#TagEat - Kolkata gets a food truck serving amazing food!

Whenever it comes to a Food Truck, the first thing I remember is the movie ‘Chef’ and the character of Jon Favreau (named Carl Casper in the movie) who quits his job as a chef at a Los Angeles restaurant after a nasty fight with a renowned food critic and made all ends meet after starting his food truck venture selling some awesome food across the country. I was really pleased to see the intense passion that Carl showed in the later part of the movie where he was running his own food truck, it clearly showed his love for cooking and food in general, and how much he loved his independent venture. So, last week when I received an invitation from the latest Food Truck named #TagEat roaring in the town I was pretty excited, since my personal experience says Food trucks never disappoint and always bring a smile to your face.

Food truck is a pretty common concept in the US. As the name goes, it is a truck or a similar large vehicle that has got all the equipments inside it to cook food items and then provisions to serve them as well. Customers generally gather in front of the food truck delivery window or gate and collect their food which they savor standing on the street or some may opt for take-away as well. As a variant of food truck you can also find Pizza or Taco trucks in the US which you won’t find here, at least it is not there in Kolkata. A full fledged food truck serving delicious and filling meal is a pretty new concept in Kolkata. But the first time I saw #Tageat, the new food truck in the town I was tad disappointed since it was not too big and neither was it ‘moving’. I always fantasize a food truck like it was shown in the movie ‘Chef’ which moved across the states and updated its current location on Twitter! Well, that’s a fun way to go ‘bout it that intermingles awesome food, good technology support, social media connection including building your follower base on social media platforms who will follow your truck and of course the fun of road trips! Food trucks I am talking about are something drenched in pure passion and love to live life with all its uncertainties.

As I just mentioned, #Tageat is the new gourmet truck that is stationed at Camac Street right in front of Fort Knox. It is quite easy to locate it since it is colored in black (with yellow stripes) and has some cityscapes painted on the sides. This gourmet truck’s menu is something that will amaze you considering its not that big in size; it runs the gamut of Indian, Tibetian, Mughlai cuisines and some lovely fusion dishes as well.



Most of the foods are quick bites in nature apart from filling dishes like Chicken Biriyani or Chicken Cheese mayo sandwiches. Here you basically get Vada Pavs, Sandwiches, variants of Maggi, chilled beverages, Kababs and Biriyanis.

Chicken biriyani

That’s the entire range which is on offer at present, all these categories have got several variants and most of them are delectable to be honest. The truck is owned by young entrepreneurs Tanay Kapoor and Laveen Thawani who  have taken up a rather unconventional profession since food trucks are still not a trend in India, but these guys are surely the trendsetters who chose an independent and unconventional venture over a comfortable job. Maybe these are their initial days, so they are stationed at one spot for ease of customers to track it but I am sure when they are bit well known they should start moving to various parts of the city and update their present location on various social media sites like facebook, twitter, instagram, etc to create more craze, fan base, fun and interesting twist in the tale. Also that way they will be able to cater to a huge range of customers.

Chicken reshmi kababs

Anyway, now let’s come straight to the food items I had tried that day when #TagEat invited me with other Panchphoron food bloggers for their present menu tasting session. Here are the items we were served:

1) Chicken Sarson / Tikka / Reshmi Kabab – Well, we were served three variants of Chicken kababs here. The Chicken kababs served here were flavorful and juicy, so that’s one common point that goes in favor of this place. The Chicken sarson kabab is something which I had tasted long back so I completely forgot how it tasted then. Here the Chicken sarson kababs could not evoke the past memories, but it surely did impress me. The strong flavor was a joy to have; it had some touch of mustard but was not overpowered with that flavor. Had a nice spicy kick to it intermingled with the juiciness of the meat, which is sure to impress. The chicken tikka and reshmi kababs are pretty common and here it tasted as it should be. The Tikka had the spiciness meter checked and dressed in lovely herbs. The Reshmi ones were creamy enough to impress our taste buds, they were already kept prepared, but were really fresh, so no complains. You can surely try the kababs here, no doubt.

