Last week I went to the launch of Pop Up Japan at Proud East. Proud East is perched on the towpath of Regent’s Canal in Dalston and is really such a lovely location. I love walking along the path, especially at sunset… I was there for the the Japan pop up but Proud East is a pretty neat concept being a half indoors/half...
read more
Most people consider champagne as a celebratory drink and only pop it open on special occasions. I, however, consider champange to be a wine just like any other, albeit with bubbles and it should be drunk with food accordingly. The folks at Champagne + Fromage are also firm believers in pairing champagne with food and in particular...
read more
One afternoon my wine guide, Manoj, called and said today we are going to the eastern part of the Nashik Valley to visit Reveilo Winery. Up until now, we had focused on the western and northern parts of the Nashik so I was curious to see what differences there would be in the wines, if any. Reveilo certainly was different, the...
read more
York Winery is situated on the banks of the Godavari River, which makes for a lovely view from the tasting room. Grapes always pick good locations with fantastic views, funny that, anyway… York Winery, while it may have lovely views is most probably better known for its wines. They specialize in white and sparkling wine but...
read more
Before I came to India I, like many people, had preconceptions and misconceptions about Indian wine. I love bubbly so the idea of Indian sparkling wine definitely did intrigue me. The Nashik Valley is developing a reputation for sparkling wine production and that reputation now seems sealed with the entry of one of the...
read more
Right before I left Goa I was looking for someplace to eat off the beach and stumbled across a restaurant called La La Land not far from Neptune Point – how could I resist? Plus it was a very nice set up with a lovely courtyard and a reasonable menu. I was feeling adventurous so I ordered hummous and a glass of Chenin Blanc....
read more
Vallone Vineyards is one of India’s first boutique wineries and was started in 2009 by Indian wine industry veteran, Shailedra Pai. His aim was to produce French style wines in the Nashik Valley. Vallone is a neighbour of Grover Zampa, who I wrote about here, and they share similar terroir. Like most other vineyards in the...
read more
While I was at Grover Zampa, I also got the opportunity to try their sparkling wine. Having spoken to quite a few producers now, the consensus is that sparkling wine definitely has a place here in the Nasik Valley. However, apart from Chandon (more on them later), the grape of choice for sparking NV is Chenin Blanc and for rosé,...
read more
Driving through the dusty back roads of the Nashik Valley, only the hills in the distance topped by strange formations gave away the fact that I was in India’s wine country. I was on my way to visit Grover Zampa, one of the more well known wineries in the region. Accompanying me was my guide for the region, Manoj Jagtap. Manoj...
read more
Just a brief note on the first Indian wine I’ve tried so far. I’m in Goa at the moment and despite there being plenty of alcohol shops around,they don’t sell a lot of wine. It is pricy in relation to other alcoholic beverages. For example, a large bottled beer costs about 100-110 rupees (roughly £1.20)in...
read more
