Surabhi and Mohit Kampani with Sanjay Agarwal

Wines from Chile and a sumptuous continental dinner matching their tasting notes greeted guests and members of the Kolkata Wine Commune last Saturday at the first sit-down wine dinner organised by them at Hyatt Regency.

The four Antares wines served on the occasion were Carmenere, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. “Chilean wines have a spice character to them, which agrees with the Indian palate. So it’s more approachable. Antares is a well-known brand and the Calcutta market has taken to it,” said Smita Ganguli, a founder-member of the wine commune, which was launched in February for “only those who are genuinely interested in learning about and exploring the large varieties of wine in the world”.

“The best part of being a member of the commune is that instead of being tiresome, learning about wine becomes fun here,” said CenturyPly MD Sanjay Agarwal, a member.

The food pairing was done on the basis of the tasting notes of the wines. The most challenging job was to create the vegetarian options for the wines. “The tasting notes of these wines mostly have meat in them. Hence we had to work hard to find the suitable veg food matching the wines,” said Vikram Ganpule, the executive chef at Hyatt.

The dinner began with Carmenere, a red wine, instead of the usual white. “It may be a little high-brow but it is an accepted thing in France,” said Subhasis Ganguli, president of the commune.