Terroir kicks off with a grand party at the Taj Coromandel
Terroir, the Madras Wine Club, was launched in great style at the Taj Coromandel on January 22, 2009. The event was attended by the club’s members as well as a section of the city’s elite at a glittering function, which saw some great wines being drunk, a fabulous dinner laid out by the hotel, and plenty of bonhomie and conversation.
The event was made possible with the help of Brindco, the country’s largest importer of wine. Aman Dhall, Executive Director of Brindco, had said that if he was going to help with such an event, he was going to do it in style – a promise he more than redeemed.
The Taj Coromandel, thanks to the initiative of General Manager Arindam Kunar (who now heads the chain’s Westend property in Bangalore), pulled out all the stops to create a splendid evening.
The wines were laid out by country – France, Italy, Australia, Chile, Spain and Portugal. The French counter, which was populated with intriguing some Bordeaux and some splendid Burgundies (some of which were Grand Crus) was much sought after. The Italian counter was very interesting too, with a fabulously rich Amarone and a silken Mormoreto by Frescobaldi. Those who managed to stray as far as the Australian counter may have enjoyed the single varietal Grenache, full of zest and spice. The unveiling of the club logo, which signified its launch, was done jointly by Terroir’s president Capt. Arjun Nair and Mr. Kunar. In his address, Mr. Nair explained the process that led to the club’s formation and its aims and objectives. He introduced the other founding members of the club – Sabu Balagopal, the Secretary, Sudhir Rao, the Treasurer, and Mukund Padmanabhan, journalist. Mr. Kunar promised his hotel would start selling wine at very attractive prices, something he soon followed up on, and also to hold events related to wine in the future. Mr. Aman Dhall, spoke about his company and its engagement with the wine business. A special guest of the evening was Reva Singh, Editor of Sommelier India. In her talk, she spoke of the important role that wine clubs play and said she was impressed by the sheer grandeur of the Terroir launch.