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| An Italian Affair |
| By Rajiv Singhal |
| Ghulam Naqshband’s Annual Wine Dinner was curated with La Cave Fine Wines and hosted by Arjun Sharma and Aman Dhall at The Lodhi. |
| I met Mr. Naqshband in the late 1990’s when we set up Table de France Society to be India’s first and most obviously, the best and most envied Wine Society in India, whose lead was simply copied by many others across the country. Table de France Society caught the attention of the many stake-holders eyeing the very high potential wine market in India. A Table de France Society event was announced only if it was exclusively for its carefully selected members (and I had many asking why their applications were not accepted – we had extremely strict admission criteria). |
| I worked on the Society together with Mr. Naqshband till 2001, and we rolled out very successful wine activities which no one in India had done before. With the help of our very kind friends in the hotels – Meridien and ITC deserve mention – we were able to host events exclusively for our members at the pace of almost one a month! Around 2000, we chose to broaden our canvas to all world wine and it was renamed “The Wine Society”. |
| Mr. Naqshband was Arjun Sharma’s mentor and it was Arjun who put down the idea of this annual wine dinner in his mentors’ memory. Arjun has been very kind to invite us to this dinner, which we much enjoyed in his and his wife Jyotsna’s company. |
| The Lodhi organised the dinner in the new Italian dining space that has the stamp of General Manager Vikramaditya Singh on the interiors – the stunning Italian Bloom light installation, Bernardaud show plates, live violinist and saxophonist… even if we missed him and his customary champagne sabrage. |
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| The dinner was delightful with very well thought courses. And during dinner, I had the chance to catch up with the always very busy Aman Dhall – the leading importer of wine in India, in whose success I might have had some role to play! |
| Arjun launched an auction of some of Mr. Naqshband’s personal items and other items. Ritu and I have contributed FINE artworks in the last two years to the memory of President Naqshband. As auctioneers, Arjun and I raised the bar and were able to collect some funds for the Naqshband charities. |
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| The wines for the evening: |
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Sartori di Verona Ti Amo Prosecco Spumante Brut DOC
100 % Glera.
Bright straw yellow with large inconsistent bubbles. Subtle aromas of fruit, mostly apples (granny smith), with some nuttiness. Sharp acidity and a dryness on the palate.
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Corte Giara Pinot Grigio 2015
100% Pinot Grigio.
Pale yellow. Light floral and vegetal aromas on the nose. Another apple intensive (golden delicious) wine. Medium bodied dry wine with clean finish. |
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Marchesi de Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2013
Blend.
Bright scarlet red. Complex and intense nose of red fruit like cherry and plum with notes of spicy pepper. Soft and fresh with fine tannins. Nicely balanced. Lingering fruity finish. |
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Marchesi de Frescobaldi Castel Giocondo Brunello di Montalchino DOCG 2012
100% Sangiovese.
Dark ruby red. Strong berry aromas with some pomegranate and toasted spices. Well structured medium bodied wine with somewhat sharp tannins that needed more time in the glass to calm down. Longish finish. |
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| Rajiv and Ritu Singhal were guests of Arjun Sharma at this dinner. |
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