If ice cream is not enough, let’s talk about ice wine. No, that’s neither sacrilege nor a typo, but simply a variety of dessert wine that’s made when grapes are frozen on the vine itself. Taj Bengal promises to give you a crash course in ice wines soon. Actually, that’s an understatement. The education will include everything from Canadian ice wine to Spanish Rioja, our very own Indian wines to a biodynamic (grown with an agricultural method that endorses organic production along spiritual and mystical principles related to phases of moon and more) Super Tuscan!

Surprised? Don’t be. Taj Bengal is all set to host The International Vine and Food Experience, curated by sommelier Keith W. Edgar, in association with Kutchina, powered by Qatar Airways, on April 11 and 12. Nandi Hills to New Zealand, they’ll all be there. So grab your glasses and get ready.

April 11: There will be a grand tasting of wines from 30 wineries, alongside a buffet spread. The who’s who of the Indian wine industry will come together to hold five master classes. The evening starts at 7pm and the first of the five open-seating mini master classes kicks off at 8pm.

Cecilia Oldne, global brand ambassador for Sula, will hold a class and tasting on Sula sparkling wine while Alessio Secci, wine maker for Fratelli Wines, will conduct a tasting of their Sangiovese red wine and white wine.

Abhay Kewadkar, chief wine maker and business head for Four Seasons Wines, will conduct a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc and talk about barrel ageing. Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO, Grover Zampa, will conduct a tasting of three vintages of Grover La Reserve. And Adrian Pinto, senior manager wines at Pernod Ricard, will show how a very young wine develops and softens as it matures, demonstrating with Nine Hill Cabernet Reserve.

April 12: A formal sit-down wine tasting and lunch limited to 60 guests, who can sign up for either a morning session (11am to 1pm) or an afternoon session (2pm to 4pm). And this one brings some very interesting wines from across the globe.

The morning session will offer a tasting of Grande Sendre’e Champagne conducted by Michel Drappier of Drappier Champagne, Vishal Kadakia’s presentation on Sauvignon Blanc from Saint Clair Family Estate wines, New Zealand, and a tasting of four different Canadian ice wines by Everett de Jong from Pelee Island Winery, Ontario.

The lunch session will see Magandeep Singh holding forth on the Californian Beringer Chardonnay and Sergio Soriano from Faustino in Spain exploring the ageing of Rioja wines, from Crianza to Gran Reserva. The cherry on the cake is the session on Biodynamic Super Tuscan Tenuta di Valgiano Rosso by owner and winemaker Laura di Collobiano, from Tuscany, Italy.

There is a Champagne Drappier reception, seating 200, in the evening, with a four-course gala dinner by Toronto-based master chef Marc Thuet, each course paired with wines from the participating international wine labels.

“We would very much like Calcutta to find an equal standing in this space when compared to New Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore and hence this attempt at a truly international event with a broad spread –— we would be very happy if our guests develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of viniculture by attending the sessions,” says K. Mohanchandran, general manager, Taj Bengal.

The grand tasting on April 11 comes to Rs 999 per person, while the master class on April 12 (any one session and lunch) comes to Rs 2,500 per head. To attend the gala dinner, it’s Rs 5,000 per person. Taj Bengal has also designed packages for a one-night stay ranging between Rs 14,000 and Rs 20,000 and a two-nights stay, ranging between Rs 25,000 and

Rs 35,000. Package price includes room charges, local taxes, airport pick-up, breakfast, the Friday grand tasting, and the Saturday master class (either morning or afternoon session with lunch) and for those staying two nights, the gala dinner as well.

Text: Riddhima Khanna
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray