October 2007 - Posts

• Let Me Introduce Myself and the Bronze Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-Dara

  Sat-Sriakal, Namaste, Salaam, Pleased to meet you….Enchante. 61 Years Ago The British, ruled India….There were no Indians in Britain, and in India – ‘Wine’ if uttered at all meant ‘a distilled drink so potent in alcohol it would knock your socks off on a cold night’ Figure 1 Bronze Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-Dara circa 2500 B.C 61 Years later and Indians in India are responsible for their own fate….Indian food is the most popular dish in the UK, and in India – wine is beginning to mean wine again. Why do I say ‘Again’. It seems to me that the current inhabitants are discovering something that has long been known about in these lands. India has had its fair share of civilizations. Last Century Archaeologists discovered evidence of the Harappan Civilization circa 3000 B.C – now thought of as one of the three Ancient Civilizations. Such was the skill and knowledge of this civilization that they crafted magnificent works of art including the famous ‘Bronze Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Dara’ circa 2500 BC. Since then we have, amongst others, had the Vedic Era, Mauryans, Alexander and the Macedonians, The Guptas, The Mughals, The British and now The Indians….How will this Civilization come to be known in Centuries to come….. The point is that Cultures, Technologies and Foods have ebbed and flowed with these epochs as surely as the tides of the seas. The Great Bronze Craftsmanship of the early Harappans disappeared on their demise and only re-surfaced hundreds of years later. The story of wine treads a similar path, flourishing in certain era, floundering in others – but one thing is certain – it was always In India. ….And now 60 years after Independence, Indians are coming out of the shadows of previous epochs and are reaching a new period of self definition – with themselves and the world around them. At present in India, it is almost as if wine is that bridge which links Indians to the notion of the developed world. If the Caste System has been Shed, The Class System is stamping its authority. Wine is many things to many people. My own romantic vision is based in the Feudal times of European and Russian history, as hard working peasants having worked hard in their Masters’ fields, would at the end of the day, in their small abodes, find solace in each other’s company, a hunker of bread and a caraffe of wine. For the likes of Napoleon or Jehangir, it was drunk out of Golden Cups and cemented their status in society as Imperial Monarchs. At its most simple and sublime, it is a food which allows people to more easily connect with people and even themselves. The aromas and tastes, evoking new thoughts and memories, emotions and needs. These things are not taught – they are felt. Indians do not need experts from this country or that swilling glasses this way and that, to be educated about wine. In every Indian, the history of wine abides deep within themselves. It is just a memory that needs to be re-awakened. So where will the Indian wine revolution go from here….One of two ways I think – you can discuss the merits of each. The path of Marketing need, of Global Capitalist requirement….Wine as the Symbol that exclusively Champions the aspirations of the new breed of Indians – The burgeoning Middle Class – The magic number ‘200 million’, a prize to be had. This wine will have difficulty being Indian. When Indians taste this wine, they will taste Paris, Milan, Los Angeles – Not Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore….perhaps that’s what is wanted. Or….The path of ‘Indianess’. An Ancient product, long known to Indians, re-introduced to its people – all people - as a product that has no class owner, but rather symbolizes classlessness itself. The natural empathy between people. I am not advocating either path, and am not saying that they are mutually exclusive, but I do wish in talking to Indian winemakers and Indian wine-drinkers, that at this stage of development, there may be less insistence to look outside India to find the answers Having Studied Viticulture and Oenology, I worked in winemaking for several years in New Zealand - in particular at Sacred Hill in Hawkes Bay, where I worked with Senior Winemaker Tony Bish and his team. Since then I have worked as a Fine Wine Merchant at Fine and Rare Wines in London. During this time, I have observed the Indian Wine Culture, spoken with many farmers, tasted many wines and have also mapped out Viticulturally optimum micro-climates for various Varieties within India. To all the pioneering winemakers, merchants, farmers, wine clubs in India – I applaud what has been achieved thus far. What I throw out there is, if this is really a Revolution, then each one of you who has been involved in the journey thus far needs to ask themselves now ‘What is the philosophy and ideology that drives Indian Wine’. In France they do have a term for this. It is called ‘Terroir’   Author: Puneet Dhall   Posted Oct 28 2007, 12:06 AM by admin with 1 comment(s) Filed under: about wine, wine making, puneet

