Wine Tasting hosted at the Wittke's residence in Gurgaon turned out to be a French-US. Mini Wine festival. With Pindar wines back into the reckoning, after a false start, things looked up and up throughout the evening with endless wines being poured into the glass, accompanied by a variety of well prepared and piping hot finger foods. Here is a synopsis of the wines tasted:

1. Royer Champagne Brut Cuvee de Reserve : started every one off into a good mood. The golden colour beauty made from 75% Pinot and 25% Chardonnay was  medium body , dry bubbly with plenty of sparkles in the mouth.. It had fresh, crisp and elegant flavour and balanced acidity.

2.‘Le Pre` Chatain' AOC Rose` de Loire 2004 Guilbaud Fre`res : This light pink colour fruity and crisp wine with fresh palate was served at about 14 deg whereas it would have showed off a lot better slightly more chilled. Made from Cabernet Franc in the small town of Mouzillon, known for its incomparable Muscadet. Meat balls were great accompaniments for this simple but quaffable wine though shrimp turned out to be not a welcome match..

3. Ch. De La Pingossie`re Muscadet Se`vre et Maine Sur Lie 2003 Guildbert Fre`res: Light bodied straw yellow colour wine had a clean and powerful mid-palate but the finish was rather weak.. When rolled in the palate to let the temp rise a bit, a creamy taste was noticed on the palate. Citric flavours make it a welcome drink for our summer evenings.

 4. Petit Chablis  and Chablis Premier Cru Christian Adine: Were the two wines tasting together in the same flight. Petit Chablis was simple but very quaffable due to its high acidity and good balance whereas the Premier Cru was better rounded off, dry and yet creamy on the palate.

5.Sauvignon Blanc Cuvee` Select  2003 Duckback Vineyards: Medium bodied, golden colour, unlike many Sauvignons. Exploding aromas of melon made it a very atypical Sauvignon. Plenty of tropical flavours. Very short test. Also doesn't have balanced acidity.

6.Duckback Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Cuvee` Select:

This wine from Long Island, USA is very atypical Sauvignon Blanc. Medium body. Exploding aromas of melon and tropical fruits, slightly spicy it the initial attack., no after-taste. Reminds you of a hot climate Chardonnay. Matched well with fried shrimps.

7.Merlot Pindar 2003: Last minute arrival at the tasting was chilled a bit too much, subduing the flavour. But it became elegant with rounded tannins, berry and chocolate flavours, this dark cherry red colour wine had soft oaky flavour.

8.Pythagoras Pindar: Recently released  red wine crafted to celebrate  20th anniversary of this Long Island winery owned by Dr. Dan, a Greek descendent. A non vintage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec makes it a typical Bordeaux blend known as Meritage in the USA. Dry, medium to full body with subtle fruity aromas and complex after taste.

9. ‘Le Haut De Vignes, AOC Chinon 2003 Fabrice Delalande: A typical Chinon red wine crafted from Cabernet Franc. Light and fruity aromas at the 14degs it was served at. Powerful and long lasting flavour on the palate with a reasonably large after taste. Mild tannins make it drinkable when cooled but also perfect with chicken made in red sauce. It was easy drinking with various snacks being served which included some cheese.

10.Chateaux Saint Ahon Haut Medoc 2001 Cru Bourgeois: The dark cherry red colour with spicy aromas, full body, mild tannins and flavour of dark berries. Good structure and balance. Medium end, but good mouthfeel on the palate. Mutton meat balls seemed to melt in it because of the spice flavour and not-too-hot preparation. Good value-for-money wine.

11.  Mythology 2000 Pindar: This Bordeaux blend was the most popular red wine with all. Dry, full-bodied, dark cherry colour, almost inky. Elegant bouquet, silky tannins and excellent mouthfeel with a long end, danced on the palate. Barrel aging has tamed the tannins without drying out the fruit.

The evening turned out to be a long and extended affair because of the last minute entry of four wines from the New York distributor, Neil Khanna. Due to some customs hassle, it had taken him unexpected time for the release and he could barely manage bring these wines for tasting. Nevertheless, for the people who stayed back it was yet another wine mini-fest. The green terrace of the Wittkes with a panoramic view of the Gurgaon city seemed to be a perfect venue for such tastings. Unfortunately, they will soon get busy packing their bags, to return  to their fatherland  Germany. But they will leave memories of an unforgettable evening behind. Gautam and Monica had organised befitting snacks that one should have tried with various wines. The entire team including President Ranjan and Sharat deserve kudos.

Subhash Arora