Israeli wines, gin cocktails, single malt and more

Grover wines:  Earlier this year, Reuben Kataria, the general manager of the newly opened Leela Bharatiya City hotel in Bengaluru invited me to a tasting of Grover wines.  They wanted to commission a Grover custom blend for their restaurant, Falak, he said.  So we went, the F&B team and me to sample pretty much every Grover wine that was available.  And what a revelation it was.  I have to confess that I had stopped drinking Grover wines partly because I had drunk them all and took them for granted. They were my “neighbourhood winery” as it were.  What was new here? Well, here are some things I learned after tasting 30 bottles.  Well, the Insignia 2018 was terrific of course, with aromas of fennel and vanilla (Rs. 6000 for the 1500L magnum, Rs. 3000 for 750 ml bottle).  But this was one of their high-end wines.  But I also loved their modestly priced Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc, which, unlike New Zealand Sauv-Blancs, was not herbaceous (Rs. 860 for 750 ml and Rs. 495 for 375 ml).  The other wines I ended up purchasing were their La Reserve Fume Blanc (Rs. 1225), and their Syrah-Grenache (Rs. 1225).  Here’s what I would recommend.  If you happen to be in Bangalore, take a drive to their tasting room which is beautifully set up.  Spend an afternoon sampling multiple wines and buy what you like. 

Perry Road Peru distilled cocktail:  In spite of the name, this drink doesn’t have anything to do with South America or the Amazon or indeed, the country named Peru.  Instead, it is an ode to that most distinctive of Indian fruits, the guava.  Two beloved brands joined hands to create this.  Stranger and Sons is quirky and creative– just visit their website to see what I mean.  They make gin-based cocktails and are one of the few brands helmed by a woman: Sakshi Saigal. The Bombay Canteen is something that I, as a Bangalorean resent– a) because it is not based in my fair city and b) because I am tired of Bombay friends posting photos of their luscious dishes on social media.  Recently though, we got a taste of their food in Bangalore when the two brands did a road-show of sorts.  They took their food and drink across India and treated a bunch of journalists to it.  Now, I don’t generally like blended cocktails because they tend to be too sweet and too– what’s the word– lowest common denominator blended and nondescript.  This one though has a strong flavour of guava or “peru,” which is great if you like the fruit (and not if you hate it).  Serve it with a rim of salt and chili-powder. You can have it with one cube of ice, or neat– which is how I drink it. But then, I grew up in hot Chennai. (Costs Rs. 2999 in Mumbai but available in all Indian metros)