Draught of vintage

Wine collectors are a rarity. They swear by the beaded bubbles winking at the rim. Moin Uddin finds two such wine collectors and takes a sneak peak at their collection

All about taste

Sareeta Gyawali, Principal of Corona School, has been to various wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma County during her college days and since then it became her hobby to collect wines. “I went to a few wine tasting classes in the USA which got me even more interested in collecting different types of wines from different regions,” says Gyawali. She has started collecting wines from 2008.

Q&A with Gyawali

Your collection includes…

I have many different kinds, from light white wines to rich and earthy red wines. I have Pinot Grigio from Italy, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot from Napa and Sonoma County, USA. I have Bordeaux, Margaux from France and Sula from India. I usually buy wines at duty free shops while traveling abroad and locally, I buy it from Garet, Radisson Road in Lazimpat.

Your favourite…

Chateau du Grand Soussans, Margaux from France is my favorite one with creamy, floral bouquet. It is supple, full-flavoured deep red wine with lasting tannins on the finish. This wine goes well with grilled and roasted meat and cheese.

What are the factors that make for a good sip of wine?

Wines are very vague. The best wines for different taste could be different. To me personally, I like rich, earthy and full-flavoured wines. But, the food that you are having with the wine also makes a difference. For instance I prefer chilled white wine with my light lunch, whereas at other times I like earthy red wines.

Your most expensive buy...

I have La Fleur d’Arthus Merlot from Saint Emilion Grand Cru and Margaux from Chateau Du Grand Soussans, France.

What makes you invest so much in them?

I try to find the best price while shopping for wine. Since my friends know that I like to collect wines, they bring some good wines as gifts while travelling back from different countries.

Learned enophile

Amit Sharma, an avid traveller, developed skills of evaluating wines, understanding its tinge and learnt wine styles from across the world during his early days as a wine collector which makes him a wine connoisseur today. He says, “Wine has a distinct way of capturing my imagination. I love to drink wine and understand what it is that I’m drinking.”

Q&A with Sharma

What’s in your collection?

I own popular wines from across the globe. I have Macon from France, American Chardonnay, South Africa’s Pinotage, Chianti from Italy, Red Rhone, Beaujolais Villages, Nederburg Wines among others.

Which is your most preferred one?

Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Pinotage. It is a unique South African grape variety that only seems to grow well in South Africa.

What do you look for while buying wines?

I read the labels for information. However, if you can recognise characteristics from wine styles of popular wine producing countries, topography and the quality of the grape, you will have the best collection.

Which is the most expensive bottle in your collection?

I invested a fortune for a bottle of 1980 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon.