If ever there was a library with a difference, it is this. Stacked up on the wooden shelves of this 10-ft-by-10-ft glass chamber are not books or journals, but wines from around the world. Check out the Wine Library at ITC Sonar Bangla.

Vital stats

At Pan Asian, the Far-Eastern cuisine restaurant at the hotel, the library offers the discerning diner an opportunity to browse through a fine selection of wine before choosing the right vintage.

It’s a glass-encased temperature and humidity controlled room that not only looks classy, but is also armed with features to keep any variety of wine in the perfect environment. The chamber, which can store more than 1,000 bottles, is chilled to 17 to 18 degrees Celsius round the clock, “the ideal temperature” to store wine.

“While different kinds of wine are served at different temperatures, this is the optimal temperature to store them all,” says Nitin Bahl, food and beverages manager. If required, the wine of choice is cooled further before serving. White wines are served at 10 to 11 degrees Celsius, rose wines at 15 degrees and red wines at 18 to 20 degrees.

Not just that, the bottles are stacked horizontally instead of vertically like other liquor. “When the wines are kept horizontally, the liquid is in touch with the cork, blocking the pores and preventing air from getting in. This stops oxidation,” adds Nitin. The library also has a decanter where a wine can be decanted on request.

Each bottle has a tag attached to the neck which gives away the name, price, vintage (year when it was bottled), type, country of origin (often even village of origin) and the primary grape used.

“Since wines mature with time, we don’t want to disturb them by taking out the bottles. The guest can read all information required to make a choice on the tag and only if he decides to go for it do we take out the bottle,” explains Bahl.

Fine finds

Though the initial claim at the library was that it offered “over 840 kinds of the world’s finest brands”, right now the figure stands at a humble 90. The selection is classified into old-world wines and new-world wines. The old-world collection is primarily those from France and Italy and, to some extent, Germany, the countries regarded as the stalwarts in wine production.

The new-world selection is sourced from countries that have started producing wine more recently, like Chile, South Africa, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and, of course, India. The other classification is on the basis of the type — white, red and rose.

The wine library at itc sonar bangla

Perfect pick

While the basic rule of serving red wine with red meat, white with lean meat and rose with spicy food is mostly followed, the waiter or manager will give you tips aplenty. “People who come here are usually connoisseurs. But we do recommend what wine would go best with a particular food if anyone asks,” offers Nitin.

Money matters

The right side of the wine menu predictably varies from Rs 1,200 for the Indian varieties like Chantilli Cabernet Sauvignon, Grover’s Cabernet Shiraz and Riviera Red to Rs 40,000 for the Grand Vin de Chateau La Tour, 1997, the star of the French selection.