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  • Soma Vine Village – Nashik

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    Soma Vine Village – Nashik

    The next stop was the Somanda Vineyards. This Soma Vine Village with its lush green vineyards is at the entrance is a treat to the eye.

    Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard

    As we stepped in we were greeted by the smiling Sommelier Bhushan who introduced us and gave the boutique winery’s guided tour

    With Wine Educator Bhushan

    Apart from knowing their processes of making White, Red, Rose we also had the first hand knowledge of their Sparkling wines (method champanoise)

    Riddling process

    The process of making sparkling wines right form bottling the blend of wines, the secondary fermentation by adding little sugar and yeast to each bottle to get a second fermentation started. The bottle is then closed with a crown cap. The Yeast converts the added sugar into alcohol, and since the bottle is capped, the carbob dioxide thst is naturally produced is captured and remains in the wine as bubbles.

    After this secondary fermentation, sparkling bottles have to go through a laborious process called riddling. Over the course of several weeks , the bottles are slowly, gradually turned and lowered until they are upside down. The idea is to get the dead yeast into the neck of the bottle so that it can be removed. When they are ready to go the necks of the bottles are frozen and the crown cap is disgorged with the pressure that has built in the wine which pushes out the frozen yeast deposit. The bottle is topped off with some wine and sometimes sugar also known as dosage before being corked and sealed with ta wire cage.

    Disgorging the crown cap and corking the bottle after adding the dosage

    Finally, it was wine tasting session wherein the wines tasted & analysed were:
    Zinfandel Reserve -13.5%
    Reisling Reserve – 12.5%
    Sauvignon Blanc – Silver – 12.5%
    Chenin Blanc Gold – 12%
    Rose – 12%
    Zinfandel Rose Litchi – A seductive, blush pink wine carefully crafted from the zinfandel grapes. The sweetness is enriched with litchi Honey.

    Wine Tasting Session

    All in all the tour was absolutely amazing.

    Aroma Wheel

    Cheers Soma!

  • York A Boutique Winery – Nashik

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    York A Boutique Winery – Nashik

    The next Winery was the York which was situated not far from Sula. After a good ride we reached this boutique winery which has a fabulous view of the Gangapur Dam & is such a serene & a perfect place. Got an opportunity to meet the owner Mr Ravi Guruani. Such a wonderful person. Had a good chat over some interesting knowledge on their array of wines

    York Winery

    Their flagship wines are Arros / Sparkling Cuvée/ Sparkling Rose / H Block
    Their premium wines include Chenin Blanc / Sauvignon Blanc / Cabernet Sauvignon /Shiraz /Cabernet Merlot / Late Harvest /Shiraz Viognier

    Grapes ready for destemming

    It was time to tour their  production area, ageing process & the young Mr Ganesh was the perfect Wine Executive who took me around as we explored their wine making process.

    With Ganesh the Wine Educator

    The Crushing area is where the grapes after destemming are brought and crushed to collect the grape juice which thereafter goes in fermentation tanks where yeast thereby converting it into the resultant products Alcohol, Co2 and heat.

    Crushing

    After crushing process we headed to the fermentation tank and pressing area and finally to the storage of wine in stainless steel tanks and maturation in oak barrels.

    Storage in Stainless Steel Tanks and Maturation in French Oak barrels

    The Wine Educator thereafter took us to the tasting table. The wines savoured & analysed were:
    York Sparkling Wine Cuvee – Blanc de Blancs 12%abv
    H Block Chardonnay
    York Rose – 12%
    York Arros – 14%
    York late harvest (Dessert Wine)

    The tasting session

    After 4S’ – seeing, swirling, sniffing, sipping – & getting the body, acidity, tannins & alcohol right including toasting the bubbly brut to the dessert wine it was time to adieu good bye.

    Must add that their York Arros, a reserve blend of Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon, was a nice wine. With its deep ruby colour, fading edge, aromatic & pleasant nose with sweetness and a hint of toasted oak coming off the blend of American and French oak, dark berries & plums & the sweet spices & on the palate dry with complex ripe red fruits & plums, oak, and sweet vanilla & balanced tannins & with long pleasing floral & fruity & spicy finish this was the icing on the cake.
    Cheers York Winery!

