SO WHILE we sit around and wait for the taxes to reduce to something that resembles the sensible, it is a good idea to keep up the hustle. For all said and done, in spite of the nonsensical taxes and ludicrous levies, we are still charting growth, no matter how slow a trickle it might be.
But there is another way to combat this high-tax regime—without breaking the law, of course. And that is to look at winemaking countries, which churn out some real value-for-money stuff: high-quality wines at a price that, even with all the levies, would still make sense sitting on a shelf.
Here are four countries—in alphabetical order—that I would love to see come to India by the wine route.
Austria: This tiny landlocked country makes some of the best white wines in the world. Being boutique it means that the average price per litre is high, but the rupee goes a lot further here than, say, in Burgundy, fetching you far higher quality for a comparatively lower price. But not just whites, even the Burgenland reds are a great buy. Blaufrankisch is the grape that will soon be the talk of every vinous circle and Austria will be spoken of as the country with some of the finest versions.
Greece: Yes, they are going through an economic crisis even as you read this, but all that notwithstanding, the wines of Greece are one of the most unique propositions in the world. Almost all their grapes are autochthonous (that is, they can only be found in Greece) to the regions. Many of them are aromatic and there exists no parallel in western winemaking countries to match their uniqueness. And the best part is that they don’t cost the earth. Sure, some of the names can be tongue-twisters (Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro, Moscofilero), but once you get the hang of them, you will wonder why it took you so long.
Israel: This is another area mired in a wrangle of the political kind, but that didn’t stop me from visiting to try its fantastic wines. What else could you expect from the country that gave drip irrigation to the modern world (something that made winemaking possible in many regions in the first place)? Israel, like Austria, is a small country and a lot of it is not conducive to grape cultivation. So here again, we find low volumes and somewhat higher costs to production. In order to make this sound workable, they ensure that they infuse enough pedigree into their wines so as to justify the price. The result is wines that could take on the best in the world (think French, Italian and Californian) at a much more affordable price point.
Portugal: The problem with Portuguese wines is that nobody knows about them—the country is tucked away in Europe behind Spain, and its wines are burdened by the popularity of Port, the regular Douro and Dao wines. And all this is further magnified when you consider that the Portuguese have traditionally planted their fields with an assortment of grapes, so that no wine is ever a single-varietal. All these may seem to detract from the lucidity in understanding their wines, but if one were to delve deeper, one would come up with some amazing bottles for absolutely unbelievable prices. If Spain has met with success by introducing their wines in India, then Portuguese wines shouldn’t have much difficulty tracing a similar route.
I wanted to name a few more countries worthy of representation (Georgia, Moldova, England!), but for the time being, even these four would be a big leap, if only the industry can take its head out of where it’s been perpetually for so long—a place where the sun don’t shine—and see that wine is not only made in a few countries. There is a world of possibilities out there, options that can fuel wine consumption in spite of the oppressive authoritative regime that governs the laws of our land. By widening our horizons and not sticking to the usual suspect wine-producing regions, we stand to benefit immensely. Respected ambassadors of the above-mentioned countries, if you are reading this, any word of encouragement to the winemakers back home will be much appreciated.
The writer is a sommelier