Indian wines - The Road Ahead(2)

• Most Indian reds tend to lack ripeness with green tannins, Many were over-oaked which sometimes mask faults in the grape and/or winemaking. Indian winemakers were advised to experiment a lot more, both in blending different types of grapes as well as with red varietals from Italy, Spain and South America, to explore which red wine grapes were most suited to India.

• Shiraz showed the best potential in India amongst the reds, and some of the Shiraz blends that were tasted displayed excellent fruit and spice aromas, balance, and expressiveness. The better examples included Reveilo Shiraz 2008, ND Shiraz 2006, Nine Hills Reserve Shiraz 2007 and Sula's 'Super Dindori' Reserve Shiraz 2007. The Château D'Ori Shiraz Merlot 2007 (tasted separately) was the most impressive wine (It went on to win a silver at the India Wine Challenge).
• Almost all the Cabernet Sauvignons disappointed as they tended to display either green, under ripe features or suffered from poor winemaking. The exception was the Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007, which was almost perfumed, with good berry fruit aromas, toasty oak and a lingering finish.

• The three sweet wines tasted were of very different styles. The Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2008 (which also won a silver in the IWC) was all honey and nuts, with balanced sweetness while the Reveilo Late Harvest 2006 was reminiscent of oranges and figs, although the high alcohol gave a bitter aftertaste. Sula's Dia was completely different, being made in the Asti Spumante style.

The international visitors suggested that Indian wine makers experiment with new varietals such as Tempranillo, Marsanne, Grenache, Malbec, Moscato, Semillon, and Petit Syrah. Indian wines should develop an 'Indian' style and identity. Although vineyards and winemaking in India were still very young and new, it was recognised that the next 10 years would bring about big changes - much in the same way that winemaking has developed in other New World areas. At the end of the day, the winemakers agreed unanimously that it is possible to make great Indian wine - provided wine producers worked at growing good grapes and invested in good winemaking practices.