  • Sula Vineyards – Nashik

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    Sula Vineyards – Nashik

    During my working years with the Indian Customs in Mumbai, I had set my mind to visit Wineries of Nashik. However, due to time constraint and work commitments I could not make it. Post my voluntary retirement, the first thing I decided was to fulfill this dream. So before I could set myself to a WSET Level 2 course in Wines, I decided to tour Nashik Wineries during the month of February 2020.

    At the Entrance

    Sula Vineyards -Nashik

    I started with Sula Vineyards located in the region of Nashik also called “India’s Napa Valley which was founded in the year 1998 by Rajeev Samant. Sula was named after his mother – Sulabha. Initially, the vineyards introduced grape varietals such as Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Zinfandel. Thereafter, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Grenache, Viognier were in!

    The Vineyards

    Sula conducts their wine tour on a regular basis and we could get the slot of 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. Since we were early and had a good 90 minutes, I decided to take the Vineyard tour. The entrance to the Sula Vineyard is magnificent which leads to some well manicured garden and par excellence architecture on the right and beautiful vineyards to the left. Apart from the amphitheater, they have stay facilities – The Source at Sula and Beyond by Sula. You come across the directions signpost with distance to many countries. A tour of their Wine shop which had an array of their products displayed with prices is a must visit to get a knowledge about their wines.

    The Wine Shop

    Some of the famous wines produced by them are:

    Red Wines: Rasa Shiraz, Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon, Dindori Reserve Shiraz, Sula Cabernet Shiraz, Sula Zinfandel, Satori Merlot Malbec, Mosaic Grenache Syrah, Dia Red,
    White Wines: Dindori Reserve Viognier, Sula Sauvignon blanc, Sula Chenin blanc, Sula Riesling, Sula Chenin blanc Reserve, Mosaic Chenin Sauvignon,
    Dia White, Rosé Wine, Sula Zinfandel Rosé, Mosaic Grenache Syrah Rosé
    Sparkling Wines: Sula Brut, Sula Brut Rosé, Sula Seco, Sula Seco Rosé ,

    The Wine Educator

    Finally around 11.30 am met Nidad the Wine Educator who then took us around explaining their journey from grape to  glass. The insight to their wine making process was well explained.

    The Oak Cellar

    Thoroughly enjoyed a personalized wine tasting at The Tasting Cellar where we tasted & analysed
    -Sparkling Wine – Brut Chardonnay
    -Sauvignon Blanc
    -Dindori Reserve Chardonnay
    -Rassa Syrah
    -Rassa Cabernet Sauvignon
    -Late Harvest Chenin Blanc

    Tasting Session

    It was a perfect wine tasting session starting from bubbly brut to the whites then the Reds & finally culminating to the dessert wine. 

    Cheers Sula!





  • Campari Punch

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    Campari Punch

    Ingredients
    Campari – 30 ml @campariofficial
    Lemon  juice – 30 ml
    Honey syrup – 15 ml
    Peach liqueur – 15 ml 
    Beer – 45 ml
    Maraschino Cherrie
    Lemon wheel

    Preparation Method
    Combine all except beer & shake it with ice. Strain it in cocktail glass & top it up with beer. Garnish with lemon wheel & drop two maraschino cherries

    Enjoy this drink with its’ subtle bitterness, sweet & citrus peachy aromatic flavours.

    Cheers!

  • Long Island Blue Lagoon

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    Feb 27th, 2020

    Long Island Blue Lagoon

    This was an  exhilarating evening.
    I simply enjoyed making this one.
    Spontaneous or rather trail and error are key to some of the wonderful  mixes in the world of mixology.
    .
    Goa’s Cashew Feni was awarded Geographical Indication registration in 2009 as a speciality alcoholic beverage from Goa, described as a colourless, clear liquid. Locals just love this spirit as it’s also known for it’s medicinal property & well for the tourists visting Goa it’s a must try drink
    Keeping Feni as my foundation drink I have my eyes set on the rest of white spirits with a blue punch of Curacao to finish.
    .
    Long Island Blue Lagoon🧊
    .
    Ingredients

