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

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