Bespoke Indian Wine & Food Paired Dinner

In collaboration with Trippy Goat Cafe & KRSMA Estates, Sommelier Devati curated a sit-down wine dinner with the theme of ‘Indian Wine Day’ prominent and celebrations in full gear. The dinner featured a five-course meal inspired by legendary dishes from the kitchens of Coorg, paired with KRSMA’s iconic older vintages that were amongst their greatest, not currently available for purchase in retail or from their cellar door.

The evening began with an interesting set of passaround canapés, and a welcome pour of the Sauvignon Blanc 2019, a crisp and vivacious sip that had the guests settle in and soak up the lovely ambience, while Vishal Nagpal, co-owner at Trippy Goat, and I, welcomed the guests for the evening and gave them a sneak peek into what to expect from the experience, emphasising the importance of popularising the concept of Indian food and Indian wine together.

The white wine was sipped through the appetizer course as well, as the Chef introduced the dishes, spoke about their historic relevance in the Kodava cuisine.

The second entrée was accompanied by an old favourite from KRSMA’s cellar, their Chardonnay, which sadly, they no longer produce. The 2017 vintage was the last to be made at the winery, and it did not disappoint. It had matured into a luscious, creamy Chardonnay with aromas of vanilla, apple, ripe fruits, and a vibrant acidity that brought everything together brilliantly. The creaminess from the wine complemented the Kadla curry well, as did the slightly sour and tangy marination of Sear fish fry. We had repeats of the wine pouring for this course!

The Sangiovese 2016 and the show-stopper, the Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, were offered with the two main courses, both from KRSMA’s cellars. They also don’t make any more Sangiovese (sigh! Those were the best!) As a result, the guests were in for a treat! The aromatic curries with Akki Rottis enhanced the delicate flavours of the fruit-forward Sangiovese, with just enough spice and meatiness to balance the wine’s silky, subtle tannins.

Coming to the stellar wine with our main course and an iconic wine from KRSMA’s cellar, it’s fascinating how a magnificent, powerful wine can be shy of revealing its complex layers at first, only to unveil itself with a few swirls here and a few sips there, while I patiently waited as each decanted minute passed. 8 years in the bottle, and I decided to double decant the wine (bottle to decanter, swirl, let it sit, decanter back to bottle) to remove sediments, help the wine “breathe” and also to show-off the gorgeous Bordeaux-style broad shoulder bottle to the guests of the evening! 

For this lush, full bodied reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s age wasn’t just a number – but a remarkable sign of how the quality of Indian wines are being elevated to stand out as cellar worthy, that only get better with age. This one did take us by surprise- it’s vibrancy and lush dark fruit coming right through despite the age, with a solid backbone of structure and might I even say- still drinking at its peak! It sealed the evening with the promise of its brilliance, bringing a close to the memorable evening for the guests.

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