Grillo

I thought it was a strange name for an Indian wine. It is not surprising that Indian wine makers wish to adopt foreign names, I have seen that repeatedly over the past several years of living in India. But Grillo ? I did some research and found that Grillo is a type of white grape harvested in Sicily !

Wow, Sicilian white wine in India !?

I got a complementary bottle of Grillo 2010 recently. It is produced in Nashik wine-growing region of Maharashtra State of India, by Vintage Wines Private Ltd., who produce the Reveilo range of wines that you can see at most wine shops in Mumbai.

I was really surprised with this white wine. Actually, I was not expecting much, but was pleasantly impressed with the quality of the Grillo 2010 from Reveilo. Both my wife and myself enjoyed this wine as an aperitif, which is how this wine should be tasted, I guess. The acidity of Grillo is not missed at all, one can sense strong citrus and lemon flavours. I could not get the orange bouquet that was mentioned on the wine tasting note, but may be I will try again with a new bottle (having finished the first one !).

This is a sophisticated wine, and I would rate this in complexity closer to a Sauvignon Blanc, rather than the usual sweet Chenin Blanc or a Chardonnay. I have not yet figured out the food pairing, but I guess it would go well with seafood.

I think this is a good discovery, but I did not find this wine in the local wine shop which had other Reveilo wines. The shop keeper did not know about Grillo. Again, wine education and knowledge is lacking, and this factor continues to impact wine consumption in India.

I am not going to bore the readers with yet another wine sermon, but I recommend the Grillo 2010 strongly for a trial. You would surely like it, that is if you are a sophisticated wine drinker.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
21st January 2012
Mumbai

DFS – A better deal in India

This was surprising to me.

Shopping at DFS (Duty Free Shops) at the international airports in India was neither useful nor pleasurable from time immemorial, as the shops were not consumer friendly and used to stock things which were not really in demand. The shopping on the India side when you land from overseas was usually ignored by tourists, especially the Indian tourists. Any comparison with overseas DFS shopping did not make any sense at all. Further, the prices in Singapore or Hong Kong Airport DFS shops were much more attractive.

How things have changed, and how things are still changing !

Now, the Duty-Free Shopping experience on the Indian International Airports such as Mumbai and Delhi has improved significantly. There are many more things to shop for, and the shop attendants are hovering around trying to help. Of course, the infrastructure is not comparable as the shops in India are much smaller and are not gleaming reproductions of Singapore shops.

But, the fact is that almost the same things are now available, and at cheaper prices. I don’t know how, I thought stuff should cost more since Indian Rupee has depreciated by some 10 to 15% over the past three months.

The Singapore Changi Airport prices for wines for example, are much higher, and given that one has got to multiply by a much higher exchange rate, the price in Indian Rupees is really high (by more than 20 to 30%) for similar wines. I think the whiskeys are slightly cheaper on the Singapore side, though I did not buy any whiskey. I roamed around the DFS Liquor Shop at Changi for quite some time, and then decided not to purchase, as I came to the conclusion that the prices are higher than on the Indian side.

I still found many folks on my flight carrying stuff from the Changi Airport DFS, but probably they have not done their due diligence, or they are buying non-liquor things which are not readily available at the Indian airports.

As I rightly guessed, the Mumbai International Airport DFS had some very good wines (and many whiskeys and other liquors) and I picked up couple of Australian wines for USD 22 less a discount of USD 4 ! I had to pay in USD, but that was fine. At the end of the day, I know that these wines are more expensive in Singapore and very expensive in the usual wine shops of Mumbai out there in the city.

The pity is that they allow only two bottles of duty-free wine (and just one bottle of whiskey), so one can enjoy only for a short time !

Welcome to DFS experience in India, and keep some USD change while arriving back !!

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
21st January 2012
Mumbai

The Taxi Ride

Courtesy: Anu, my IIM-B Classmate

Note: I do not know the original author, so I am unable to give the credit that is absolutely due to him/her. I am just reproducing this outstanding story from an email I received from my classmate, and I believe that the more it is read, the more it would convey the importance and criticality of its central message to a wider audience. This truly impressed me and is really a great story with a strong message on how small acts of courtesy would go a very long way in life.

The Taxi ride….this is beautiful

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. after waiting a few minutes, I walked to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90′s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940′s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knick-knacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’

‘Oh, you’re such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’ ‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly… .

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice.. ‘The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now’.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse.

‘Nothing,’ I said.

‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.

‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. ‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said ‘Thank you.’

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life…..

I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID BUT THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL

You might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by sending it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of kindness that most benefit all of us.

Thank you, my friend…

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well enjoy it…….

Courtesy: Anu, my IIM-B Classmate

Note: I do not know the original author, so I am unable to give the credit that is absolutely due to him/her. I am just reproducing this outstanding story from an email I received from my classmate, and I believe that the more it is read, the more it would convey the importance and criticality of its central message to a wider audience. This truly impressed me and is really a great story with a strong message on how small acts of courtesy would go a very long way in life.

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
21st January 2012
Mumbai