Often it is not enough to be in a market and gauge it. Wait, it is never enough nor entirely valid to assess something acutely from the inside. Imagine yourself in a cardboard box enclosed on all sides and asked to describe the world. Your definition wouldn?t go beyond brown and musty. The same ?world? viewed from the outside could give a much clearer perspective on dimensions and proportions.
So philosophically, what I am trying to zero in on is this: to understand India as a wine market we need another distant yet neighbouring standing point in order to get a good comparative view. I was recently in Singapore, a place that I never tire of, and my interactions with the local F&B stalwarts gave me some useful and insightful, well, insights, not only into their market but also into our own. In fact, one of the main contributors and commentators was Stephane Soret, the very acclaimed French sommelier who has worked in India and is now based in Singapore as the wine director with The Raffles. Here then are our findings.
* Discerned drinking: Sure Singaporeans drink more than us and a lot pricier as well, but the market is extremely Bordeaux-driven. While some may see this as signs of an evolved market, in many cases that is not the complete case. It is more difficult to sell other high-end wines (say from Italy, like Chianti, or even Chateauneuf from France) as the people seem to have rote the idea that only Bordeaux makes ?good? wine. Here in India, the knowledge levels may be lower but the ?unlearning? then can be skipped. So while we may drink less here, we stand to grow in a planned manner over the next few years.
* Eye for quality: In India, it is strange for many who visit that in spite of our rich cultural culinary past, we don?t seem to care much about what we eat. While that is not entirely true, the general quality of food served at our restaurants seems to point out a certain lack of sensory appreciation for what we send down our gullets. Singapore that way has a higher standard of dining. Even ?average? places turn out ?better-than-average? food. This is not because the people are better tasters necessarily, but because they are more demanding of their F&B. India, or rather Indians, too, need to change their habit of complacency and set down standards to be adhered to de rigeur. Only once the quality of food improves can we aspire to pairing and comparing wines alongside our multi-faceted cuisines.
* Legal leeway: People always hear that India succeeds in spite of itself and nothing could ring more true. The way our administration and legal systems seem to be set up, like shackles to weigh and slow us down, it is no surprise that we lag behind the international scene on various aspects. Singapore is much stricter and yet much easier. The seeming dichotomy is simple to explain: they have set rules but within reasonable limits, they work around things as long as the general good and calm is not compromised. In other words, the officials there wish to make things happen rather than be seen as stoic road blocks on the path to success and advancement. Our wine laws need to be relaxed and only then can such be made available to public to enjoy. Holding back is the worst way to control anything, as bootleggers and illegal grey market trade has proven since long.
I could go on, but the verdict remains: it is today cheaper to go off to Singapore for a meal and enjoy a glass of wine, or two, than to put yourself through the gruelling grind of trying to order a satisfactory repast. The more I travel, the more I realise how rich our potential is and just how ignorantly we let it lie dormant. In the end, I don?t know if there is any point I am trying to make. But as far as observation goes, I can safely state that while we may not be where we are, at least we know where we could get if we wanted.
?The writer is a sommelier