2) Masala Cheese Vada Pav - #Tageat has brought the taste of Maharashtra to Kolkata and the flavors they are offering are better than some of the branded Vada pav stalls spread across the city. Well I am not a mad fan of vada pavs but I have tasted them at various places in the country and can identify the place serving them with correct proportion of spices and ingredients. Here the pav was well grilled and the vada was tasty and soft topped with cheese and mayo. You can surely give it a try.

3) Cheesy Chicken Momo – Well, I was touch disappointed with the Momos sold at this place.


The Chicken Momos still fared average I must say, but since I myself can prepare momos I could realize they were tad overcooked and the filling was crying for a bit more kick, a bit more garlicky maybe. The red chili momo sauce was still okay I must say. And the grated cheese covering did not go well with my palate.

4) Veg Cheese Momo – I don’t wanna go on talking about this dish since I liked it least amongst all. It was really over-steamed, the covering was way too soft and didn’t go well with me. The flavors were not too appealing as well, needs some amendments for sure.

5) Maggi Sandwich – Really a nice innovative or rather a fusion dish, The fried maggi was sandwiched in between well toasted breads forming the Maggi Sandwich. It was nice and can be modified by adding several other ingredients or veggies inside. The breads here can be bit less grilled and a layer of lettuce with a sprinkle of hebrs and basic veggies can do wonders. Still a lovely dish to try out! Anyway I would like to taste the Cheese Maggi at this place which is one of their best sellers.

6) Chicken Biryani – This was one of the best dishes I have tried at this place. The price of this one plate of biriyani was INR 90 only, that’s incredible considering the taste and quality of the food. And yes, it tasted awesome at that price. The rice was very fine and dry and was not too oily either. The sweet potato was simply yummy with loads of spices having sipped inside it, the chicken piece was nice and optimal in size. A must try!

7) Cold Coffee – I was impressed by the cold coffee here which was also their featured drink of the day to beat the heat. It was really pleasing to have since the balance and density of the drink was just perfect. It was really chilled and was topped with some Chocolate syrup for that ultimate jolt. Must try!

Well, while I was talking about the cold coffee, I remembered to mention few other points which are also crucial.

This small food truck has got several appliances inside it like refrigerator, Mixer grinder, Momo steamer, induction cooker, electric grill, etc. That is enough to give you all the flavors and a soul satisfying meal that you are looking for.

The other point that I want to mention is the magic behind their biriyanis – when we were there in the afternoon there huge biriyani handi was almost empty, the reason is no doubt the amazing taste at such an affordable price, but the credit must go to the ex-chef of Arsalan who is busy cooking this awesome stuff.

Final verdict: This place will get 8/10 from my side.

Pocket Pinch: INR 200-300 for two.

Must Try Items: Chicken Biriyani, Chicken Sarson kabab, Masala Cheese Vada Pav, Cheesy Maggi and Cold Coffee.

I wish the team all the best, and yes I loved the branded black #Tageat t-shirts the boys were wearing inside the food truck :) I wish they will set a trend that more and more entrepreneurs will come and follow. Food Trucks are really needed in this part of the country, let there be more of them. Hope someday I can see Food Truck parks and Food Truck rallies here in India as well. Anyway, there needs to be a solid starting point, and #TagEat is just that spark which can light up the big torch! Keep it up guys! Hope the word spreads real fast. Till then happy chomping!

Cheers!           

 

Uber delivering simple joys of life - #UberIceCream is back!

Middle of the month, usual workload at office, a rainy Friday with the weather forecast clearly showing a gloomy weekend and I was feeling so down in the dumps, more so because after this long hectic week I needed some spark or maybe some excitement to carry on for the rest of my Friday.

And voila!! Just when I was feeling so low I received an SMS from Uber that read today i.e. on 15 July from 11 AM to 3 PM you can get four delicious Magnum Ice cream bars delivered just for INR 300 at your doorsteps. I was so stuck in my office that I didn’t have the opportunity to go out and try some food. So somehow I finished the drab unpalatable lunch at the office canteen and picked up my phone and fired the Uber App to find some gastronomical respite!

