Great Food in Chennai: Wine Appreciation Session at A2, The Park, Chennai

The cozy A2 pub perched at The Park's crown hosted a one-of-a-kind wine appreciation event. Wine tasting events are quite rare for the city. It was an introduction to the 3 Folonari wines brought into the Chennai market by a wine distributor, Ace Beveragez. I attended this event on an invite, extended mainly to media and bloggers.

A2 - The Park

Maurizio Bertacchini, the export director of Folonari wines was there to introduce us to the nuances of wines. He spends most of his time travelling attending events such as this and introducing Italian wine to different markets.

Maurizio Bertacchini

He gave us a small introduction before each wine was served to the guests explaining what made it unique. Numerous factors like the weather that particular year, soil composition, rainfall not to mention the interesting ways the maturation process can affect the taste. For example: The Folonari Pinot Grigio is vinified in Stainless steel tanks to yield a crisper mouthfeel.

If you're new to wine, some of the facts you should know about them are,

1. Wine is made from just grapes and yeast! They don't even have water or sugars added.

2. Wine naming is done either based on the variety of grapes used or on the region where the grapes were cultivated. It's not a straightforward process. Read more here.

3. Some major kinds of wine are Red, White and Rose. The red color (tannins) that red wines have come from grape skins. The longer the skin is in contact with the wine, the darker it is.

A bit about each of the wines we tasted.

Cavicchioli Rose Spumante

Cavichiolli Rose Spumante - Sparkling wine

We started off with the Cavicchioli Rose Spumante. Cavicchioli is a wine making family that's been in the business for decades and has made a name for themselves. This is a "sparkling wine." Prosecco has the character of champagne but it's actually a wine with a little bit of the grape's color (tannins) seeped in. This one had a refreshing fruity quality to it with a slight bite and would be perfect for opening special occasions.

Cavicchioli

Folonari Pinot Grigio

The next wine was a non-bubbly or "still" wine; the Folonari Pinot Grigio. Delicately flavored with citrusy notes and a "bright" acidity that even I could note. The other aspect was the crispness owing to the fermentation in steel tanks. By now we were slowly realizing that wine can get us high easily. 😸

Folonari Pinot Grigio

Folonari Chianti

The third and final wine to taste was an easily drinkable red, the Chianti (from the Chianti region) made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. This wine is D.O.C.G compliant meaning they are certified by strict guidelines by the Italian government. It was just what you expect from a nice red wine; smooth, full with the ripe flavors of cherries and raspeberries and a pleasant finish.

As you may know, the pairing of good wine with fine food is a science by itself and these wines lend itself to accompany red meat or seafood! In fact, the wines serve the purpose of being a digestive aid is what Mr. Bertacchini said!

The evening ended soon after and it was nicely hosted by Mr. Bertacchini who knew the ins and outs of this vast topic. These wines will be selling on the shelves by March 2018.

Tapas from A2

All this lovely wine was punctuated with tapas/small eats like Mushroom galettes, bruschetta and some tastefully made avocado based Maki that the chef wanted us to try. This one had a creamy texture and nutty flavor to it. Good stuff!