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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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 contrast,...
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Whether you are throwing a last-minute party or are in desperate need of a glass of merlot after a long day at the office, taking advantage of London’s 24-hour alcohol delivery systems benefits all of us. We have taken a look at some of our favourites places to order alcohol from, and investigated the perks of choosing them over...
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I recently met a Caviar ambassador at a Devaux champagne and caviar pairing dinner. I mean if that’s not a dream job, I don’t know what is – having to come up with champagne and caviar food pairings. Oh sure, I suppose there is a downside, but I haven’t thought of it yet! The two seemed to be intertwined in most people’s minds so...
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Prosecco is now the best selling sparkling wine in the UK and for good reason. It’s fresh and bubbly without having to break the bank. A drink that can be enjoyed in celebration, whether it’s a job promotion, birthday or just because it’s the weekend. Prosecco is made from the Glera grape and all quality Prosecco hails from either...
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Earlier this year I was invited to the Basque Country with Visit Basque Country to discover all that it has to offer. I must admit that initially, the only thing I knew about Basque Country is that the Guggenheim has a museum there and Bilbao is the closest airport to Rioja. I was definitely in for a surprise. Of course, we did...
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English wine used to literally be a joke in the wine industry, not in part due to the fact that it was thought that this country was too wet and soggy to actually produce quality wine. But, an intrepid band of wine pioneers planted the first vines back in the 50’s and with a big push in the 90’s and early 2000’s,...
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The latest fad to sweep vineyard tours seems to be Segways. I had seen another blogger on a Segway in South Africa recently and thought, how cool, but will that ever get to the Old World? Well, the answer is yes! And it’s been going on for a few years – I really need to get out more often. We found them in the Rhone...
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