Reva Singh on Serving and Savoring Good Wine

The Women’s International Club, Delhi provides a unique platform for women living in Delhi to experience various cultures of the world. It accepts Indian women as well as women from international countries, with different professional backgrounds; and organizes various activities every month related to books, food, travel, culture, and health, among others. I recently attended a session on wine conducted by Reva K. Singh, the editor-in-chief of “Sommelier India” magazine.

I love good wine!

Reva Singh’s love for wine stemmed from a desire to knowledgeably serve it to her husband’s professional guests, while entertaining. Having travelled the world, she began by identifying her favourite kinds of wine. From there she researched endlessly till she became well-informed in this field. With her background in publishing and editing, starting the Sommelier India magazine came naturally to her. She has been its co-publisher and editor-in-chief since 2004.

Reva K. Singh. Picture Courtesy: http://www.indianwineacademy.com

I’d recently attended a wine-tour and tasting at the Sula Vineyards in Nashik (read about that here); and Singh’s talk proved an important follow-up session to that. The vineyards offer wine tours from the perspective of producing the wine, while Singh passionately explained the art of consuming good wine. While it’s interesting to learn about the process of making wine, the appreciation and consumption of good wine is infinitely more important for laymen!

The members of the Women’s International Club engrossed in Singh’s extensive knowledge

Singh patiently answered all the questions the members of the Women’s International Club asked her, mostly about the correct method of storing and serving wine. She demonstrated the best glasses for different wines, and also touched upon the different grapes that make each wine unique. Some helpful tips she gave included consuming wine within five years of having it; storing it in a wine chiller in the hot climes of India or if that wasn’t possible then wrapping it in newspapers and storing it in a carton under the bed in an air-conditioned room. She also pointed out that white wine glasses must be stored in the freezer for a short while before being used to serve.

Singh explained the difference between goblets for red wine, medium sized glasses for white wine and flutes for champagne or bubbly

Watching a documentary on wine-making at the Fratelli Vineyards in Akhluj, Maharashtra

Her talk was followed by an insightful documentary on wine-making shot on the Fratelli vineyards in Solapur District, Akhluj, Maharashtra. We were served a delicious and light Fratelli Rose wine to complement the salad brunch that followed this session. Fratelli is a relatively new Indian wine brand, slowly making a mark.

With Singh after the session

Wine has gained immense popularity in recent years in India. With the advent of exclusive wine stores like La Cave, and wine paired Michelin-star dinners; wine drinking is now considered fashionable in Delhi. If you’d like to increase your knowledge of wine, look no further than Reva Singh’s magazine, Sommelier India.