Wine in India is much like the weather; one can never predict with any amount of certainty what will come next. We teeter between dry spells and floods with the weather as much as we seem to do with wines. Sometimes, months pass and nothing happens and then along comes a week all packed with new wines and winemakers, so rushed and crazy that one can barely find the time to keep up all commitments.
Whether I keep my schedule (or not) should be of no concern or interest to the reader, what this instance does is to highlight the fact that wine, even after all these years, is not a culture but rather a sporadic indulgence, not the everyday drink that is had alongside food but instead a manifestation of our insatiable desire for luxury.
That said, it doesn?t stop me from indulging and here are some very amazing events, stuff that will soon have all of us drinking better.
Slovak wines
Not the first country that comes to mind when speaking of wines?or the tenth for that matter?which is why it was a great idea on the part of the embassy to showcase two wineries. The wines were great sips, whites more so than the reds. Can they sell in India? Definitely, but they would need to publish a guide to decipher the grape names and terms. Here is a quick reckoner:
Riesling (white grape): Rizling R?nsky
Welsh Riesling (white grape):
Rizling Vla?sk?
Blaufrankisch (red grape):
Frankovka Modra
Dry wine: Such?
Sweet wine: Polosuch?
Spice Market by Gulatis
This restaurant unveiled a new beverage list with an easy-on-the-eyes layout. More importantly, the idea was to price it not to compete with other outlets but with the cost of drinking at home! Sumit Gulati?s (owner) words, not mine. What we have then is perhaps the cheapest possible array of wines, beers, and spirits in the country (they even serve Patiala pegs!) in spite of the taxes. As for the food, that remains iconic as ever.
Mauro
The wines of this famed Spanish house were presented over a cosy homely meal with the man Mariano Garcia himself present, sharing anecdotes and his opinion. The wines are a delight even if a bit heady (not to mention, expensive) but they are a definite tick in the box for any aficionado. Strangely enough, my two favourites were both Toro, the Prima and the San Rom?n. They were also the most ?affordable?.
Demptos oak seminar
Fran?ois Witasse, the CEO of the famous French barrel-making house Demptos, was in the country to meet the winemakers. While India has a tremendous demand for barrels, it is largely for the spirits industry and serving the wine industry with its annual demand of barely a few hundred barrels is just that, (social) service. But Francois extended his stay to conduct a small seminar about the benefits of oak. One thing he said I won?t forget in a hurry, ?If you wish the flavour of wood in wine, use oak chips. Oak barrels are required if you wish to age wine.?
Concours Mondial
While we are on the world scene, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles celebrated its 20th anniversary edition recently. With over 8,000 wines judged by 300 judges spanning 80 nationalities, this three-day affair was the place to be if you wished to clink glasses with the finest of vinos. I was there, and more than the prestige, it is the knowledge that one acquires from tasting alongside such seasoned palates that matters. The results are out and if I find any winning wines that are already in India, I shall share them at the soonest.
All in all, a packed fortnight, never a dull moment, and all good stuff to take one?s mind off the scorching heat. Now, as we settle back to watch the new cabinet?s first few days in power, I have my fingers crossed that some pleasant news comes our (wine) way.
The writer is a sommelier