurants and bars in Mumbai.

Gateway Brewing Co. the brainchild and hard work of this trio, has paved the way for other craft breweries to establish themselves. In a way, they have authored the unwritten book on setting up and marketing a micro-brewery in Maharashtra.

If you want to rediscover beer as you know it, make sure your weekend plan includes a visit to any one of the thirty plus restaurants or pubs Gateway Brewing Co. is available at.  The really quirky names of the beers just add to the mystery of discovering craft-beer. So are you a Doppelganger or Like That Only?

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Keeping It Cool With Chandon Summer

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All Things Nice and Chandon India hosted a super cool summer party for our guests and members at Please Don’t Tell last Saturday. We opened a few bottles of the new Chandon Summer collection and must say that we absolutely love the chic new packaging.

A selection of three refreshing Chandon based cocktails were served with delicious canapes. All in all, it was a fun social evening with people who really know how to enjoy themselves.

Chandon Keep It Cool Packaging Image 1 Image 2

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Our Iconic Cloudy Bay Wine Dinner

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Cloudy Bay dinner at Four Seasons (13)

Cloudy Bay dinner at Four Seasons (43)

Cloudy Bay dinner at Four Seasons (34)All Things Nice and Chandon India hosted an iconic dinner with Cloudy Bay, New Zealand’s most famous winery, at the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai. Over 35 guests enjoyed an evening of fabulous wine paired with an outstanding menu by Chef Chaitanya Sharma at The Kitchen, a quaint little space that allowed everyone to be in close quarters to the live action in the kitchen.

The wines served were stars from the Cloudy Bay portfolio – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and finally Te Koko, a unique style of Sauvignon Blanc. Some of Chef Sharma’s creations included the Sous Vide Tiger Prawns, Truffled Potato Gnocchi and the Roast Lamb Loin in Butternut Squash Puree. In our opinion Cloudy Bay offers super high quality wines that arefull of freshness and finesse and you cannot but help fall in love with them. We weren’t surprised that this evening turned out to be such a great success!

Here is a look at the outstanding menu we enjoyed

Pass Around Canapés

Asparagus Fricassee In Mini Bouchees (V)
or
Goat Cheese And Walnut With California Grape (V)
or
Home Cured Salmon In Rye Baguette
or
Smoked Chicken And Green Apple On Whole Wheat Crisp

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand

First Course

Roasted Baby Beets With Arugula, Shaved Fennel, Pommery Honey Dressing (V)
or
Sous Vide Tiger Prawns With Cauliflower Puree And Pickled Root Vegetables
or

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand

Second Course

Truffled Potato Gnocchi, Toasted Pinenuts, BeurreNoisette (V)
or
Roast Lamb Loin, Butternut Squash Puree, Glazed Confit Carrots, Thyme Jus
or
Cloroudy Bay Pinot Noir 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand

Third Course

Platter of Brie, gruyere and chevre with wheat crisps

Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2011, Marlborough, New Zealand

Petit Fours

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SUBMIT YOUR SENSES

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Submit (56) Submit (63)

All Things Nice unveiled its latest culinary concept SUBMIT, a unique wine dinner experience where we graciously asked our guests to submit their trust and their senses as we took them on a culinary journey like none other. Palladium, Mumbai shut down the entire mall for us, playing host to an intimate dinner in a completely darkened space except for the lights emitting from candles.

The vast empty space created a sense of luxury, with the 5 course dinner paired with fantastic wines from around the world. The first course was accompanied with a piece of art by Govind Sah highlighted via projected light, illuminating one specific space. The second course saw an interesting abstract installation by designer Lekha Washington, while the third course was served while a violinist played Vittorio Monti from a corner of the room. Writer and columnist Anil Dharker eloquently and very gracefully read poetry just before the main course. This unbelievable journey took this wine dinner experience to a whole new unchartered territory.

We had a spectacular selection of food and wine for the evening; white chocolate caviar with Rene Mure Signature Riesling, smoked salmon with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, scallops with Blackstone Pinot Noir, lamb chops with Prunotto Barolo and finally Belgian dark chocolate with Montalto Passito di Moscato.

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Notes from Chile

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Notes from Chile - Dennis Murray of Montes

Montes have been a great ambassador for Chile, and a benchmark for many new Chilean wineries. This month we get into conversation with Dennis Murray of this iconic Chilean brand.

Your wines have been selling in India for some time now. Tell us how the Indian wine market has changed from your perspective?

With Indians having travelled and studied abroad they now embrace wine even more as they have seen its importance to their colleagues in other countries. I think Indians are much more knowledgeable about wine now since companies like All Things Nice and the Indian Wine Academy have helped to introduce, teach and sophisticate wine in India.

Is there a variety that has specifically done better in India over the others?

Cabernet Sauvignon has always been a favorite, followed by Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Where do you see India in the Chilean wine story in the future?

People are surprised by how important China is today to wine producers worldwide, the next country to surprise everyone will definitely be India. In Chile we see great potential, as more people are introduced to wine and have started pairing wine with food on a regular basis.

The spiciness and black pepper hints of the Carmenere red grape variety almost unique to Chile are a perfect match for Indian cuisine. We see opportunity in complementing local cuisines with Chilean wine.

Indians are travelling all over the world to discover wine regions, what can one look forward to on their visit to Chile?

In Colchagua, where we are based, you can find more that 30 wineries.  There are many hotels and restaurants nearby so people can enjoy the beautiful scenery, the vineyards and wines at leisure.

Tell us more about Taita, your flagship wine?

Montes Taita was a long sought dream come true. It is a big challenge to produce a Grand Cru Chilean wine to top our family of icon: M, Folly and Purple Angel. Taita grapes are dry farmed in a small vineyard in Marchigue. The wine is kept in new French oak barrels for two years and then four years in bottle before release. The first vintage (2007) was released last year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the winery. Only 3,000 bottles are made every 2 or 3 years.

People often talk about tradition sometimes being the opposite of innovation. What are the three “legacies” of the tradition that you would like to last for many decades to come?

I believe that wine production has to be a family business and not run by big companies. Wine needs to be made by people who love what they do. Since they make it for decades or generations they will take better care of the wines produced. Sustainable wine-growing is of great importance as we need to continue producing quality products using the less energy and water possible. Taking care of your land is not new, so I believe should be in the top list of priorities for decades to come.