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Starters
TIGER HILLs Wines If you have enjoyed the offerings from Chateau Indage in the past, you are sure to like yet another exquisite addition from India's premier wine family, the Chougules. Now Kavita, the daughter-in-law of Shamrao Chougule, presents,Tiger Hills, a range of premium boutique wines. UpperCrust received an invitation to a jaunt in their vineyards in Nashik and a day of doing nothing except getting acquainted with these new wines. It began at noon with a five course continental meal served along with six of their fine wines. "It is always advisable to start with a light wine and move on to a heavier, darker one," informed Jacob, the  sommelier. So we began with the fruity Sauvignon Blanc and closed with a Shiraz ending our meal. The dessert was accompanied with a luscious deep yellow wine, which was the perfect accompaniment with the tiramisu. Honey-like, it is yet to be launched in the market.After a complete meal and a lot of wine tasting, we proceeded towards the vineyards from where Tiger Hills got most of its prized produce. "The vineyards are scattered since we needed different types of soil," explained Vikrant, Shamrao’s son and Kavita's husband. Each vineyard spreads over 200 acres of cultivable land, producing some of the finest quality of grapes in the region. Each grape is hand-picked by a group of 100-200 farmers during the harvest season of January-February. This is transported in baskets to the winery where the final product is put into stylish bottles and made ready for export. The winery houses Italian oak vats and smaller French oak barrels. Wineries in Nashik today are looking at wine tourism in a big way. Tiger Hills has set up a resort and spa close to its winery, a 20 minute drive from its vineyards. The resort and spa exude a rustic look. The rooms are cozy and comfortable to suit the 'perfect weekend getaway' feel. The spa, located at the extreme end of the resort, is run by a dedicated couple. It offers a range of massages and treatments. You can spend an afternoon or a whole day pampering yourself with the in-house vino-therapy that promises to leave you relaxed and rejuvenated, feeling like a new born. Tiger Hills has been a recipient of many an international award in the last year and it hopes to make its mark as an international quality wine from India. So Cheers and may that glass never be empty!  WelLness redefined a la Tamaya style!Delhi the power seat of the country has many a corporate type hopping across to meet a babu or two to get licences cleared! Headache! But there is good news for the weary one. Tamaya, Spa and Salon has just opened in New Delhi and promises to rejuvenate you! Next time you are there, make an appointment and enjoy the luxuries of the spa. Tamaya offers 14 different types of facials, some for men too. Working towards creating its own niche in the business, Tamaya does not offer you the routine massages; instead there is the anti-stress Swedish massage, acupressure and aroma therapy. Also Balinese massage or the traditional stone or Sabai massage. You could choose to be wrapped in Moroccan volcanic ash or green coffee or Arizona desert mud or use a simple seaweed therapy. After you are done at the spa, you could make your way to the salon, have your hair styled to suit your perfectly glowing skin and get ready to face the world yet again! We think you will cut a great figure in the South Block as you go to meet Mr. Minister and head back to your city, licenses safely tucked into your briefcase! Delectable Art indeed… Valentine Day has come and gone, else we would have recommended you indulge in some unique fantasie… But then who cares every day is special if romance is alive and kicking in the heart and in one's imagination.  Fantasie just got a notch more innovative with their cocoa. They now have chocolate body paint! If formerly they made your taste buds tingle, they are now planning on giving your body the zing thing. They have got chocolate paint that can be used for innovative painting techniques which could include some very romantic experiments as well! The paint is available in toffee, fruit and other exotic flavours. You can also use this sinful yet delectable colouring as garnish for any of your favourite foods, to add colour and sweetness. Children can enjoy licking the sweet paint off the bottles or simply use it to paint body tattoos with this edible and non-toxic range of paints. You can personalize those simple biscuits or cakes with a simple stroke from these delicious paints. So let your imagination run wild and let the Fantasie begin!  Indulgence with a purpose!In spite of the hot, sweltering Bombay afternoon, it was a pleasure to meet Paul Hebblethwaite, better known as Dr. Chocolate, professor of the Chocology and Global Science Director for Cadbury Shweppes. The professor is indeed a chocolate lover, not just a promoter of its goodness. Standing tall with a jovial disposition, UpperCrust had a friendly chat with him on the journey of chocolates from the time it grows as a pod to the time it enters your mouth as a sinful delight. We've all grown up enjoying chocolate as a favourite treat and generations have known that chocolates make you feel good, but there's a wealth of research that goes into it. From being an anti-oxidant, to an aphrodisiac to lowering the blood pressure, this dark delight has so much to offer. Paul Hebblethwaite a graduate in MSC in Biological Engineering with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, is also a qualified Chartered Scientist. We learnt from him, that like wine, there is a complexity to chocolate, of flavours and aromas tantalizing the taste buds and eventually delivering a unique sensory experience. It was great fun indulging in a piece of sheer sin in a way that it had never been enjoyed before. We let a piece of the finest Cadbury chocolate rest on our tongue, and then let it melt so it would release its flavours naturally around to the palate.  "This will actually accentuate your perception of flavour and taste," Dr. Chocolate continued.According to the maestro, India is a potential market for promoting Chocology and the benefits of eating chocolate. Chocology we believe is a term coined by him and that he has been one of the pioneers of chocolate promotion in the world. It's amazing how multi-faceted he is, from being an ace in the field of confectionery to running an environmental charity and his branches only spread further. His report called Chocology certainly had everyone pondering upon the virtues behind this acceptable vice. |
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