Delhi Wine Club organised a special wine dinner last Saturday at the China Kitchen Restaurant where the club and Hotel Hyatt Regency honoured the Maharashtra based importer, Sanjay Menon who found a berth on the Decanter Power List 2009.

Every two years, the London based Decanter magazine brings out a list of 50 people who have influenced the world of wine the most. Usually topped by Robert Parker, who was number two on the list this year, the list has names like the teetotaler French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, Jancis Robinson, Italians Antinori and Angelo Gaja. In fact at 43, Sanjay was marginally ahead of Gaja at 47 and Paul Walsh, CEO of Diageo, world’s largest spirit company that also dabbles in wine, at no. 49.

On behalf of the Delhi Wine Club and Hotel Hyatt, First Lady Arvinda Arora and Puneet Baijal, Director F & B presented a beautiful royal blue coloured Riedel Aqua Duck Decanter to commemorate the occasion. While accepting the momento, Sanjay conceded that the award comes at an inopportune time as the wine industry was going through unprecedented crisis.

Agreeing with Subhash Arora’s earlier remarks, he said the world was looking towards India as an important destination and that is why they had perhaps selected his name. Congratulating Sanjay, Baijal who was representing the hotel on behalf of the General Manager, Mr. Tim Bruce who was suddenly indisposed, said that the hotel was very happy to work with the Delhi Wine Club with a joint mission of promoting the wine culture and he was very pleased with the recognition because Sanjay was not only passionate and knowledgeable about wines but also had several winning wines in his portfolio, doing very well in the hotel.

Wine and Food Fiesta

Some of these wines were available for the members’ pleasure this evening as Sanjay went on to talk about the 6 wines of the evening in a brief and informal fashion to an attentive audience in the Senate room, beautifully set up with candles and soft lighting making the place very charming with Villa Antinori Bianco IGT Toscana 2007 going around in plenty with tofu and shrimp preparation.

The China Kitchen suddenly came to life when about 55 members walked in for the sit down dinner and occupied the 2 PDRs and the most popular tables in the restaurant for the starters, Chicken Siw Mai and the Steam Pork and Chive dumpling which were succulent and quick well-matched with the Trebbiano grape based Villa Antinori, because of their light texture.

What really took the cake was the steamed fish with black bean sauce which gave a lot of synergy to the Alois Lageder Alto AdigeDOC Gewürztraminer 2007 full of spicy and fruity aromas and concentrated flavours that were a perfect and a classic match. The colder part of North Italy is  known as Süditrol in the neighbouring Austria to whom this region once belonged. It produces some excellent wines with cool climate characteristics. The wines are more expensive but quality is superior which one could taste in the glass.

Old Fashioned duck is a classic at the China Kitchen and never fails to impress. Freshly cut in front of the members and served with the Chinese paper thin ‘roti’ along with the classic condiments including garlic sauce was also a classic match with the Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Premier Cru ‘Clos des Myglands’ Monopole 2005 is a single vineyard from Côte Chalonnaise, south of Burgundy where Pinot Noir does a very decent job and the price is right too. This is also a classic match as one discovered this evening.

But I preferred the second wine- Marchesi Antinori Tignanello 2004, the Super Tuscan with Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet. A lot of body and structure, great mouthfeel and the spiciness that added to every morsel- that was the signature wine of the evening for me. What I did not like was the garlic paste as condiment and decided to leave it alone for the combination.

The Barossa Valley Torbreck Steading  2005 was another delicious wine well matched with the sliced lamb and the Wok that followed. The Grenache Shiraz and Mourvedre blend was also spicy, harmonious wine which had its tannins mellowed by the lamb.

Sanjay had arranged Pol Roger Brut Reserve N/V as the last wine- delicious Champagne, to clean the palate of the earlier heavy wines, as it were. The caramelized peach was smooth, with right-sweetness and texture-but the coconut ice- cream did not excite my senses and the champagne was a tad too dry for my taste buds overpowered by the dessert. I would have loved to finish a bottle talking to Sanjay about the Maharashtra policy – his favourite topic with Champagne and four letter superlatives.

The China Kitchen service was absolutely fabulous. As many members exclaimed, each one of them was getting a personalized service. But one has come to expect such great service standards from them. It was another evening to remember- and hopefully Sanjay Menon who well deserves the recognition would also cherish for a while, hopefully.

Subhash Arora