A toast to India

Apart from wines priced at Rs 1,200+ per bottle, there are a host of other Indian reserve wines (meaning that they've been matured in oak casks) which are also pretty good and don't burn much of a hole in the pocket. Here are some.

Grover's La Reserve (Rs 800): Once considered the best wine in India, it has now been overtaken by younger upstarts, but still commands excellent value. A Cabernet-Shiraz blend (the ratios are unstated) with about four months in oak, the wine's quality is now as good as it ever was, which is quite amazing, considering that the brand was first launched in 1996. The wine is now also being produced at the Zampa winery (near Nashik) for the Maharashtra market without any noticeable protests from consumers quaffing the stuff. So presumably its ok.

Reveilo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve & Shiraz Reserve (Rs 1,100-1,300): The clutch of reserve wines from Nashik-based Vintage Wines is very good when fresh, but seems to be unable to handle the heat as quality drops off quite rapidly after a year or so. Still, they're the only Indian wines on the Starwood Hotel's 'Wines of the World' program - a terrific achievement, so it must be doing something right. The wines have been around since 2006.

Krsma Chardonnay 2013 & Sangiovese 2013 (Rs 1,000): Being launched next Saturday (February 1) at the JW Marriott Bangalore, these two varietals from the much-talked-about Krsma Estates near Hampi in North Karnataka are unusual and of good quality and will definitely make a dent in the market.

Mandala Valley Estate Selection Cabernet Sauvignon (Rs 892): Produced at York Winery in Nashik for Bangalore-based Ramesh Rao, this complex, smooth, and full-bodied red is lip-smacking good, with subtle oak and balanced tannins but is available only in selected outlets in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Vindiva Reserve Estate Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc (Rs 875): Produced by Alpine Wineries at its 1,200-acre estate near Mysore under the tutelage of renowned Bordeaux-based winemaking consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt, the wines are (as yet) available only in Bangalore. The Sauvignon Blanc is the purest expression of the grape I have seen so far, while the Shiraz is very good and worth a try.

Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon& Shiraz (Rs 800-860): From the United Spirits-owned winery near Baramati in Maharashtra, and produced by stalwart winemaker (and business head) Abhay Kewadkar. Despite much effort, the wines seem unable to make headway in the market - again, it's perhaps a problem with storage than anything else.

Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz & Viognier (Rs 860 & Rs 790, respectively): From industry leader Nashik Vintners with the grapes sourced from the Dindori vineyards near Nashik. When first launched in 2007, the Shiraz was just terrific, but seems to have lost some of its sheen since. The Viognier is still one of my favourite wines - it's soft, aromatic and eminently quaffable.

Nine Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Shiraz (Rs 850): Also made from grapes sourced from vineyards in the Dindori area near Nashik and produced at the winery set up by Seagram India (now Pernod Ricard India) nearby. Decent quality, but not spectacular.

Wines I've been drinking: A Bibi Graetz Casamatta Rosso NV from its winery near Florence in Italy, quaffed last evening with Vijayan Gangadharan at the Sheraton Bangalore. A 100 per cent Sangiovese but produced using the solera system, this intriguing wine (with a most-colourful label - Bibi is an artist) has an aroma of red berries with hints of mint and spices and a medium-bodied palate that kept evolving in the glass. Quite a terrific wine - not cheap at Rs 1,785 in Bangalore, but then good wines never are!

Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant