Brunch event: Drink deep from the fine wine glass

Sip on the flavours of an artisan wine fair co-hosted by HT Brunch and The Oberoi Gurgaon

Sip on the flavours of an artisan wine fair co-hosted by HT Brunch and The Oberoi Gurgaon

Wine tastings may be la-di-da affairs for those with a nose and palate for all things fine. But what happens when this finesse is turned up a notch? That’s exactly what connoisseurs and novices alike found out at the artisanal Fine Wine Affair, co-hosted by HT Brunch and The Oberoi, Gurgaon late last month, when 100 lesser known but truly fantastic wine labels by artisanal growers were brought down from eight countries.

Most wine events are just about appreciating the notes, legs and tastes of the selection on offer, while nibbling on the hors d’oeuvre. Here though, guided sessions helped navigate more pressing questions of all things wine. “It wasn’t just about the drinking, but also about educating the guests in different aspects of wine – the regions they come from, the soil and climate they grow in, etc,” says David Mathews, general manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon.

“Even the wine pairings were consciously curated, so that the guests understood what their preferences could be paired with to suit their palate,” he says. Seven experience centres provided handpicked gourmet pairings of the wines with the specific cuisines of the country of their origin – cheese, baguettes, macarons for the French wines; olives, prosciutto, aged balsamic vinegar for the Italian, and roast lamb for the new world wines from Down Under.

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