Even the monsoons cannot dampen the festive spirit of Mumbai... . On a rainy afternoon, a clutch of stylish wine aficionados is gathered to sample premium indigenous wines from the House of Fratelli. Mumbai’s fine dining restaurant, The Table, saw a heady mélange of delectable wines and women.

Puja Sekhri owner of Fratelli Wines and Verve’s Arti Sarin played graceful hosts to an intimate gathering of lovely ladies from varied walks of life, all eager to savour the flavours of the labour of love that is the Indo-Italian winery set in the heart of the Akluj district of Maharashtra. One by one, they sauntered into the atrium of Mumbai’s swish address.

The first pour was the Fratelli Classic White, an easy drinking, refreshing start and a good companion to ‘breaking the ice’. Meanwhile, scrumptious gruyère cheese puffs and tapenades did the rounds as we began to mingle and discuss all things delectable, including wines of course.

We were ushered up by restaurant owner Gauri Devidayal, to our private table setting with a five-course customised menu created for an indulgent food and wine pairing orchestrated by wine specialist and marketing head of Fratelli, Tarun Sibal, as he introduced us to each wine as we went along. A decadent afternoon with sumptuous cuisine, delectable wine and wide-ranging conversation flowing from vivacious Puja Sekhri’s fascinating account of her first rendezvous with husband Kapil, to ingenious fashion designer Deepika Gehani’s school memories to celebrated chocolatier Zeba Kohli’s childhood fantasy and Sanvari Alagh Nair and Anjori Alagh’s newly launched luxury portal, House Proud.

As conversations were brewing, we had our first course of spicy tortilla soup teamed with the award-winning Fratelli Chenin Blanc; its deliciously peachy limey notes were much appreciated by wine consultant and connoisseur Sonal Holland. As we spoke of fashion, travel, new business ventures and juggling motherhood and jet-setting careers with élan, artist Sharmishta Roy reminisced about her time in Paris with an unforgettable visit to the spectacular cellar of Pommery Estate in Champagne country....

The conversations were as eclectic as the guests! Around the table we had renowned theatre personality Raell Padamsee, interior and furniture designer Shahnaz Mahimtura, Delhi-based Pooja Singhal who combines fashion and women’s empowerment, fashion designer and store owner Sounia Gohil, corporate communications bigwig Rahat Beri and social media specialists Priyanka Agarwal and Abhishek Naik, among others.

A wonderful chèvre and arugula salad followed, which paired deliciously with the very atypical unoaked, fruity and citrus flavoured Fratelli Chardonnay. A style that certainly appealed to Sheetal Mehta of Nanhi Kali, the NGO that works towards the education of the girl child. The next course presented a tough choice between a tempting herb gnocchi à la Parisian, a steamed red Hong Kong style snapper and a Provencal lamb ragout. There were others but this was my hesitation, made simpler as we were moving on to reds and hence the almost evident choice of lamb.... As we spoke of wine preferences, luxury brand consultant Kadambari Lakhani passionately shared her tryst with Indian red wines. Tarun opened the characteristic Fratelli Sangiovese…. Zeba and I were in instant consonance...Indian terroir does lend itself impeccably to Italian varietals, a well-rounded wine with delicate tannins, it was a delight on the palate instantly.

As the sinfully inviting dessert sampling made its way to us, Verve’s Priyanka Nagpal hesitated and then gave in to the onslaught of debauchery while Tarun heightened the experience, as he was saving the best for last. He now unveiled the SETTE, the house of Fratelli’s limited edition premium wine that is touted by Steven Spurrier (International wine writer and wine consultant) as potentially the first Indian Icon Wine, much like Opus One of California. The wine’s name has been coined after the coming together of seven ‘sette’ brothers of Fratelli to produce a high quality wine made from its creator Piero Masi’s signature blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese matured in French oak. It is currently India’s most expensive wine and is a 2009 vintage with a production of only 12,000 bottles and will continue to be a vintage wine released only in years of exceptional quality produce.

It unanimously won us over with its delicate and elegant bouquet combined with beautiful balance and long finish and paired beautifully and almost effortlessly with both the succulent Provencal lamb ragout as well as the sinfully indulgent dessert sampling. A delightful afternoon in beautiful company had us leave and get back to business rather reluctantly... as all good things must truly come to an end!

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