    Cashew Feni – 30 ml @cazulopremiumfeni
    Gin – 15 ml@strangerandsons
    White Rum – 15 ml @bacardi
    Vodka – 15 ml @magicmomentsvodka
    Blue Curacao – 15 ml @desmondji_agaveindia
    Lemon juice – 15 ml
    Sugar cubes – 2

    Preparation Method

    Combine Feni, Gin, Rum, Vodka & lemon juice in a mixing glass & add sugar cubes. Muddle the cubes and stir with a couple of ice. Add Blue Curacao and add in a some more ice and boston shake the mix. Strain it in a cocktail glass. Unveil the magic moments with this luscious feni  cocktail.

    Cheers!

  • Italian Gentleman

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    Feb 19, 2020

    Italian Gentleman

    Today’s cocktail reminds me of the classic Boulevardier which is whiskey’s answer to a Negroni made with gin, offering a wondrous depth of flavor from equal parts American whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Campari.  However, in today’s riff the  Orange Triple Sec replaces Vermouth  keeping Bourbon(Tennessee) & Campari in place.
    .
    Campari is one of the nicest liqueur  with it’s  bitter quality  as well pleasing spicy zesty flavour with orange on the nose and notes of citrus and vanilla. It might be difficult to enjoy neat but certainly imparts balance and complex flavors to a cocktail.
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    Tennessee whiskey  has the right quality to hold up to the bitterness of Campari.
    .
    All time favorite Grand Marnier Orange liqueur which is the blend of Cognac Brandy, distilled essence of orange & sugar adds the body and texture to the drink.

    Ingredients
    The Italian Gentleman
    Tennessee whiskey: 45 ml @georgedickel
    Campari : 45 ml @campariofficial
    Orange liqueur: 30 ml @grandmarnierofficial
    Regan’s Orange bitters : 2 dashes
    Orange peel: to express oil
    Orange wedge : to garnish
    .
    Preparation Method

    Combine all in a shaker with ice🧊 Shake and strain it in a coupe crystal Express the orange peel & garnish with an orange wedge.

    Italian Gentleman

    Cheers!

  • Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

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    The story is that back in “the day”, after Wild Turkey got it’s name (1941), it was competing with a lot of other bourbons that were bottled in bond which means that they had to be bottled at 100 proof. Not willing to be outdone, the folks at Wild Turkey wanted to stand out and make their whiskey 1 better & that’s how 101.

    Wild Turkey is distilled at a very low proof & comes out of the barrel at around 109 proof requiring only slight dilution before being bottled at 101 proof which means it is as good as coming out right from the bottle & close to barrel proof.  The deep color is attributed to the use of the heaviest char # 4, also known as the “alligator char,” since after that duration of charring, the interior of the oak wood staves has the rough, shiny texture of alligator skin.

    Time to taste the dram – Neat or on the rocks or with few drops of water.
    .
    Sure if you want to appreciate and enjoy bourbon whiskey on its own, then you may like to drink it neat at room temperature and without ice. However, adding a  few drops of water to the whiskey certainly helps to “open up” the aroma of the bourbon. For a beginner, try bourbon whiskey on the rocks, or with a few cubes of ice.
    .
    I tried it neat as well on the rocks but found it most soothing with a few drops of water.
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    Mashbill :
    Corn : 75%
    Rye : 13%
    Malted barley : 12%
    Abv: 50.5%
    .
    Nose: Sweet notes of caramel &  candy & intense alcohol fragrance. Vanilla, oak, marshmallow. Spice, nutmeg as good amount of high-rye influence in the mash bill.

    Palate: Pleasant oakiness, sweet corn, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon. Well balanced flavors of sweet & spice notes.

    Finish: Long caramel, wood, spice & dry fruit.
    .
    Overall, 101 is a balanced and robust whiskey & had a pleasant drinking experience.

    Wild Turkey 101

    Cheers!

