Become a connoisseur with Sonal Holland's help

Sonal Holland

Sonal Holland's Soho Wine Club will be offering tutored tastings and workshops to people on how to cultivate a wine palate

As someone who's been entrenched in the wine world for nearly a decade, Sonal Holland gets asked two questions very often: "Tell us what great wines are out there, and how can we get our hands on them?" "As more and more people asked me these questions, I realised that people really wanted expert advice on the drink," says Holland, a professional wine educator and consultant. Then, there was also the issue of access to good wine. Sometimes, you buy wine based on a wine shop's recommendation, and you are most likely to be disappointed. "But, considering around 3,000 wine labels are imported to the country, there is no reason why one's options should be limited," she adds.

This lack of knowledge about wines led Holland to start the Soho Wine Club, a membership-based group, which hopes to engage wine lovers with the alcoholic beverage, like never before.

Launched last week, the club, whose membership is just a click away (www.sohowineclub.in) and comes without a price, will be offering tutored tastings to people on how to cultivate a wine palate.

Not only that, the club will also guide you on how to procure certain wines, which you probably thought weren't available in the country.

On the calendar will be at least two events every month ranging from wine gatherings, workshops and dinners. The first, a food and wine pairing session, will be hosted later this month, at the Magazine Street Kitchen. "We will begin with a 45-minute crash course on how the food and wine pairings work," says Holland. She explains, "There are a lot of flavours in food that you can play with, which can enhance the taste of wine. At the session, we will pair wine with the most primary ingredients of food, so that you understand what works and what doesn't work. You must understand the interaction between food and alcohol to understand what kind of wine you need to consume and when. Hopefully, after the workshop, you will be able to go back home and do your own food-wine combinations."

And, what keeps Holland continuously engaged with the beverage? "My objective is very simple. I feel very passionately about wines.

All I want is for people to drink great wine and have access to the kind of wines I have as a professional. If everyone could sip on good wine, life would be a happier place," she ends.