Sopexa, the French Arm to promote foreign trade organised a traditional countryside French market place- Le Marche` with accent on wine, cheese and other food products and plenty of snack on offer. Besides Brindco and Sonarys representing several French companies, was Munjral – a new importer of Castel wines. Ricard (of Pernaud-Ricard, of Seagram and Jacobs Creek fame) was there to enchant the cocktail circuit whereas Karamels dominated the cheese scene.

Delhi Wine Club members and their guests were present in full force- a record 80 had already registered before we were asked by Sopexa to stop marketing the entry cards due to the space limitations and heavy demand. As usual the early birds had an edge over those sitting on the fence and waiting till the last minute.

Almost 400 persons thronged the 250- capacity air-conditioned hall at the Mayfair Garden, a real pretty property for such events, with a well-manicured garden and the towering well-lit Qutab Minar in the background. H.E. Girard, the suave and friendly Ambassador of France and Mr. Jean-Louis Latour, the Minister Counsellor –Economic Mission, were the toast of the media collected in full force.

There was plenty of wine – at least till 350 people arrived. The wine stocks evaporated fast but not before most people had their healthy share of wine. Of course at a venue like this or even at the French countryside market like this, it would be too optimistic to expect a serious wine tasting. But enjoying different wines was certainly what most people did. In keeping with our policy of encouraging younger people to inculcate the habit of wine drinking, we had shamelessly encouraged the young friends to come and our efforts could be actually seen with a sizeable crowd being on the younger side.

A word about the wines is in order though. The majority of them were entry-level wines, with VDP or AOC Appellation. I heard many people complain about the quality. While some were enjoying the Mouton Cadet, others at the Brindco stall were salivating looking at the displayed bottles of Mouton Rothschild 2000. The venue or the theme did not make any pretensions about offering such fine wines so I think it would be unfair to be critical or this score.

The sight of over three hundred persons savouring wine at one place was in deed a very heartening sight. Sopexa has done well to attract the right people (younger lot), at the right place (where one could enjoy different varieties in conducive surroundings) at the right time. With sales expected to increase manifold in the foreseeable future and with more and more wineries, regions and countries vying for this additional share to be created, French do need to step up and make sure they get back the recent lost share..and deservedly so.

If there were an event with a strong request for an ‘En Core', this one certainly qualifies for the same. Congratulations to the organisers for well execution and coping up with the unexpected rush cool headedly.

Subhash Arora