The Sommelier India Pour

What to drink: Port from the Douro Valley

Drink Port.
We are not talking here about port wine from Goa but the original style, produced in Portugal. Port wine is a fortified wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal. It is typically rich, sweet, and high in alcohol due to the addition of grape spirit (brandy) during fermentation. Common styles include Ruby, Tawny, White, and Vintage Port. 

Cockburn’s (pronounced “Co-burns”) is a well-known producer of Port wine, founded in 1815 and currently owned by Symington Family Estates. Another leading producer is The Fladgate Partnership, which owns Taylor's Port, founded in 1692.

Rich, sweet Port was most popular in the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain. Britain is still one of the largest consumers of Port wine. At one time, it was traditional in Britain for the women to ‘withdraw’ to the drawing room after dinner while the men lingered at the dining table drinking port or brandy. This custom finally faded in the 20th century as social norms evolved. 

I remember in the old days in India, while the men consumed copious amounts of Scotch, we were invariably offered Bristol Cream Sherry or Cockburn's Port, which was considered more suitable for women than Spirits, never mind their high alcohol content!  White Port is often the go-to for an aperitif. For food pairings, Tawny or Ruby Ports are the most common choices. However that may be, today everyone can enjoy Port in any way they like! What's your preference? — RKS

Sanjay Menon of Sonarys Co-Brands imports a range of ports. For more details email: [email protected]

Landmark bottling of Bhutanese wine

Who would have thought that wine could be produced in Bhutan, a country in the eastern Himalayas adjacent to Sikkim known for its Buddhist monasteries and dramatic landscapes with subtropical plains and steep mountains, rather than vineyards. However, wine pioneers Michael Juergens and Ann Cross on an early visit to the country recognised its potential for growing vines and decided to create The Bhutan Wine Company in partnership with two Bhutanese, Yab Dhondup Gyaltshen and Karma Choeda and build a wine industry from scratch in what is probably the last untouched frontier for wine.

In exciting news, Bonhams is presenting the first wine ever cultivated and produced in Bhutan in an online auction from 3rd to 24th April showcasing 48 bottles. All lots will be offered without reserve, with estimates ranging from $4,000 to $80,000. The highlight of the sale, which includes a curated trip to Bhutan, is The Himalayan, a customised 7.57-litre bottle in honour of Bhutan’s highest unclimbed mountain, Gangkhar Puensum. Named Ser Kem or “an offering of alcohol to the Gods”, the “First Barrel” is a special commemorative blend of every grape variety and vineyard that produced fruit during the inaugural 2023 viticultural season. Bonhams’ auction represents a historic collecting opportunity to own a unique bottle of wine from Bhutan’s pristine terroir. Don’t miss it!

From Barrel to Bharat: En Primeur Through Indian Eyes

Bordeaux En Primeur is an annual wine futures campaign that offers a first glimpse into the latest vintage of Bordeaux wines—typically just six to nine months after harvest. During this exclusive spring event, trade professionals, journalists, and critics from around the world gather in Bordeaux to taste barrel samples and assess the quality, aging potential, and character of the new vintage. Wineries then offer allocations for purchase en primeur, meaning the wines are bought before bottling and delivery, often at prices that reflect early market expectations. This system, unique in scale and influence, not only helps châteaux finance production but also shapes early narratives around each vintage, making it a cornerstone of Bordeaux’s fine wine economy.

At En Primeur 2025, Reva K. Singh and Shiv B. Singh of Sommelier India will once again be focused on bringing the story of the 2024 Bordeaux vintage to the global Indian wine community. Through in-depth tastings, interviews, and firsthand insights from the region’s most important châteaux, they will translate Bordeaux’s complexities into a compelling narrative for Indian collectors, connoisseurs, and emerging wine enthusiasts. The coverage (which you will see in The Sommelier India Pour and in the print magazine) will bridge the gap between Bordeaux’s evolving expression and the tastes of a global Indian palate, continuing a two-decade tradition of connecting one of the world’s great wine regions with of its most dynamic and global consumers.