• WINE IS FINE AS A GIFT - Ajay Kumar Gothwal

  Festive season is round the corner. Lot of gift exchanging takes place in this season. People use this opportunity to convey their thankfulness and wishes through gifts. I am sure you would like to be different and do it in a style. Corporate gifting is a big business now a day and with my association with wine I would like to tell you that wine is catching up on the list of gifts. Over the time chocolates, scotches, whiskies etc. fell in almost everyone’s list. These have become a passé. Wine is something new and it becomes a prized possession. But for god’s sake don’t forget to give an opener if it’s a red, white or rose wine bottle. As finding an opener can be a tough task in India. Wine gifting also reflects the standard of your firm and the way you gift it. If you are planning it in a big way you can have your logo and a personalized hand written note on your behalf. Nothing can be more pleasing than a personalized message as per my opinion. Gifting of wine bottles can be in different shapes and different budgets. You can gift single bottles with two glasses and an opener or a champagne bottle with a flute glass. If you have more budgets then you can give pack of red & white wine. The gifts can be given in baskets, boxes or wine bags. You can be imaginative in your approach. Silk bags, jute bags, paper bags, wooden boxes etc are some of the examples. To get wines at more convenient rates you can tie with the companies and order them in bulk and I am sure they might help you in getting good prices. Some of the companies which I saw doing it are Champagne Indage. I guess their pack of well known Marquise De Pompadour bubbly will be great gift in this festive season. I have also tasted and tried a Gold Wine, the golden nectar with 99.9 pure gold flakes floating inside it. You might be well aware that gold in smaller quantities has been used and recommended in Ayurveda. I guess there can’t be anything, which can beat a gift like this. If you want to be little funny, witty than there are funny accessories like wine stoppers, champagne stoppers, in different shapes and sizes. So as far as wine is concerned it’s a bag of different choices you can have as per your requirements. I wish everybody for the festivities coming ahead and let’s raise a toast for good times and health! Do let me know your feedback and if you have any queries about how and where you can find these gifts. CHEERS! Ajay Kumar Gothwal is a Wine Educator   with experience of working abroad as well as in India. He can be reached at divineajay@yahoo.co.in for further communication. Posted Oct 14 2007, 07:00 PM by admin with no comments Filed under: ajay, wine Gift

• Chateau D’Ori, the rising star... - Anisha Sharma

  Chateau D’Ori brings a drift of Bordeaux to India. The first to produce French wines, right from scratch on terra India. “Our first crush of red and white wines, a hundred thousand bottles will be available in November,” announces Ranjit Dhuru (picture on right side), the man behind it all, in an exclusive chat with IndianWine.com. We already have French wines being imported to India, why the fuss about home production? First, imports come at a price; second Ranjit has always been one to set standards in optimal affordability. Aftek Infosys www.aftek.com, the IT bigwig that he also heads, “stands for Affordable Technology,” he explains. And so the business principle translates to Chateau D’Ori… The Chateau itself, nestled at the base of Nera Dori hill in Dindori, Nashik, has everything it takes for a quality first approach to wine-making. Dhuru takes pride in his team, including partner Deepak Thakur, enologist Kailash Dhuru and viticulturist Subhash Ranade to name a few, who share his passion for creating good wine. Ranjit confesses his affair began two decades ago as he took his software to foreign shores, and “conversation over business dinners inevitably focusing on wine, fascinated me.” Fortunately for him, Munich where his office was based offered a direct flight to Bordeaux. It’s been love all the way since then, and now he comes up with India’s first French styled wine estate, Chateau D’Ori. “Eight years ago, the property was bought,” he discloses, and it’s been preparation all the way since then. The 485 acre estate grows its own grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay… Not to mention the care that has gone into getting the, “right clones from amongst over 200 variants,” reveals Dhuru. It is the grape that makes the wine, he reasons. The grapes, themselves are grown using European viticulture practices, a first in India. “Single curtain growing allows for mechanization later on,” shares the foresighted Dhuru. “Also, we are using organic fertilizers and will have organic viticulture as the vines mature,” he adds. Enjoying every bit of the wine-making process, Dhuru gushes, “Enology is the basis behind every method that we employ at Chateau D’Ori. The size of vats, the sorting conveyer belts, the requirement to work top to bottom, well, everything is ruled by best enology practices.” No wonder the winery itself is architecturally designed as per enology too. Placed on the undulating hillock, the winery is perfect. Grapes are fermented at the top level and brought to a lower level for cellaring. The estate, itself is very scenic, with three lakes on the property and an unending horizon of sun-kissed vines. Could be looking at wine tourism in the near future? Hmm… While talking about Inida’s ancient connection to wine or Sura or Somras, as it was then called, Dhuru relates that the origin of wine is still an unanswered question. It is generally believed that Georgia (Russia), China, Tibet and India have a connection out there. Now who discovered the ambrosia, actually is not known. Well, what matters is that wine is back in vogue in India! Dhuru is not unduly optimistic about the market response, knowing that, “it is the quality of the vines and the grapes that determines who rules the market.” D’Ori wines will be first launched in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Delhi. Chateau D’Ori has a capacity for producing one million bottles per year. “It is backend integration to the vineyards that accounts for great wine,” observes Dhuru as he notices, bemused, that players who rushed in earlier are now reviewing their practices to plug the holes in quality, whereas Chateau D’Ori has done all the groundwork beforehand. With the quality of grapes under strict control, the Chateau’s consulting winemaker from wine country Bordeaux, Michelle Rolland’s protégé Anthony Fakaroli takes over the next step of wine-making. And bottles of Cabernet Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc, among others are ready to make it to wine-lovers’ glasses. The launch though with a hundred thousand bottles, will surely set the stage for home grown French wine in India. We have good reason to believe so, as long as quality is king at Chateau D’Ori! Chateau D’Ori’s list of firsts Home grown French grapes, from “right” clones Winery designed as per enology European viticulture practices Going Organic Special reporter Anisha Sharma for indianwine.com   Posted Oct 12 2007, 04:38 PM by admin with no comments Filed under: wine business, Chateau D’Ori, Organic