Thursday, October 21, 2010

Not an ordinary evening : Wolf Blass Launch, New Delhi

Imagine you reach your office in the morning with plans to wind up your work as soon as possible and leave a little early for that 10 pints beer bet your friend challenged you for last week. You enter and the boss calls you in the cabin and says, “Hey there is this Australian wine launch in the evening, we are all going.”
Godddd...why, why did it have to happen today ???
Anyhow I collected my depressed soul, and along with the rest of the Tulleeho team reached the Australian High Commission, and was wondering where I had landed, and at that very moment, I heard a voice say, “Some sparkling wine sir?” A lady with a gorgeous smile was standing in front of me with four flutes full of sparkle.
Beautiful people all around & plenty of wine. Was I at the right place? Was this the ordinary launch party I was expecting?
I will not say that the evening started with, because these kinds of evenings never start, never end, they just flow. After an impressive speech by Mr. Peter Varghese, Australian High Commissioner to India, where he humorously cited how the Wolf Blass range of wines are going to make week men strong  (finally something for my friends!), Mr. Anthony Davie, MD Asia, Foster’s Group ushered in Wolf Blass wines to all. The perpetually flowing Wolf Blass Eagle Hawk Sparkling Brut, which had a zesty citrus aroma and delicate flavours of apple and melon set the stage for the entrée to be served.
The Oak smoked salmon with fennel and apple salad not only complimented the creamy soft texture of the Wolf Blass Chardonnay, but also brought out the peach & melon characters of the wine really well. In the mains, the spit roast chicken with red wine sauce & the Wolf Blass Cabernet Shiraz seemed to be made for each other, where the subtle spiciness of the red wine sauce and black olives escorted the underlying note of coffee, dark chocolate, mint and eucalypt to the palate.
On my accompanying seat my colleague was lost enjoying the symphonic orchestra between the baked provincial vegetable crespelle with tomato basil chutney and the Wolf Blass Cabernet Shiraz, which was the perfect elevation after the camaraderie between Mesclun lettuce, poached beet root with chive hazelnut dressing and the nutty creamy texture of the Wolf Blass Chardonnay.
By the time we reached the end of two interesting courses and had around three- four refills of my personal favourite, the Eagle Hawk Sparkling Brut, the Tulleeho team had decided who all are going to run the full stretch of the forthcoming Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and who is going to run only the seven kilometer stretch, obviously I opted for the seven kilometer stretch, and that also unwillingly.

For dessert though the Oats banana Pavlova with passion fruit sauce was a little too sour for the palate, but soon the flutes were refilled by the Eagle Hawk Sparkling Brut and we were back, appreciating the mesmerizing stories knit by Wolf Blass Wines, Australia.




- by Shivendu Chatterjee

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