Chance for a Wine Dinner with Wine Masters

They came, they conquered, they left and they are back again.. We are talking about none other than our wine masters Jean-Manuel Jacquinot and Philip Deverell who floored everybody with their deep knowledge of wine and vast experience of viticulture and wine-making in their respective last visit. Now they are coming back to India on a whirlwind tour of major Indian cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Gurgaon and Hyderabad.

JMJ was born with a silver spoon of wine in his mouth (not literally of course). Born in the family of wine-makers and growing up surrounded by wines and vineyards, he realized wine-making was in his blood and it was inevitable that he should pick up the wine-making traits from his grandfather and then, his father. Later, he studied Oenology and Viticulture from France and his passion for wine took him to various places (read vineyards) where he worked on improving grape quality and wine quality.

Jean-Manuel Jacquinot

Philip works with Premium Wine Brand as a Viticulturist and looks after new and on-going developing projects. With several international projects behind him, Philip has an international exposure to a variety of vineyards and wine production styles around the world.

Philip Deverell

So what’s in store for you?

We are running a contest starting Friday, 21^st May until 30^th May. There will be one winner from each of the above mentioned cities who will be invited for a special sit-down dinner with our master viticulturist and oenologist Philip and JMJ organized. Participate and you can be the winner and get a golden opportunity to engage in a tête-à-tête with these wine stalwarts where they will not only increase your wine knowledge by leaps and bounds, but will also teach you the fine nuances of food and wine pairing.

Isn’t it fabulous?

So join us in this wonderful wine journey of ours with Philip Deverell and Jean-Manuel Jacquinot.

Stay tuned on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NineHills.Wine) as we start rolling out the questions from tomorrow…

Best Indian Wines 2012 – Nine Hills Wine

A few weeks ago, Fine Wines and Champagne India magazine had organized a grand tasting of Indian wines. Every major winery in India was invited to participate in this unique and exclusive event with their wines. True varietals like Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, and one blend of the winery’s choice officially made it to the event.

The judges included sommeliers, wine writers and wine enthusiasts. It was a Blind Tasting where bottles were foil wrapped and numbered. The wines were appraised at an objective level, alone on the merits of effort. Wines were rated on a 100 point scale. And only the wines those scored 80 points and over were considered to be good quality wines.

Though the wine industry in India is still young and the market relatively immature, there were a few wines that were appreciated and showed good quality winemaking. Well, no marks for guessing that Nine Hills Wines shone through and through.

Nine Hills Wines had sent five wines for this tasting and all these five wines featured in the article in the Spring 2012 issue of Fine Wine & Champagne India edition.

The star varietals were:

• Sauvignon Blanc 2010
• Chenin Blanc 2010
• Shiraz Rosé 2010
• Shiraz 2010
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Also, Nine Hills Shiraz Rosé was the only Rosé wine, with national availability, that got a mention in Fine Wine & Champagne India magazine.

What’s more! Fine Wine and Champagne India have decided to organize an annual tasting and ranking event to monitor the evolution of Indian wines. The objective is to create an opportunity and on-going process for the wineries to have the quality of their wines assessed in an independent and objective manner by the world’s leading fine wine professionals.

Nine Hills is looking forward to getting more bouquets next year.

THREE CHEERS TO US!!!

White Wines Summer

It’s summer time, which means more entertaining and of course more wines. White wines are perfect summer drinks that can be served chilled and hence are soothing and refreshing to the palate. Nine Hills Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc complement almost all types of food and are tremendous mood setters.

We have come up with a couple of quick-to-make and great-on-taste dishes that pair well Nine Hills Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.

• Insalata Caprese Salad (Pairs well with Nine Hills Sauvignon Blanc)

Ingredients- Serves 4:

• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Coarse salt (as per taste)
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp drained capers (optional). You can use pickled variety too. But as it already contains a lot of salt, use the salt sparingly in the salad.
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

Preparation:

• Take a serving platter or use individual portion plates if you prefer.
• In a circular design around the side of each plate, alternate fresh mozzarella slices with sliced tomatoes, overlapping for effect.
• Crush fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the slices.
• Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle capers over the top.
• Just before serving, drizzle on some top-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
• You can also add Balsamic vinegar for a more dramatic finish (though a true Insalata Caprese never uses vinaigrette, the whole fun of cooking is to try out new things).

 

Tip: Nine Hills Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with fish, chicken, vegetarian dishes and salads with citrus dressings, fried foods or any food rich with butter or cream.

• Prawn and Mango Salad – with Nine Hills Chenin Blanc

 

Ingredients- Serves 2:

• 125g prawns (medium or tiger) deveined, cooked and peeled
• 1 mango, peeled and sliced (preferably a slightly under-ripe Alphanso or a ripe Safeda)
• 1/3 cucumber, halved and cut into ribbons (easiest way is to use a potato peeler)
• 1/2 finely chopped red chilli
• A small bunch of coriander leaves
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 tbsp yogurt or soured cream
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Put the prawns, mango, cucumber, red chilli and coriander in a bowl. Season and toss together.
• Make a dressing by mixing together lime juice and yoghurt.
• Divide the salad between 2 plates and drizzle the dressing over.

Tip: Nine Hills Chenin Blanc pairs well with vegetables, fish, chicken, fried foods and foods with a lot of butter or cream and also a hint of sweetness.

Now all that remains is to open up a chilled glass of Nine Hills white wine, put your feet up and unwind.

Cheers!