I come from a family in France, known for growing grapes and making wine for many generations, in the heart of Bordeaux. For the last 10 years, I have lived in Delhi, married to an Indian. But my love for wine has stayed with me.I remember when I was a child, my grandmother would insist on getting me to sip a bit of wine to develop my palate. At home we would eat mostly muted cheese—although France has such a rich variety— so as not to kill the taste of the wine.Or the insistence on so many little things that go with wine: white tablecloths, drinking it out of crystal carafes rather than the bottles and the importance of the right decanter.When I first arrived in Delhi, it was impossible to get wine. The city’s wine lovers would constantly ask each other, “Where do you get your wine from?”. Those heading overseas would invariably be piled with requests to bring a few bottles back.That was then. Now, you get wines from all over the world in Delhi—France, Spain, Australia, New Zeland or Chile. In fact, I drink a lot more international wine in India than in France. Wine has become quite the ‘in-thing’ in Delhi.People drink wine, talk wine and even carry wine to parties even if they don’t really know enough about it, offering the safe comment, “very nice, isn’t it?” after a few sips. I find women more sensitive to the beauty of wine here.I prefer to drink wine as an aperitif in India. It doesn’t go well with Indian food, I feel. I wouldn’t call Grover red wine ‘great’, but I do drink it with pleasure.White wine is not really up to par. But wine generally is way too expensive in India, for its quality. There are also other issues with wine in India: glasses are way too large and instead of cork we use a lot of plastic or metal caps. That compromises on the quality. Also, the wine sold as foreign wine is usually of very young vintage.Wine is sold in India according to one grape variety (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc). But that’s not the way the French define wine. Grape is just one of the parameters. They sell wine by the château and by millesime— the year of manufacture.Château, because even grapes from one region can vary. And millesime, because a good or bad agricultural year determines the wine quality.Also, the ‘vin de table’ sold sometimes in upscale restaurants as ‘luxury wine’ from France is often the low quality, mixed wine from ‘cooperatives’.Please beware the next time you are served one! Good wine, I feel, needs to be savoured slowly and appreciated, not guzzled down like fizzy pop. I prefer to know what I’m drinking and where it’s from. A fine vintage is always worth paying for. For me, enjoying wine is a way of life.Vanessa Dougnac, Correspondent with Le Point, La Croix, Le Soir and Le TempsPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Sep 3, 2008 12:36 IST--- ENDS ---
