Indian Wine
Sophia Longhi is a renowned wine communicator, writer, and tastings host, recognised as one of the ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in Drinks 2024’ by Drinks Retailing and winner of the IWSC Emerging Talent in Wine Communication Award 2022.
Grover Zampa Signet 2K Shiraz is one of the most premium red wines of India.
On Maharaja Drinks, it’s priced at £54. This might sound a bit steep for a wine from an emerging region from a producer you don’t know much about.
So, what makes the Grover Zampa Signet 2K Shiraz cost this much?
It’s not expensive just because it’s Indian wine - which is exciting and rare, but not necessarily expensive. Take the bottle of La Reserve Syrah Grenache from the same producer, which is £16. This is also a delicious wine! But, considerably cheaper.
What makes the Signet Shiraz different?
It’s all in the winemaking.
The wines in the Signet range are made from hand-picked grapes grown in the Nandi Hills in Karnataka. They are single-vineyard, estate-bottled, wax-sealed wines, which have been sparingly made, hand-crafted and unfiltered to retain the natural texture and phenolics. There are five wines in the Signet range, which have been through different maturation processes in different vessels - we’ve got concrete eggs, amphora, french barriques, a 1000 litre foudre and a 2000 litre foudre.
The whole range is to show honest, innovative winemaking in India that expresses the terroir.
The Signet Shiraz aged in a 2000L French oak foudre for 12 months. Big oak vessels like this soften the tannins in the wine and provide gentle oak characteristics, without being overpowering. The strong varietal characteristics of Shiraz, include blackberry, black cherry, pepper and tobacco are allowed to shine through.
It’s a beautifully expressive red wine with intense aromas that linger well after the first sip.
Effortlessly balanced, the fresh acidity contrasts with a velvety texture, provided by soft tannins and a fine, supple structure. The use of oak is very restrained, lending a warm, spicy note, which lingers, alongside the rich fruit, for a long, lovely finish.
It’s a special wine.
For all of that winemaking, creativity and honesty (and for a superb-tasting wine) it could be considered as excellent value. For a wine made like this from a more famous region, from a producer with a bigger following, you’d most likely be looking at a much higher price point.
This is one of the finest red wines to come out of India and worth the price tag.
In summary:
Grover Zampa Signet 2K Shiraz
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From the Grover Zampa single vineyard site in Nandi Hills
- Single vintage
- Grapes handpicked for quality
- Aged for 12 months in 2000L French oak foudres for soft oak characteristics
- Unfiltered to express natural texture and phenolics
- Designed to be an authentic expression of the terroir
- Estate bottled
- Wax sealed
Intrigued? See the bottle here: https://maharajadrinks.com/products/grover-zampa-signet-2k-shiraz
Watch the video on our YouTube channel
Written by Sophia Longhi, wine communicator, writer, and tastings host. Learn more about Sophia and her work at skinandpulp.com.
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