India's finest wines

The final word on the finest Indian wines has been said. In a first-ever initiative, eight experts across India, Australia and the US sat across a table for five hours in Delhi on April 30, blind tasting 38 wines to zero in on the best Indian wines across different categories. Our cover story this time is dedicated to India’s finest wines—not decided by a bunch of journalists—but by experts who have judged international wine events and understand their wine, as we understand the business of writing.

Putting it together was no easy task. A dozen Indian wineries took part in what will, henceforth, be an annual exercise. The names of the experts were kept secret. Entries were received from not just the two big names in Indian wines, Grover and Sula, but also from all others, including Diageo, Seagram’s, ND Wines, Indus Vineyards, Reveilo, Château d’Ori, Château Indage and many more. After the blind tasting, Sourish Bhattacharyya, Executive Editor of Mail Today and one of India’s most influential wine journalists, helped us put together the cover package. The results are finally out. Turn the pages to find out which wines you should drink, serve and be seen twirling around your palate.

Just in case wine is not your thing, there’s plenty more to read in the pages that follow. Find out how to look your best when teeing off on the golf course or where one should go to dig into a mouth-watering dim sum lunch. And if experimenting with music and spirits is your thing, then read Sanjoy Narayan’s riveting piece on surviving on jazz and absinthe in beautiful Prague. Cheers.