Saturday 25 October 2014

When Wine Becomes Legendary: Grover Zampa's latest Vijay Amritraj Collection Launched.

Grover Zampa Wineyards, one of those rare companies that wish to revolutionize the way we consume, include or more often exclude wine when we dine recently came up with a new collection The Vijay Amritraj Collection. Vijay Amritraj a legend in the Tennis court and a multi-talented personality who expanded his universe further into acting in the best Hollywood films like MI6 and Star Trek 4 further buds off his  entrepreneurial skills by venturing into what is perceived as one of the most difficult industry to be in, Wine. Who better to partner with than Grover Zampa who though nascent brand have made their mark by winning many international accolades. Grand is the collection and so was the venue The Leela Palace, Delhi, right when the city began to experience a little nip in the air, right when you need a sip of the warmth of wine. 


 Starting from left. Mr. Kapil Grover- founder Grover Zampa, Mr. Vijay Amritraj and Mr. Ravi Jain, Director Grover Zampa

The terrace at The Leela had the right ambiance for the event as the evening filled in we witnessed the top diplomats, people in the food and hospitality industry and socialites walking in. All greeted by the warm and infectious smile of Mr. Vijay Amritraj who has a great personality. 

  Me with the legend himself Mr. Vijay Amritraj
This was the second meeting of mine with our bloggers group (third for the group). As soon as I walked in I met Avi Sir first and he is someone so caring that a hug from him makes your day. Meeting Rosme, Sangeeta, Kavita, Sneha, Sudipto, Anubhav and Vickhram next was equally pleasing. The gang was there to bang and the wine finally landed in my hand. The first one I tasted was sparkling and it had a very unique taste and a great look. I really wish since the first time I have tasted Grover Zampa Wines to spend a day with the formulators on field at work, that would be amazing as these wines completely changed my perspective on Indian wines which are often wrongly perceived as substandard. The international recognition Grover Zampa has received speaks volumes in itself and I needn't elaborate more.

 A part of the bloggers gang (some missing busy with wine) with Mr. Vijay Amritraj

Also met the celebrity chef Saransh Goila, I really loved his Hulk T-shirt and more than that his easy going friendly nature. looking forward to watching his travel and cuisine show in Europe which he animatedly described. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqAGoXkJJwo. 

                    Bloggers Gang with Saransh Goila, Avi sir and Rajiv Tanwar

It was a pleasure meeting my old friend since the earliest blogging days Karan and Leher Sethi. Leher is the most beautiful young face adorning the Delhi Page 3 and Karan is one of the most helpful people I have met in Delhi. We rekindled our older times with talks about older & future ventures, ofcourse discussing our common love "books". Also met the lovely and efficient Ruby Singh from Thnkmkt. 

   With Karan and Leher Sethi, Sarash Goila, Abhishek Pai and the lovely Ruby Singh

Meeting the legend Mr. Vijay Amritraj was a cherry on the cake. He is warm, gentle and very easy going to interact with which is rare in celebrities. He strengthened my belief that truly great people are always humble, Clive Lloyd just taught me that with his own example last week at Aaj Tak. 

       Finally everyone from the bloggers gang are here with Mr. Vijay Amritraj

Best people I met during the day were Rajiv Tanwar, founder Pintxo - a Spanish cuisine restaurant which boasts of serving the best Spanish food in Gurgaon and hosting celebrities across the globe like Steve Waugh, Anushka Sharma and many Bollywood stars. Anamika Singh -founder Tea Sommelier, someone with a very positive, vibrant aura; Varun Veigas, owner Al-Karam Kebab house, the bloggers table I missed and Mr. Kapil Grover founding partner Grover Zampa whose zest for life and wines was equal. His spirit in venturing into this business is inspiring. 

     The Gorgeous Trio: With Anamika Singh (centre) and Sangeeta Bahuguna

Being a fan of white wine I tasted that too which was equally good and had a pleasant taste. The Vijay Amritraj collection overall in my opinion is a subtle flavoured collection that would go well with the spicy Indian food that was being served. Its also a good collection to start with for non wine drinkers as unlike other wines this will not put you off.

   The life of the party: Us ofcourse

The best thing after wines that day was the flavoured chocolates that made it more festive and credit goes to The Leela ofcourse. It was the most consumed dish of the evening.

 Lastly I would like to congratulate the entire team of Leela Palace and Grover Zampa Wines for the amazing event that bonded people. The hardworking Grover Zampa team that put forth the event was led by Mr. Sumedh Singh Mandla- CEO of the company and Mr. Malay Kumar Rout, Head of North and East India.

 Going Right from Mr. Vijay Amritraj in the centre with Mr. Sumedh Singh Mandla- CEO Grover Zampa and Mr. Malay Rout, Head of North and East India, with their hardworking team.
 
 I wish Mr. Vijay Amritraj and Team Grover Zampa many a good luck and great laurels together.

      The Vijay Amritraj Collection is here for you
Thank you Mr. Malay Kumar Rout, Head of North and East India, Grover Zampa for the invite and Avi sir, well for being the guardian angel for all of us.

Picture Courtesy: Vickrham



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