I have been drinking, and appreciating wine since 2007, but have only recently begun my journey into understanding it better by working in the wine industry which is incidentally as complex as the subject. This is why I, with my mostly lacking expertise but a somewhat keen understanding of the subject, am going to dole out some gyaan and dispel some myths on stuff you thought you knew but didn’t know about wine in this city.

# 1 Don’t be intimidated by it, just appreciate it. 

It’s wine, not veritaserum; it’s meant to be popped, savoured, and enjoyed. I very often find that most people view wine as being restrictive, elitist, bothersome, exorbitan and mostly mystifying.  Not to suggest that all of this is untrue, but I find myself repeatedly emphasizing to whoever-cares-to-know that wine needn’t be treated as anything more than an enjoyable, maybe even cheaper, and healthier alternative to most other preferred hard liquor options; along with being a great accompaniment to relaxed dinners, lunches, brunches, whathaveyou. View wine as a learning experience more than an element of snobbery, or just a gift for a party; take your time to savour, appreciate, and just enjoy wine by yourself to understand what taste and texture suits your palate best. Everyone has a ‘fondest Wine memory’. Make yours!

Here’s a picture of a Domaine Sauger, Pinot Noir 2006 that I sipped on for hours by myself, at the hip Latin Quarters in Pari on a warm, balmy afternoon in June 2009; an image that always brings back pleasant memories of pungent camembert cheese, French bread, and beautiful surroundings and people: 

 

# 2 Wine, or rather good wine, is hard to find in Delhi liquor stores and restaurants

Untrue.  Over the years, I’m pleased to notice that Delhi has really picked up on the wine culture, including stocking good wine at most stores.  Especially, with stores such as Spencer’s in Gurgaon, Nature’s Basket at Defence Colony, the Wine Cellar at Savitri Cinema, the Discovery stores in Gurgaon, the fantastically stocked SDA market liquor store, and the other posh-er liquor stores in the city, I find wine purchasing to be a hugely educative, engaging, enticing, and enjoyable experience.  In fact, for all you Khan crawlers—the Khan liquor store actually has a fairly decent collection of imported and Indian wines at all times, displayed cosily at the far end of the otherwise jam packed store.  A tip for the women: the gentlemen present at the Khan wine store are ever willing to assist you with your wine shopping, separate billing, and a bit of charm could even get those cartons of booze carried straight to the car.

Why I focus more on buying wine at a store is to allude to just how infrequent it is to order bottles at a restaurant, as opposed to the slightly more commonly heard “a glass of the house wine please.” Most restaurants in the city are beginning to maintain extensive wine lists, but don’t be fooled into thinking that just because the name sounds fancy or if the waiter is pushing it, it’ll be good wine.  Delhi restaurants are still largely deficient in selecting, storing, offering, and serving good wine. 

That said, I highly recommend the wine offerings and service at the following places you’re likely to visit more often: Baci, Sunder Nagar; Diva; GK II; Smoke House Grill, GK II; Set’z, Emporio Mall; Olive at Mehrauli & Diplomat Enclave; Café ZaZa, Zamroodpur; Indian Accent, The Manor, among others.

# 3 The more expensive it is, the better

Well, no, not always true.  While it is safe to assume that in most cases more money would afford you a premium quality of product, bear in mind, that with wine {and most other alcohol}, the forces of marketing, overall brand perception and popularity, celebrity endorsements, and ratings by celebrated sommeliers and experts can cause the price of even an average wine to shoot up astronomically!   

The biggest marketing coup in the history of the wine and champagne world is the story of how Jay Z single handedly altered the fortunes of Armand de Brignac, a relatively unknown and non-descript Champagne produced by the Cattier family, that costs a mere 10 euros in production, but retails for $300 a bottle (originally retailed for $50).  How did that happen?  In a world that is ever increasingly obsessed with celebrity endorsement–Jay Z, in retaliation to a public racial slur by the manager of Louis Roederer, snubbed the more esteemed, established, and very expensive Cristal, over a racial slur, and famously poured bottles of Cristal down the NYC drains at a well publicized outing.  He then proceeded to collaborate with Armand, launch it in his videos, and just like that, made Armand one of the most famous and expensive Champagnes in the world to compete with a Louis Roederer produce.

Wine may not have attained such cult, celebrity driven popularity, yet it is prone to people’s misunderstanding pertaining to wine being better if it hovers above the Rs. 1,500-2,000 mark.  

In my personal experience, some of the more delectable wines I have had are Indian wines that cost no more than Rs. 300 a glass at any upmarket Delhi bar, and actually retail for about Rs. 500 {or less} at a store.  Even if you’re not buying a Sula/Grover, try a Fratelli, or splurge a little more and indulge yourself with a Beaujolais Villages Henry Red Wine {available at the wine shop at Savitri Cinema for Rs. 1200}, or a Baron Phillipe {also available at the wine shop at Savitri Cinema for Rs. 950-Rs. 1800}.

