How to enjoy wine with its companions!!!

It’s always great to enjoy something which has been enhanced by the use of a foreign material. Like the use of a garnish to enhance the appeal of a dish. I remember as a student, my faculty use to shower us with garnishing tips, explaining the reason that the guest eats from his eye. A strange statement though, it’s nothing but a fact. Now after this vague example, let’s shift our thoughts to apply the same practise in wine drinking etiquettes.

Arguably, any wine drinker or specifically a connoisseur will agree that “accessories” in wines plays a vital role in enhancing the overall wine drinking experience. Experts have innovated many, but few prove to serve the right purpose and very essential whilst some are just an alternative.

It was only until when I was left with no choice, but to enjoy my wine in a water glass, I realized, how important role a shape of a wine glass plays in the appreciation of wines. Piny Elder is the man behind introducing glass as a tool for drinking wines, which earlier use to be a clay cup and a brass metal eventually. The shape of the glass enhances thebouquet of the wine, be it red or white and allows it to fall on the part of the palette, where one will benefit the most out of it. Let’s just say that you avoid one bad comment about a wine or a brand, if it was not for an appropriate wine glass.

The first time when I saw a “decanter”, I unhesitatingly guessed it as a flower vase without thinking much that this glassware is an important tool to bring out the complex aromas and flavours from a wine. Technically defined as “breathe”, its use is twofold; firstly, old wines which are meant to be aged and relished at a later stage, usually containsediments which are natural and unappealing. Decanting helps to get rid of those unwanted sediments by holding a candle or a torch at the neck of the bottle, and pouring the wine on a tilted angle. It allows the sediments to settle down at the neck of the bottle. Secondly, it helps to release and maximize aromas and flavours in an old and a young wine – both red and white. The older and deeper the colour of a wine, the longer it needs to breathe.  Notably, a decanter should not be used for a sparkling wine, since a wide breathing space will allow its fizz to escape and the wine no longer persist its refreshing character.

What’s the fun in spending a $ 100 on a bottle of wine whose aromas cannot be enjoyed? Humans have always found a solution for everything and this time it’s yet another accessory called “wine aerators”. Personally speaking, this accessory is a life saver for the famous chateaus and producer’s, whose quality expectancy, owing to the brand loyalty is much more in the minds of a consumer. The purpose of a wine aerator is quite simple. It is designed to fully aerate and allow your wine to breathe. This in turn lets out all the flavours and enables you to taste and enjoy the wine as it was intended to be enjoyed by the winemaker. To give it a try, pour 2 wines of the same kind in a glass, one directly from the bottle and the second through an aerator, the difference in the smell is quite an answer for my question asked earlier.

I have always, in almost every wine session, welcomed this question. “For how many days can we store an open bottle of wine, without deteriorating its taste”? A crisp answer to this is an easy 2-3 days, wherein the cork has to be properly inserted right in the bottle. However, for better results a “pump” and a “stopper” is one of those accessories which comes as a saviour in case you’re sure to not finish a bottle of wine for the next  4 days. Pumping helps remove the air from the bottle, which is simply described as the “enemy of wine”. The more the wine you remove from the bottle, the more you have to pump to get the air out.  For example, pouring only one glass of wine will need only 3 pumps to create the vacuum, but if you pour 3 glasses from a bottle (750 ml) may take 8-10 pumps. It’s fun to pump, try it!!!

