New wine, New bottle!

Wine is no longer a treat reserved for the crème de la crème alone. Its charm is spreading to a wider circle of connoisseurs like never before…

It’s been a long time since 1985 when the whole concept of wines came to India. And it’s been a tough journey. Convincing people to have domestic wines was not easy initially. But now, we even export Indian wines. So that is a commendable achievement,” Ajay Kumar Ghotwal, wine educator, succinctly sums up the long way the concept of wining in India has come. And it’s not only been a horizontal journey; the once-formidable wine has also trickled down from the upper echelons of society to become the easily-accessible, always-enjoyable drink that can be found standing seductively in long-stemmed glasses atop dining tables in middle-class Indian households.

This sudden omnipresence is a result of a deeper, more gradual shift in the perception of wine in the societal mind. While it was considered elusive, expensive and elitist a few years back, it’s now within the reach of people who don’t flaunt up-market addresses and four-figure salaries. “Wine is no longer considered a luxury beverage,” reasons Jacob Alexander, wine trainer, Champagne Indage Ltd. “With people exposed to travel, good living and fine food, drinking wine has become de rigueur. The reasons for the success are the huge and burgeoning middle class, changing drinking preferences, increase in health consciousness, low base of wine consumption, annual increase in consumption rate of over 30 per cent — in short, plenty of opportunities for runaway growth. There are many reasons why people opt for wine. This is in fact, not a one day process, but has been gradually changing in the last few years,” he explains.

With the efforts of the state government, wine growers and innovative ways of marketing wine, this grape-fruit drink is all set to be imbibed in the folds of ‘our culture’. And the process has already begun. “Try going to any of the restaurants and ask for their wine menu and a surprise awaits you in the form of variety, and cost. Racks are full with Indian wines that are laid neatly across the imported ones, dressed up in trendy stickers and labels,” Jacob adds. Ghotwal gives an example of how Indian wine-makers have played a major role in popularising the drink by manufacturing inexpensive but quality domestic wines. “There’s a new MNC Pernod Ricard India, which has launched a brand called Nine Hills. They have been named the best Indian White and red wine only in their second vintage. (A vintage is a year of harvest of grapes, when all the conditions right from temperature and climate are favourable). So this also establishes credibility for us,” says he.

Promotional campaigns, which include various exotic initiatives like wine spas, vineyard visits, grape crushing events and so on, have also added to the charm that is associated with wine. So, while wine is no longer a high-society drink, its special appeal hasn’t diluted. Says Sanjay Roy, head marketing and sales—wines, United spirits, “To spread awareness, United Breweries have appointed special officials, who are entrusted with the task of enlightening members of different organisations of the fine nuances of drinking wine and the correct pairing of food with wine. We often organise small company get togethers where wine is an important part of the menu.” Ghotwal explains, “Wine tourism can be seen as a good means of leisure. Visits to vineyards are informative and that way, people associate more and acquire a better understanding of the drink. Wine is a drink you have to relax and enjoy and not to get high bang heads.”

The health benefits of wine are also making many people raise a toast to the drink. “Most people still don’t know that wine only has 12 per cent alcohol and that it has a lot of medical benefits, especially red wine, which is very good for heart. Also, since it consists grapes, it has antioxidant properties, which drinks like beer, whiskey or rum do not possess,” says Manoj Ratnakar Kapure of N D Wines, Nashik.

There are many ways in which connoisseurs are working to spread awareness and educate people about their favourite drink. The Pune Gourmet Club (PGC) has been at it since the last two years ago and is finding an eager audience for its initiative. Shankar Narayan of the PGC informs, “We started this club with an intention of changing the concept of wine being associated with only the elite sector of society. It was also an attempt to keep wine not just for the occasion but incorporate it into our dining culture, to promote its consumption on a more regular basis. And we have been working towards this by organising various wine tasting festivals, wherein we not only expose people to the enormous variety of wine but also give them the opportunity to explore certain aspects of the drink like the aroma and taste.”

With time, these efforts have succeeded in changing popular notions about wine. Here’s an example. “There used to be this entire notion earlier that wine goes well only with western food, but not anymore. Our Indian cuisine is so vast and varied in itself, one just needs to find the right kind of stuff and I believe there are a lot of chefs working on it. But personally, I think Mutton sheekh kebabs, Black pepper chicken Chettinad and Kashmiri chicken korma are just ideal foods to go with wine,” adds Narayan.

Others have a different take on the pairing of food and wine. “The perception is that red wine goes well with red meat and white wine goes with white meat, but it is out of the window now. Ideally, light wines should be paired with light food and rich food with full-bodied wines. Generally, white wines are lighter than red wines,” Ghotwal feels.

There’s more advice for all you wine enthusiasts from the experts. Jagdish Patil, the proud owner of wine restaurant Sommelier, says, “It is a must for wine connoisseurs to know all the wine etiquettes and to pronounce it correctly. Indian wines are usually simple and easy to pronounce.”

What are you waiting for then? As the domestic vineyards reap a rich harvest, it’s time for you to swirl, sniff and sip. Enjoy your drink!