I found there were four options showing ‘pool’, ‘uberGo’, ‘uberX’ and lastly the enticing option named ‘Ice Cream’. And this was the first time I was booking an uber to get some mouth watering desserts at my location! There were few cars hovering nearby and the approximate wait time showed roughly like seven minutes or so, which I readily accepted and tapped to order for a pack of four Magnum Ice creams for me, my order was accepted and I was assigned my savior for the day who was getting me that bag of heaven even in such an awful weather.

The man called me up and confirmed my address once and within five minutes or so he was there at my doorsteps in a white Swift Dzire wearing a smile on his face. The car had typical Uber icecream stickers on its side that showed the car has been assigned to deliver joy for these 4 hours today. The person was very soft spoken and courteous, he handed over to me the bag of ice creams and left in a jiffy.

I was left with those inviting Magnum Chocolate Truffle ice creams! I called up my friends and as they came in we were all buzzing with these afternoon desserts and the awesome #UberIceCream event! There is nothing compared to devour some intense chocolaty frozen bars to uplift the mood and yes, there is nothing compared to sharing! I was more than happy to see my friends enjoying the frozen treat :)

By the way, Magnum Chocolate Truffle is undoubtedly one of my favorite ice cream brands. Being a chocoholic this bar gives me enough reasons to satiate by chocolate cravings for a while. And this variant is one of the best Magnums that I have tried. It is not overtly sweet and has an intense chocolaty core with many layers of flavor density trapped inside. The smooth cold chocolate coating on top is amazing to crunch into. As far as I know Magnum Chocolate Truffle is available in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and India, so people elsewhere please be prepared to miss this gem of a handsome ice cream bar.

I know many who love ice cream and like chocolates, but separately; they can’t stand chocolate ice creams or bars since they basically dislike cold chocolates (though I am not in this category, I like chocolate in any form, shape or temperature!). But these people also love Magnum and especially Magnum Chocolate Truffle for its awesome thick, smooth, gooey, overwhelming chocolate ice cream inside and crunchy rich chocolate coating outside. If you are really serious about chocolate ice cream bars then you can not miss this bad boy, it’ll be a crime if you do!

When we finished all the four bars, we were all left super satisfied and tad rejuvenated as well, guess the rich chocolate was effective enough to induce secretion of some happy hormones which was somewhat badly needed. Loved screaming for the #UberIceCream Friday!

 

And yes, not to forget the Uber goodies that were provided in that chic and artsy paper bag that included several lovely colorful badges, loved the Uber logo badge, maybe I was hoping to get something like this! These badges will help me recollect the happy frozen memories later on maybe. Loads of thanks to Uber for spreading such unadulterated joy that is so important for all the adults! Helps us taste our childhood for a while, oh it tastes so chocolaty :)

P.S. A big thank you to my friends at ThinkQuisitive for making my day with some amazing UberIceCreams!

Cheers!

Taste some amazing Suta Kabab at Adam's Kabab Shop

Have you heard of Suta or Sutli kababs? Have you seen an eatery serving only two dishes? Are you familiar with a 60 sq. ft. or so shop in your very own city of joy producing the best beef Suta kebabs in the country? If not, then you are surely in for a surprise! After reading this post it may seem to you that Calcutta has still more to offer and is just begging for some time and patience from your end. This city has thousands of folds of mystery trapped in it and one such culinary mystery is called ‘Suta kabab’.

This place is called Adam’s Kabab Shop and is located in the dingy alleys of Phears Lane, Chuna Gali, near Central Metro station; the place is pretty close to the popular Nakhoda Masjid. We were a group of food reviewers and food bloggers out for a Ramadan Walk at the Zakaria street where during this holy month of Ramadan you will find several temporary stalls selling various food items. The streets here are extremely congested, and the crowd keeps on increasing as it gets dark.



But I loved the fact that people do tend to adjust a lot which is quite necessary in such places. Now, as it is already evident these streets and most of the shops are very old and the shop we are going to discuss here i.e. Adam’s Kabab shop is also more than 100 years old! Very recently it has surfaced on social media (thanks to some passionate bloggers) and few people have come to know about this hole in the wall kinda place.

