It is not for nothing that Italians are looked upon as the people who know how to live it up, around and about. All that they do is with such flair and panache that it is difficult to rate them as anything less than amazing. Needless to add then that even when they bring a wine show to other places, they do so with their own brand of zeal and energy.
With wine becoming more a casual commodity and less an exclusive indulgence, more people are out there trying to pair their routine outings with a glass of something ?medium-bodied and fruity?. Given the abundance of Italian restaurants (never mind the slouch of similarity of any kind with authentic Italian fare) consumers see it only as the logical step to have an Italian wine with their Italian seratas.
So that should then explain why Vinitaly in India manages to be such a crowd-puller. This year?s edition was held at a centrally-located hotel in New Delhi and the event saw some rather fun events that included an olive oil tasting and a guided tour of the different and diverse wine regions of Italy with a tasting of one wine from each region.
The biggest draw was the walk-around tasting. It is a huge hall with winemakers manning their stations with their wine bottles. They have a few glasses, a chiller to cool wines and a spittoon. As people walk in, they move between these tables in any order they would prefer to and taste the wines on display. The winemaker is not only happy to pour them a tasting portion (I repeat, tasting portion) and even tells them about the wine?from how and where it was made, for how long it can be aged, and what is the best way to enjoy it. Walk-around tastings can be considered the single-most exhaustive activity on the calendar of any wine professional and taster. Think of it as a tactile marathon and if we attend even one such every few months, we can be exempted from having to join a gym or explain our ever-increasing girths.
People are encouraged to taste and talk as these are the only platforms where such interactions are possible. Vinitaly India has been held in India for quite a few years and is still the most prolific and authoritative event on Italian wines to be held in India. With a sizeable range of wines being represented by a collective of producers is perhaps the best platform to present the cause of Italian wines, as also allow interested trades-folk to be able to interact and conduct business freely with some commendable winemakers from all over Italy.
It never helps to discuss an event that has already happened and especially when you, dear readers, don?t have access to it anymore. Sure it tells you about what wines to expect on your neighbourhood shelf in times to come, but if information is key, tasting wine with the winemaker is the master key card to the double doors of knowledge and enjoyment. Unfortunately, the promise of a good sip in the future is as lucrative as a looming carrot in the distance, or as believable as a girl who promises to not turn bossy after marriage. Or a man who tells you that he truly cares.
?The writer is a sommelier