India: So who is drinking what?

There is definitely wine in India, but who exactly is drinking it? I have tasted pretty much all of the local, at least grape, wine I can find, which was pretty easy, as that is a population of about three producers. I ran across fruit wines being sold up in the foothills of the Himalayans, but I didn't have a chance to try it, and I don't usually count it as wine, at least for the scope of this blog.

The most amazing thing about wine, at least this far from Delhi (I am up north in the large city of Chandigarh) is people's perceptions of it. They, at least the locals I have met, do not know exactly what wine is. They assume it is a sort of whiskey, and a high priced one at that.

When I had a chance to share wine with them they were delighted with the taste, although to be fair I started them off with a slightly sweet white. This is a beginner wine for many people, and it was well received here, and went nicely with the local foods.

People here drink whiskey, and they drink it with nibbles before a meal. Drinking wine with the dinner was not something they had ever thought of doing. In fact drinking wine at all was something they had not thought of doing.

Almost every block there is a store that sells liquor and beer, and while the signs say they have wine, none actually do. Only a few stores carry wine at all, and their selection is very small.

That is not surprising given that most of the people in India I have met have no idea what wine is. The few restaurants that have wine listed have "both kinds" red and white, and nothing more descriptive than that.

The wines made in India are not bad, but they are very expensive. In a country where a hair cut cost $1.50 a $12 bottle of wine is an investment that few consider worth the risk.

It is changing. The ultra rich are drinking the big name labels, as they always do. The middle classes are ordering Dominos pizzas in their Levi jeans over their cell phones, and sooner or later they are going to start equating wine with their lifestyles.

Once India gets a taste for wine, watch out, there is a huge potential market here, if you are very, very patient, or very, very proactive.

India: Yes, Virginia, there is wine in India

India does indeed have a wine industry. It is still nascent at this point, but it is certainly promising. I have tried a Zinfandel that was passable, although it suffered from poor storage, a red Pinot blend that was simple but decent, and a Cab/Shiraz that was very good.

The Cab/Shiraz came from Grover Vineyards which is associated with the Bordeaux wine star, Michelle Rolland, and it showed.

As with China, another country that has had little modern wine experience, India will probably find early success with joint ventures with those from more traditional wine producing regions.

Again, like China, the local population has little to no expectation of what wine should taste like, or in some cases even exactly what wine is. The local wine store we went into actually had no wine. They probably just liked the sound of it on their sign. Our hosts where we are staying have never tasted any wine, and one of our friends asked if it was similar to Tequila. The restaurant we went to last night was decorated with wine motifs, but did not actually have any wine for sale. A decent Riesling would have been a great addition to the meal.

Dry reds remain the wine of choice among those who fancy themselves to be wine lovers, but considering the spicy foods and the difficulty in learning to enjoy something truly foreign, it is probably the slightly sweet wines that will first win over the population here. We saw a program on local TV that featured Grover Vineyards, and the host was unnecessarily apologetic about the residual sugar in the Sauvignon Blanc only to gush about the dry red.

Once more drawing a parallel to China which has a much more mature wine industry, one of the largest hurdles will always be price, but those with ability to afford luxuries always turn to wine first as a status symbol, and eventually for the pure love of it. The attitude towards wine, even among those that have never tried any sort seems to bear this out.

I think it is no coincidence that a country's wine evolution so closely resembles an individual's. It may take a decade or more, but the love of wine is sure to be part of India's culture eventually.

Assuming I can actually find another bottle of wine or three, I will bring you further updates.

Food to Fly For

There I was, minding my own business while cruising along at 30,000 feet. When, boom, out of the blue it happened. A full 5 course gourmet meal. Now I have seen many attempts at providing gustatory excellence mid flight in my time. Tolerable is usually about as close as they get. Be it known Austrian Airlines, with more than a little help from DO & CO have done the impossible. They have impressed me.

The menu was ambitious, but I had seen this before. Over reaching on the part of airlines, hoping that their bluster overwhelms the senses and the diner who chalks up the mediocrity to the impossible logistic of serving so many with so little. This myth has been well and truly busted once and for all.

The wine list was moderate, but ideal for the food being offered. We stuck with a nice Riesling through the meal. We had planned on making the switch to a South African Shiraz, but the quality of the Riesling, and our dinner choices prevailed.

We started with a curried mouse bouche which was fitting considering our Indian destination. A tasty morsel that I enjoyed nearly to the point of licking the plate for the final drops.

A Viennese style morel cream soup was perfect for the setting. Ladled from a tureen with appropriate garnish.

I had the home made artichoke ravioli, my wife had the medallions of monk fish. Both were good, but this round went to the ravioli. I was hoping for seconds, but unsurprisingly, no one was offering.

The cheese course was delightful. A perfect selection including an Austrian blue that I wish I had the name of. It was ideal with the Beerenauslese they served.

Dessert found us enjoying a succulent almond cherry tart and a double chocolate cake, both of which did a fine job of preserving the legacy of Viennese pastry.

A wide selection of coffees were offered in the Viennese tradition and a digestif cart made the rounds.

The food was well and elegantly prepared. Not just for airline food, but by any standard. We could just have easily been sitting still at sea level instead of winging over the Black Sea at 600 mph.

Needless to say, this is not the coach fare. We are traveling business class around the world, something that I can not recommend enough when you are flying this far. Not just for the luxurious food, but for the leg room and other amenities.

If you get the chance, take a trip on Austrian Airlines where getting there is half the adventure. A special thank you to Christian Reisenegger, the onboard chef who not only made it special for us, but for all aboard.