So the day we visited, after having tried the desi ghee mithais at Haji Allauddin’s sweet shop we walked a few steps to arrive at Adam’s. Both these shops are more than a century old and continue to mesmerize the tourists and passionate foodies who care only about the flavor and aroma of the food, not about the surroundings.


People obsessed with fine-dine restaurants, fashion freaks or ones addicted to the chic malls and foreign brands may choose to give this place a miss, this place is not for you. You need to forget about hygiene for a while if you are here in this locality, and Adam’s kabab shop is no exception. The place helps you get back to your roots, to stay raw, to stay real! When the humans walked for the first time on Earth they didn’t use Dettol Hand Sanitizer before their meals!! And as the name of the place goes it reminds us of the first human being on earth, Adam. In Islam, Adam is also believed to be the first prophet on earth. Adam's role as the father of the human race is looked upon by Muslims with reverence and they also refer his wife, Eve as the "mother of mankind". Muslims see Adam as the first Muslim. As the Quran states that all the prophets preached the same faith of submission to God. 

When we were here we met the owner Md. Salauddin who was busy winding his magical threads on the kebabs before placing them on the barbeque pit. Now these were the so called Suta kababs I was talking about. These kababs are actually comprising of a smooth paste of beef meat and flavorful spices which are put around the thick long metal sheikh. The meat is so smooth and pounded to such an homogeneous texture that they tend to fall off from the sheikh, and this happens because basically the binding element is used in very less quantity which I believe is the daal.



Less binding element in the meat paste guarantees more softness and juiciness of the meat. So an external binding element is used instead and that is the super fine threads which are wrapped around the meat on the sheikh so that they don’t fall off. Then the sheekhs with the meat wrapped around and tied by the suta is put on the flaming barbeque pit.        

When the stuff gets ready it is removed from the heat and the thread is removed, it is then served on paper plates with a slice of lime, onion and chopped green chilies. The crumbled meat mixed with onion and green chilies will melt in your mouth, and leave behind a kick of spiciness, bit tanginess for the lemon juice and loads of happiness for that explosion of flavors in your mouth. And by the way, these are the best Suta Kebabs you will find in the entire country. But yes, if you want to avoid beef then you should give it a miss since there are no other variants.

And yes, you will get each skewer served in a plate and priced at INR 25. The pieces of heaven are served here with chopped onions and green chilies. And to get your share you need to visit this hole in a wall shop that is still going strong. I wish them all the best and hopefully they can sustain this business for the coming generations. This unique art of winding thread on kebabs and putting them on barbeque pit is somewhat unique and produces great unmatched kababs in the end, will be back for more. Long live the legend!

Please like and share this post if you have actually liked reading it or if you had tried Suta kababs from this place.

Cheers! 

 

Conclusion of Ramadan Food Walk at Arsalan (Wellesley)

We decided to conclude our Ramadan Walk around Nakhoda Masjid area by relaxing at some air conditioned restaurant where we can get some Haleem and Biriyani. The Royal Indian Hotel Nearby had shut down for a while for Iftar and they said it will reopen after an hour or so. Hence we decided to move on and settle down at Arsalan (Park Street) mainly to gorge on some delicious Biriyani, Kebabs and Haleem.

Mutton Haleem at Arsalan

When we reached Arsalan it was quite dark outside, the entrance was well lit and the red colored Arsalan name board was glowing bright making it visible from a distance. The huge Koshe Kosha name board diagonally opposite to it attracted more eyeballs though, but our destination was fixed for the day since we were all set to have some haleem more than anything else.

Haleem as we all know is the Ramazan month’s special meat and lentil dish available all across the city and it is actually a great evening snack which you can devour with some tandoori or rumali roti. This dish is slow cooked for several hours and in the end the meat almost blends with the lentils or rice so that all the ingredients gets mingled to form a paste like substance that is flavorful, aromatic and highly nutritious. At several places stock of the paya i.e. the goat’s leg is slow boiled for 20 hours before it goes into the haleem. There can be various types of Haleems like Chicken, Mutton, Beef; at places you even get maghaz (brain) haleem or zabaan (tongue) haleem! But at Arsalan, Park Street we found that only Mutton and Chicken Haleems are available. At certain places in Calcutta like Sufia, you get only Beef Haleem.

