This time - wine from India

Spurred on by the reaction to my last post about wine from Thailand, I've had a go at another wine from out east, this time a sauvignon blanc from India.

Seeing Sula's sauvignon on the list at Benares meant I just had to try it. This was a pretty good wine and had the typical grassy side to a good sauvignon, maybe more a Loire than a Marlborough. However it was overshadowed by the cocktail my wife had.

The passion fruit chutney martini was just that, a combination of passion fruit chutney with Smirnoff black vodka, passion fruit, egg white and a touch of lime. The kick from the spices in the chutney added a wonderful layer to a great aperitif.

Lunch was what you would expect from a Michelin starred chef of the standard of Atul Kochhar. If you can make it to the restaurant in Berkeley Square in central London you'll be impressed by dishes such as tandoor cooked salmon fillets with gazpacho salsa and pan fried king fish with chili garlic mash. And what fabulous value at £19.95 for 2 courses including a complimentary glass of wine.

As an aside, I was poring over the wine list (organised by grape variety) when the sommelier approached me asking if I wanted some help. We struck up a conversation and I found out that she has just sat her WSET advanced exam. That's quite a responsibility to be working in a restaurant like Benares with it's extensive and expensive wine list at her young age with those qualifications.