Many would define a sommelier as someone who uses jargon about grapes in a twominute conversation. And while reader Sibi Mathen, a 27-year-old public relations consultant, is no stranger to technical conversations, thankfully Cecilia Oldne, head of International Business and Communications at Sula is nothing close.
Within minutes of her arrival, the glasses, menu, lights, and candles are in place at Worli's Vinoteca by Sula restaurant. Over the following hour-and-a-half, the duo talk about the masculine Pinot Noir and the feminine Chardonnay, Indian tastes, food, weather, bottles, glasses, barrels, acidity, colour, Europe, Chile, Nashik, megastores and similarities between French and Hindi.
Never has wine-tasting been more eventful. The exercise is to help Mathen try different wines, Oldne announces at the start. "Bring on the bubbly," she tells a steward and out comes the Hardys Stamp NV from Australia. In the three minutes that she takes to open the bottle and pour out a glass each for herself and Mathen, she explains that sparkling wine should always be stored between six to eight degrees Celsius before being served; a full-bodied white wine is to be stored at 10 to 12 degrees; the light red Pinot Noir must be kept between 14 to 16 degrees; while the full-bodied Pinot Noir should be cooled between 16 to 18 degrees. Beginning any meal with sparkling wine is good, as it awakens the taste buds, cleanses the palate, and goes well with starters that are heavy and fried (like pakoras).
As she twists the retaining wire on the wire cage six times counter clockwise, Oldne tells Mathen that corks are the most common reason for eye injuries in France. "Cheers," they say in unision. Oldne grabs the bottle of Sula Sauvignon Blanc 2012 for the second tasting with most of her bubbly still in her flute, but Mathen has gulped his share. It seems like things are off to a good start.
After trying two whites, one of which was a Riesling with hints of peaches that Mathen says "Indians would like," because it was sweet, Oldne moves on to the reds. She picks a Cono Sur Bicycle Pinot Noir 2010 from Chile, which Oldne says is one of few countries in the world that has managed to grow the most difficult and elegant grape variety Pinot Noir. The wine, she says, has the lightest colour among red wines and to prove her point, held it for Mathen to see against a white table cloth. As she swirls the glass, the room is filled with an aroma of strawberries. Mathen seems floored by the wine. Clearly, he has found his favourite. The other two reds include a limited edition full-bodied rustic, meaty, peppery Rasa Chiraz aged in oak barrels and a more serious and full-bodied Pinot Noir Kim Crawford from Marlborough, New Zealand.
By this point, Mathen had been to four countries, had his share of excellent wine and a private class with a sommelier. "My evening has just begun," he says, and Oldne flashes a smile.
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