Anyway we had to settle for what is available because when we reached Arsalan we were exhausted after that food walk organized by Panchphoron (food bloggers group) through the congested Zakaria Street in the blazing heat of the afternoon. The place was quite relaxing with high ceilings and not too glossy interiors, at least the couches were comfortable and the mild blast of the AC was soothing to say the least. We straightaway ordered for chilled Coke after taking our seats which was sadly served much later when we had already cooled down a bit! Maybe the management was too cautious about our health, eh! :)

Anyway, after a bit of discussion we placed our order which comprised of –

a) Mutton Lucknowi biriyani – To start with, I did not like the quality of basmati rice used here in this biriyani, it was short in length and not that aromatic either. There was also some imbalance of the saffron induced milk used while preparing this dish. It had a reddish color and spicy touch to it which was not very appreciated in the end. We struggled hard to finish off this plate and everyone in our large group was giving it a pass after tasting a bit, surely needs some amendments. The mutton piece was well cooked though.

Mutton Lucknowi Biriyani

b) Mutton Haleem – Here we were served some awesome slow cooked haleem, with lovely flavorful mix of meat, lentils and spices. It was beautifully garnished with lemon juice, coriander leaves, fried onions, green chilies. Actually all these stuffs were served separately on a plate and we added them as required in the haleem. The stuff tasted good with the tandooru roti and the texture was pretty perfect, the dal was not grainy and the flavors were nice and subtle.

c) Tandoori roti – Tandoori rotis were served hot and were not too thick or chewy, they were pretty soft, well made and always best when consumed warm.

d) Chicken Biriyani – Somewhat the biriyani was again tad disappointing for the quality of basmati rice used which were mostly broken and not too aromatic. The stuff otherwise was flavorful and not too oily. The Chicken piece was nicely cooked and the sweet potato was soft. But surely more is expected from Arsalan Biriyani.

e) Soft drinks – Well, the thirst quenchers arrived much late after we ordered. They were served in long mocktail glasses, and it always goes good with biriyani or rotis by the side. Helps you wash the goodness down and leave you in a state of delight.

Prices are pretty reasonable here and VAT and Service Tax was levied on top of the bill. 

Thus we covered one of the must visit places for haleem in the holy month of Ramadan, all the Panchphoron members and guests who came in for the walk were extremely pleased after the entire day’s experience that concluded really well at Arsalan. The group dispersed from here with the hope to come back for this Ramadan walk around Nakhoda Masjid and more in the next year!

If you loved reading the post, then please 'like' the fb page of Foodie Dada (facebook.com/foodiedada) to get regular updates and news. 

Cheers!

 

Cookery Workshop by Sanjeev Kapoor, at Kolkata

Have you ever been mesmerized by a cookery show? Have you ever saved a series of YouTube cookery videos offline? Have you ever stacked your book shelf with cookery books by a single Indian chef? Well, I am not sure about what you did, but yes I did all of these above for that one single Indian chef. The person who inspired me to try my hands at cooking, to explore the art of cooking and not to look at it as a mundane task that only housewives should be doing. Today after all these years, I love cooking and I enjoy it like anything, it’s my stress buster… thank you Sanjeev Kapoor!

Not sure if starting the post with a thank you note is technically correct or not, but since it’s straight from my heart so I really don’t bother about the technicalities or what others have to say. I truly worship this person when it comes to his domain of expertise because he knows how to share the knowledge in simplest possible way and knows he is doing it right. I love his confidence, his skills, his simplicity, his wit and that lovely smile he wears! So, when I received a call from Samridhi for a Zomato invitation at this much awaited event, I was bubbling with joy but somehow contained my emotions and managed to reply with a confident ‘yes’ marking my confirmation for this event. 

This Cookery workshop with Sanjeev Kapoor was organized by Media Connect at Sapphire Banquets, Kolkata and Zomato was the online partner of this event. As already said, this invite came to me from Zomato for which I am really thankful; this was truly an experience of a lifetime. Not sure if I can ever see him again, cooking such amazing dishes right in front of me!