Defining about accessories will be never-ending, but as I said earlier. Many are invented but only few serve the right purpose and the rest is just an alternative. - Agnel Gilbert

Mystery of an unopened bottle - Agnel Gilbert

Though I am professionally attached to wine, my favourite drink which I usually relish on is always a beer. As exclaimed by the great Benjamin Franklin, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. In no circumstances I’ve been ever put down by a bottle of beer, unless it’s gone flat. It’s obvious that a drink like beer is hardly hampered by its storage and handling condition, unlike a bottle of “wine” whose destiny is written in the hands of its customer or ethically said its parent. A bottle of wine can well be managed or even damaged by its handling, just like a baby whose success meter can be measured on the amount of teachings nurtured by his/her parents

When we converse about “Mystery of an unopened bottle”, there goes a lot of technical saga which describes about the complete process of making wine. Right from the grapes being harvested at the vineyard till its bottling at the winery. One petite mishandling could lead the whole effort of the viticulturist and the winemakers go for a toss. Since it’s the wine that speaks of their skills and expertise, it’s also the process of transportation, handling and storage that may completely forsake their efforts and spoil the vintage experience of the particular year. Given the needs of an amateur, he/she might not look for quality at first instance, since it’s tough for him/her to judge whether the wine is still living or dead. But a connoisseur having a sensational experience and hoards of expectations from a brand could be simply deprived

Shockingly, the other day I came across a store which had beautiful Dom Perignon Champagne on display under a 100 volt bulb. But before anybody could savour it, I was through to my opinion that Rs 18,000/- worth of wine has already gone bad. For simple reason that wine hates direct light, be it natural or artificial. Other factors like continuous disturbance, incorrect temperatures and storage positions etc are also quite your enemy in hindering the wine experience. Hence, apart from deciding which wine to drink, it’s highly recommended to decide on the right vendor who is supplying the wine. In the view of the fact that the vendor would just add up to your experience in relishing a bottle of wine. 

In my 3 year career in the wine industry, I must say that, out of the assorted mix of questions asked by wine drinkers, the most common one arguably is “For how long can we keep a bottle of wine open without its taste getting deteriorated?” Well, call it a myth or the view of an expert, who suggests that an opened bottle of wine will be at its best for the next 2-3 days. Though, the same justification has not been proven scientifically. Hence, as challenging it is to understand the “Science of wine” it’s equally important to know that wine is not just a drink to be opened and gulped down to get intoxicated. It deserves an appreciation for its colour, look, feel and not forgetting the pleasure which is the most ultimate of all. That’s where you feel contented that you’ve got your “ethics” right in judging the “Mystery of an unopened bottle” – Agnel Gilbert

Cheers to my first wine tasting experience :)

We all have great senses of what we see and touch, but has anybody tried to sink through your thoughts to analyse the necessity or rather judge the fact that your day to day drinks and eatables have a far wider range, and you stand the very right to judge and decide whether you like it or hate it to the core. Well the fact is, mankind has always loved what he’s been doing and overtime luxurious needs especially wine, has just evolved to be a more fashionable drink than single malts and exotic cocktails. But still, you’re the master for your choices and keeping it simple and sexy is how you conquer your thirst.

Awesome, so let’s brain storm, when was the first time you gulped this liquid? It isn’t that hard, since technically, the legal drinking age in India is 21, unless you’re been drinking illegally which is not at all exceptional. To start with, let me pitch in my first wine tasting experience which was conducted for corporate selection and organized more formally (or maybe I thought it was so), anyways I wish I had inked my diary to record the date,  but I was very much a rookie in the beginning, and hardly bothered about anything but updating. There were almost 6-7 wines that was tasted, 4 reds, 2 whites and 1 rose. Now that’s like a nightmare for an amateur taster, unless you have a host like Mr. David Banford, who, unhesitatingly took us through the whole tasting procedure. When I tasted my first wine, I was shattered and disgusted on myself for I was the only chap who was wandering in the heaven to discover some fruits, especially those like citrus and peaches which is so common to you, but challenge to get the same from the wine. But to my surprise, people didn’t criticized me for throwing my first personal nuance which I got, banana (from a white wine), and they were like “Yeah, we do get bananas”, I heaved a sigh of relief and thanked my nose, mind and tasting buds and whoever involved in getting that word right. Later I remembered what the host had mentioned, “Nothing is right or wrong in wine tastings, it’s just your personal notes that matters, unless it’s deliberately a crap”.