# 4 Imported wines are better than Indian wines

Ok, so let me give you a bit of a historical insight here: Viticulture {cultivation of grapes, in case you’re still wondering} was introduced to India by the good ol’ Persian traders sometime in the 4th millennium BC.  Wine consumption is mentioned in the Vedas, and was commonly enjoyed amongst the Aryan tribe {which explains why North Indians are predisposed to such heavy indulgence in alcohol}.  The first known mention of grape-based wines was in the late 4th century BC writings of Chanakya, the chief minister of Chandragupta Maurya.  Viticulture and winemaking was strongly encouraged as a domestic source for the British colonists in India, leading to vineyards being planted extensively through the Baramati, Kashmir, and Surat regions. Today, the edge that International wines have over their Indian counterparts, owes to stronger and centuries-old wine making experience and stronger exporting logistics.

But don’t fall for that bottle of Jacob’s Creek yet {which, btw, is a very avoidable wine in my opinion}; Sula has been consistently making some great wines and many new producers like Chateau d’Ori, Vintage Wines, Chateau Banyan, and Fratelli have entered the fray with some produce that is worth a try. 

My personal favourites from the smorgasbord of home grown wines include:

• Sula Rasa Shiraz, 2007/2010 ; Complex, rich, deep wine; considered a collector’s edition wine
• Sula Cabernet Shiraz, 2007 ; Smooth, medium-bodied, red with a distinct cherry taste; it would be hard to find a 2007 now, but any year post that is good too
• Sula Reisling ; Crisp, acidic, but great green apple taste; hard to find but available at the Gurgaon Discovery stores
• Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc (BIG FAVOURITE; dessert wine; great on the palate, sweet, honey-textured, but rarely found in and around Delhi-NCR)
• Sula’s Dia Sparkling wine ; a great, fruity, light, semi-sparkling wine that works best as an aperitif. Very cheap—retails for Rs. 180 in Goa and Maharashtra, but Rs 480 in Delhi {available at the Khan store}
• Grover’s Viognier ; Light floral white wine with tropical fruit flavours; available at most restaurants and stores that stock Grover
• Fratelli ; New Indian wine, makes some nice, young wines, light on the palate

 

# 5 Wine can be stored at Delhi room temperatures

No.  Not even if you’re intending on storing and/or serving red wine.  You’d rather drink colored vinegar, if you are to store and drink wine at a sweltering 45°C!  Room temperature here refers to the 14-18°C of a European cellar or room, not our room temperatures.

While, serious wine investment and collection necessitates proper storage facilities, you could do well by storing your red wines at a 45° angle to the surface it leans on (to avoid corking) in a cool dark corner, or in an old, inefficient fridge. As for whites—no, they needn’t be chilled like champagne, but they do need to be served at anything between 5-10°C, depending upon whether it’s a white or a sparkling or champagne. 

So, rule of thumb: Keep and/or drink the reds at about 16°C, the whites at 7°C, and the sparkling wines at a chilled 4-5°C.

# 6 You’re sure to be served good wine, because a) you don’t know about wines as much to be certain, b) you’re shelling out a lot for this bottle/glass, c) you’re at an upscale joint, or you’re at the Gymkhana Club.

I apologize upfront if I offend the sensibilities of any Gymkhana lovers {I’m one too}, but DO NOT ask to be served wine there.  On repeated occasions I have been served poorly stored wine that tastes, to put it mildly, much like feline piss.

Gymkhana isn’t the only exception; I was once served a spoiled wine at a prominent restaurant in Defence Colony.  Not being too sure of my own judgment, I summoned the waiter to taste and replace my wine glass. Funnily, I was forced to pay for wine that was clearly undrinkable.  Except, I did not; I insisted they have someone from another table taste wine from the same bottle, and it was declared spoilt then too.  My wine was promptly changed, and an apology tendered.

My point is | You’re paying to enjoy a good, drinkable product.  Do not get bogged down into thinking you can’t know enough to determine if the wine is drinkable or not.  If it doesn’t taste right, you can ask to replace it.  Any good restaurant that prides itself on good wine service would be happy to offer you’re a replacement.

I’ve often also been asked if it’s OK to walk away with the wine if you’ve paid for the bottle at the restaurant, and can’t finish it in one sitting; my answer is—unfortunately, no.  Law dictates that even if you’ve paid for a bottle in a restaurant where the full duty has been paid, you still can’t take the bottle out, and would have to waste it.

*****

Generally speaking, the best way to go about learning and enjoying wine is to be patient.  Spend time understanding the basics of wine, how and where it is made, how it feels on the palate, how it goes down, what food it pairs well with, and whatever else that can add to your wine drinking experience.

In my upcoming posts, I hope to be able to tell you more about the basics of wine, and suggestions on what wines to have depending upon what and/or where you’re eating and drinking, and much, much more.

And on that note, Santé!

“It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend, one’s present or future thirst, the excellence of the wine, or any other reason.”  -  Old Latin proverb