Sanjeev Kapoor is definitely the most celebrated face of Indian cuisine and television today. He is Chef extraordinaire, runs a successful TV Channel ‘FoodFood’, author of best selling cookbooks, restaurateur and winner of several culinary awards! He is truly living his dream of making Indian cuisine the number one in the world and empowering Indian women through power of cooking to become self sufficient, as well as inspire men to come forward and enjoy this art of cooking. The celebrity chef has also been conferred with ‘Best Chef of India’ award by the Government of India. So, the City of Joy, Kolkata was lucky enough to get a chance to give their cooking dreams a flight by learning culinary skills from the Master Chef himself!

The workshop was organized with hundreds of energized audience who were seen jotting down all tips & tricks while following the recipes. The participants present there got a chance to learn & witness practical demo & Live Cooking of Multi-cuisine Pure Vegetarian dishes in this workshop along with loads of Tips, Tricks and interactions to improve their everyday cooking.

The list of dishes covered in this workshop included: Angoori Chaat in Parmesan Bowl, Beetroot and Goat Cheese Salad, Bhapa Doi Brulee, Date and Nut Wontons with Rabri, Flavours of Hummus, Grilled Paneer and Vegetable Burritos, Hummus Falafel with Candied Eggplants, Kanchipuram Idli with Chutney Frosting, Red Quinoa Salad, Saeb aur Angoor ki Sabzi, Saffron Risotto with Grilled Vegetable, Sandesh Cheesecake, Tomato and Roasted Pepper Soup, etc.

Most of these dishes looked absolutely fabulous and lip smacking. It was hard to restraint oneself from going ahead and tasting those delicacies. But what I loved most about this whole experience was his spontaneous display of wit and the message which he was always trying to spread, the message was simple and it was just about ‘simplicity’. He asked us to be simple and to think stuffs in a simple manner, not to complicate stuffs as life is already pretty complicated to add more to it. He said that we should treat every dish with that simplicity, never plan to make something very complex. Just think simple and think innovative. He narrated an incident when he tried a ‘kachagolla’ inside a ‘phuckka’ (while he was at Kolkata) and said it tasted amazing, that shows how simple two things can create such an eccentric magic when put together, so your simple thoughts are valuable. They can create magic if they don’t get jumbled up or complicated.

Unarguably he is one of the most recognized faces of Indian television today, and that’s all because of his virtues and knowledge. He was in people’s living rooms for almost two decades introducing them to the delights of Indian and international cuisine in his inimitable easy going and cheery manner. The show Khana Khazana was one of those trailblazing cookery shows on Zee. So obviously he has a massive fan following across all age groups, genders and countries! He has the proud distinction of being the only chef in the world to have his own channel – FoodFood. 

He has been conferred the ‘Best Chef of India’ award by the Government of India. He represented India in the World Association of Chefs’ Societies in South Korea and there he introduced them to the wonders of the ancient Indian way of Ayurvedic cooking. He represented India as a Food ambassador in Spain under the Spanish Government’s Indian Future Leaders Programme (IFLP). He has done cookery shows all over the globe with famous culinary personalities like Rachel Ray, Richard Quest and Rene Redzepi. In fact he is also known as the ‘Rachel Ray of India’. He has also cooked for many dignitaries, including the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, that is a huge honor in itself.

His business of world class kitchen gadgets, Wonderchef has enabled and continues to empower women, a cause which is very dear to him. Every now and then in the cookery show he was discussing about the Wonderchef gadgets and utensils but that’s because this is so close to his heart. 

The show went on pretty late, that’s because there were some electrical glitches in between and because it started a bit late. The organizers had arranged lunch (and breakfast) for guests which were vegetarian with limited options and nothing to be cherished, not sure if that was worth the money people had paid for this event.

But that was totally eclipsed by the unmatched memories that the master chef himself provided. The Haryana-born Khana Khazana star did everything right to mesmerize his audience, his ardent fans like me and his critics. He showed that he really knows how to balance everything, whether it be life (as he discussed about his family, his colleagues, his daughters or about his trips) or an exquisite dish that he is preparing, striking the right balance is so essential in your life. There is really so much to learn from this versatile Chef, it was such an enriching session for us. So, let’s not drag this any further and let me wrap this up by saying that – to get the perfect taste of your life you just need to put ‘namak swad anusar’! :)

Cheers!    