The tasting followed to the whites and then reds. One thing which I just couldn’t realize till the end is why the hell on earth are the taster’s spitting what they have consumed and it was only until my last sip, when I got high, I realized, I overheard a small tasting guide that, you are supposed to spit the wine after swirling it in your palate. Nevertheless, I didn’t quite regret it much, for I was convinced with the fact that the wines were extremely relishing.

Having tried more than 500 wines in the last 3 years, and successfully completing WSET level 2, I must say that the journey has been super duper exciting, especially when you organize wine tasting or be a part of it, and people say, “Dude you unarguably have the best job in the world”, I feel relaxed and contented for there’s always a moral support that follows me.

I guess a lot has been narrated about my personal first time experience. Believe me, it’s not rocket science to understand wine, all you need is just a teaspoon of passion and love for this liquid, unless you’ve been forced to try it or you’ve been brain drained and want to import your foreign lifestyle where it is considered as an accompaniment with food.  Undoubtedly, we all, by sharing our views on this can bring some revolution in the Indian wine industry, because the more the people will read the more they’ll understand that it’s not yet another alcoholic drink but something which will make your eyes, nose and palate do the talking and finally savour your drinking experience. - Agnel Gilbert

New to Wines? Here it is.....

Every drink has its own followers and they call that drink “Aqua Vitae“– Water of life.

In the early ages, all alcoholic liquid was referred to as Aqua Vitae (Latin name for water of life). The distilled or fermented liquid used to be generally produced from grapes and grains (wheat or barley). The former used to be primarily distilled, which is now known as brandy and then came wine which was a fabulous from fermentation. Now what is Wine? To express it in a layman’s term, wine is nothing but a grape juice obtained by fermenting freshly gathered grapes. It later goes through various mechanical treatments, before being finally bottled. And hence, wine is quite simply the most complex, most varied and arguably the most sensational drink on the planet.

I was astonished to hear for the first time that, there are more than 10,000 wine grape varieties worldwide. Puzzled with the thought, I desperately wanted to know, how many of them actually make it to the bottles?  The fact is, only a few hundreds of them have gained fame and recognition for their spectacular finesse and aromas. Grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Grenache, Sangiovese, Tempranillo etc., have found international recognition worldwide for red wines and white varietals like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Viognier, Muscat etc., have charmed your palate with its crisp and refreshing fruity finish.  So probably, the next time when you drink your favourite wine and somebody questions you, “What are the styles of wines you’ve tried so far?”  Well, as an amateur drinker, you might be aware that there are only 2 types of wines, Red and White. By not questioning your judgement as an amateur wine drinker, who has not yet reached the stage to understand the classifications more precisely. However, it is always an advantage to remember the right classification. Easily said, there are 3 ways in which the wines are classified.  To begin with - table or still wines, which are divided further into Red, White and Rosé, depending on the winemaker’s decision to make it dry or sweet. Secondly, the famous and most loved champagnes which are known as sparkling wines. Finally, the sweet and fortified wines like Port and Sherries which are being fortified by the addition of alcohol.

Not forgetting the temperatures. An important concern for whatsoever wine it may be. Let’s just say; are you going to enjoy your beer if it is served at a room temperature? Of course not! (At least not me). The fact is serving wine at right temperature is as important as expecting your meal to be served hot.  It is because of this reason, that the whole effort which goes into winemaking is enjoyed at the table. It brings up the whole characteristics of a good wine and helps you appreciate it to the fullest.

Listed below are the right serving temperatures of wines:-

1) White wines – 7°- 10° Celsius.

2) Red wines – 18° - 21° Celsius.

3) Sparkling wines (Champagne) – 5° - 8° Celsius

4) Rose wines – 7° - 13° Celsius.

5) Fortified wines - 13° - 20° Celsius

Simply speaking, the above guidelines are just to help you understand and enhance your wine drinking experience with a better approach. What’s more important is how well you practise your “ethics” by applying these guidelines. - Agnel Gilbert