  • Old Fashioned – one of the greatest Bourbon cocktail

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    Old Fashioned – one of the greatest Bourbon cocktail

    Old Fashioned a 19th century classic cocktail predates to most of the other classic cocktails. It was created in Penndennis Club in Louisville Kentucky buy James E Pepper, the bourbon maker himself and later on added to the menu list of Waldorf- Astoria Hotel bar in New York & went on to become one of the top six classic cocktails🥃🥃
    .
    You can go to 20 different bars and you will find 20 different ways the drink is being made. Some may take 15 minutes to create this drink🥃
    .
    Ingredients

    Bourbon whiskey – 60 ml
    Angostura bitters – 3 to 4 dashes
    Sugar cube
    Maraschino cherry
    Orange 


    Preparation Method

    This being a built drink we take the tumbler or whiskey glass which  is also known as the old fashioned glass after this cocktail & place a sugar cube in the bottom of the glass.
    .
    Add three dashes of Angoustra bitters and then add around 15 ml of your favorite bourbon. With the disc of your barspoon gently crush the cube to get a smooth paste
    .
    Add two ice cubes and then gently squeeze the juice of  maraschino cherry into the drink. Add  30 ml of bourbon upto the level of ice. Combine the drink by blending and stirring to bring together all the flavours. Stirring helps to dilute, soften, smoothen as well chill the drink🧊
    .
    Add more ice cubes to about two third of the glass. Take a thick slice of orange with the flesh and good skin and add few drops of the juice to the drink and rub the skin to the inner side of the glass. Drop the slice in it.
    .
    Add 15 ml of bourbon and stir to combine all the flavours. Ensure to retain the bite from the bourbon by not over diluting the drink
    .
    Cheers to the Classic Old Fashioned!

  • Knob Creek

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    Generally in a whiskey tasting, the aromas & flavours that are picked up fall in the flavor camps such as – Fragrant & Floral / Malty & Dry / Fruity & Spice/Rich & Round/ Smoky & Peaty/ Rich & Oaky.
    .
    Here is Knob Creek, a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, which falls under the flavor camp of ‘Rich & Oaky’.

    It is distilled to 130 deg proof (65% abv) & barreled at 125 deg proof (62.5% abv) & this one bottled at 100 deg proof (50% abv).

    It comes with abundant vanilla aroma from it’s time spent in barrel & comes along with coconut and flavorful spice. It has blond gold colour.
    On the palate lavish, bold, sweet, & luscious. Concentrated with cinnamon.
    Finally, an oaky buttery finish.
    Whisky Notes:
    In Kentucky & Tennessee whiskies the main cereal used is corn which creates a sweet nose & a fat, buttery, & juicy quality on the palate.
    Wheat is occasionally used by bourbon distillers in place of rye. This affects flavor by adding a gentle, mellow sweetness to the bourbon.
    .
    Knob Creek produced by Beam Suntory has three “siblings” brewed at the Jim Beam distillery: Booker’s, Baker’s, and Basil Hayden’s.
    Knob Creek comes in four varieties: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Straight Rye Whiskey, Smoked Maple Bourbon Whiskey, and Single Barrel Reserve.

    Knob Creek

    Cheers !

  • Sidecar – The Brandy Classic

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    Sidecar – The Brandy Classic

    An old time classic which many  claim to have invented it but one name that pops up is of Harry MacElhone, the guy who ran the Harry’s Newyork Bar which still exists in Paris. In  the 1920 book ‘the ABC of mixing cocktail’ this recipe first appeared in there. Let’s create this simple Brandy Classic
    .
    Ingredients

    Brandy – 30 ml
    Triple Sec – 30 ml
    Fresh lemon juice – 30 ml
    Lemon wedge – to garnish
    .
    Preparation Method

    Set your Martini glass to chill. Cut fresh lime & squeeze in the juice in a mixing glass over ice. Add in the brandy & the triple sec. Shake it good & strain it in your chilled Martini glass. Garnish with lemon wedge
    .
    You could also  sugar rim  the glass. To have a flavour balance, if you wish a more sharper & sour drink then you may have more of brandy & less of triple sec & if you wish more sweeter then you may lift the  triple sec & may be drop the brandy a little as well the lemon juice.  Be brave & play with it to your taste & palate
    .
    Cheers!

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