Wine Tasting session organized by Sula, at Pipal Tree

I believe that tasting wine in itself is an adventure that deepens your appreciation both for wines as well as the winemakers. Look, smell, taste - when combined together gives you the strength to go on to judge a wine and to carry on the basic sensory examination. These basic senses enable us to go on to be pro wine tasters. We need to be in the perfect tasting environment and need to keep in mind that we can smell several unique scents, but our taste perception is limited to salty, sweet, sour and bitter only.



It is the ultimate combination of smell and taste that allows us to discern a flavor. To start with, we should all be aware of the ‘5S for tasting’, they are:

1) Sight – That is basically the sight of the wine to determine the color and clarity. The glass should be about one-third full. Now we follow these steps to evaluate the wine visually - Straight Angle View, where we look straight down into the glass, then we hold the glass to the light, and give it a tilt, so the wine rolls toward its edges. This allows us to see the wine’s complete color range, not just the dark center. Then we have the Side View where we view through the side of the glass held against light showing how clear the wine is. Lastly we check out the Tilted View where we tilt the glass so the wine thins out toward the rim providing clues about the wine’s age and weight.                         

2) Swirl – To get the wine spread and mix along we give the glass a good swirl, which will enable it to open up and we can breathe it in. After the swirl the wine forms the tears that runs down he sides of the glass. Wines that have good tears are wines with more alcohol and glycerin content, which indicates that they are riper, more mouth-filling and dense.

3) Smell – Once the swirl is done we go ahead to smell the wine to evaluate it by a sniff, whether it is fruity/ Savory/ dairy/ nutty/ spicy/ mineral/ woody/ floral/ herbal, etc. There can be several aroma contents in a glass of wine; to an individual it can smell like anything. But we need to determine the basic smells.

4) Sip – The most important step when the wine comes in direct contact with our taste buds. It lets us determine the flavor and body of the wine. We need to take a sip, not a large swallow of wine. Then we should try sucking on it as if pulling it through a straw. This aerates the wine and circulates it throughout our mouth. We’ll encounter a wide range of fruit, flower, herb, mineral, barrel and other flavors. If we’ve done our sniffing homework, most will follow right along where the aromas left off. Aside from simply identifying flavors, we are also using our taste buds to determine if the wine is balanced, harmonious, complex, evolved, and complete.

5) Spit – This is the last step and it is optional. You may choose to spit out the wine after tasting it for better wine understanding.

Now let’s come to this Wine Tasting session which I attended lately, that was organized by Sula. As we know, Sula Vineyards was founded by Rajeev Samant in 1998. In consultation with Kerry Damskey, a Californian winemaker, Samant went on to setup the first winery in the Nashik region of India. And Sula was then named after Rajeev’s mother – 'Sulabha'. Today, the Nashik region is known as the 'Wine Capital of India' and is home to over 50 wineries. Sula is certainly India’s no.1 wine producer and I was honored to be one of the invited bloggers at the Sula Wine Tasting event that was held at Raya, Pipal Tree Hotel (near Chinar Park, Kolkata) along with some other Panchphoron members. It was an educative and informative session on wine tasting, drinking and wine etiquette.

Now here at this session we tasted four varieties of Sula wine, punctuated by taste breakers and awesome fish fingers along with tarter dip. 

Anyway, here are the details about the wines that we had tasted at this event –

SULA BRUT TROPICALE

In 2000, Sula sold its first bottle – India’s first Sauvignon Blanc, and has since put the country on the global wine map. To mark the amazing first 15 years, Sula released its beautiful limited edition festive season bottle on 25th October, 2015. Covered in paisley in riotous tropical colors, the limited edition Brut Tropicale is a Blanc de Noirs, a white méthode champenoise sparkler made from premium black grapes including Pinot Noir.

The paisley motif – symbolic of life and eternity – has been interpreted and adopted as a quintessential part of the various cultures of India, spanning Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Today, the motif prevails in special occasions, ranging from henna patterns, ethnic fabrics, jewelry and such, emphasizing that most celebrations begin and end with paisley. The design on the bottle marks the festivities and culture of India. The unveiling of the limited edition Brut Tropicale happened at the 15th anniversary party, which took place on the 25th October, Sunday at Asilo, Mumbai.

As said earlier, this limited edition Méthode Champenoise sparkler is crafted from mainly Pinot Noir, alongside Shiraz, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, adding to the complexity and richness. Bottle aged on its lees for 18 months, these beautiful pale-coral bubbly bursts of passion fruit and peachy aromas, with a prolonged finish of red berries on the palate. It is overall very watery and light and the wine does not stay back in your mouth once you gulp it down.

SULA RIESLING

Sula's Riesling is an elegant wine with low acidity and hint of sweetness while you are about to finish. It is a fruity and aromatic non-sparkling wine with hints of green apples, grapefruit, peach & honey. Best enjoyed nicely chilled, Riesling is a versatile wine for pairing with food, because of its balance of sugar and acidity. Pairs well with Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. Tastes best when served chilled.

Sula Riesling is India’s first ever Riesling! It won awards like:

a) Gold Medal - Indian Wine Consumer’s Choice Awards 2013 & 2014

b) Bronze Medal - Global Riesling Masters 2014 (UK)

c) Bronze Medal - Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2012 (HK)

d) Silver Medal - Sommelier India Wine Competition 2009.

  

SULA DINDORI RESERVE SHIRAZ

Dindori is a town in Nashik district in Maharashtra and is known for its grape farming. Dindori Reserve Shiraz Grown on the red hills of our Dindori estate and barrel-aged in American oak.

Sula’s Dindori Reserve Shiraz is a powerful, intense wine, with flavors of berries and vanilla and a long pleasing finish. Pairs beautifully with meat dishes like mutton biryani, seekh kebabs and lamb roast. We should serve it slightly chilled. Allow to breathe before serving.

Dindori Reserve Shiraz was ranked #25 in the Top 100 Wines of 2014 by WINE ENTHUSIAST magazine with 93 points – the first ever Indian wine to make the list, a singular honor from one of the world’s leading wine magazines.

SULA LATE HARVEST CHENIN BLANC

No doubt this was the Wine of the day. Abounding with aromas of mango, honey and tropical fruit, this award winning Late Harvest Chenin Blanc is the perfect close to a delicious meal, but is also an elegant aperitif to simulate the appetite.

It is available in half bottles only and is perfect with fruit and nut platters, desserts, cheeses, cakes, cookies and pies. It is India’s first ever Late Harvest Chenin Blanc!

It won the Gold Medal - Indian Wine Consumer’s Choice Awards  2012, 2013 & 2014 and India’s best white wine in India Wine Challenge 2008.

Without a whiff of doubt, I liked the SULA LATE HARVEST CHENIN BLANC the most, followed by the SULA BRUT TROPICALE.

Firmly committed to remaining at the forefront of Indian wines, Sula continues to experiment with new varietals, engage in sustainable agriculture and support the local rural economy. In the last 15 years, Sula Vineyards has also been a pioneer in India’s wine tourism opening the country’s first winery Tasting Room in 2005 and first vineyard resort, Beyond by Sula, in 2007. With 200,000 visitors in 2014, Sula is one of the most visited wineries in the world and the #1 spot where Indians first taste wine.

Sula’s award winning wines are available nationwide at the finest hotels and restaurants, and are also exported worldwide. Sula works with the sustainability motto - grow good wine with minimal environmental impact, and to achieve that it undertakes practices like Drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, use of solar energy, etc.

Receiving the SULA Wine tasting certificate from Soham Poddar (Tasting & Marketing, Sula Vineyards)

As consumers, we have surely been a part of Sula’s success and its progress in global wine market but most of us were unaware of many facts about wine and wine tasting, which for me was a massive learning experience at this session. And not to forget, I was pleased to receive the certificate from Sula for attending this wine tasting and appreciation session, that meant a lot, really! Would love to attend more such sessions in future and spread the word about wine tasting techniques and Sula to my fellow readers. Hope you liked reading this post!

Cheers!