Bon Vivant !

Some time ago, Dibyayan sent me a photo where he was drinking beer, of all things - at the time, my first thought was : " Beer ?!! You are what you drink; beer is... crude, at best. I must
send him some suggestions on what to drink."... my second thought was : " IIT "( to us, these three letters convey more meaning than most of Old Bill's sonnets.) . Now that I have finally found the time, here we go :

First things first :

• Aroma The smell (duh !)
• Aftertaste The flavour that lingers after swallowing
• Big Powerful aroma and flavour; full bodied.
• Body Weight and texture of a wine ( often refers to the alcohol content)
• Bouquet The complex aromas that develop as the wine ages. (The "aroma" is just an initial impression; the bouquet involves a far more detailed analysis )
• Delicate Light fragrance, flavour and body.
• Dry In which all the sugar has been converted to alcohol.
• Foxy The 'grapey wines made from the American grapes, Vitus labrusca.
• Full bodied Full proportion of both flavour and alcohol.
• Honest Without flaws, simple, but not excellent; a standard , or typical wine.
• Lively Crisp, fresh,etc. - this type of wine has a kind of...vitality, if you will.
• Mature Fully developed; ready to drink.
• Meaty Chewy, fleshy, fruity taste and texture; sturdy and firm in structure.
• Nose The overall smell of the wine - generally 'good' or an 'off'.
• Oxidised Flat or stale as a result of overexposure to air.
• Rich Full, opulent flavour, body and aroma.
• Robust Full bodied, powerful, heady.
• Silky Smooth, runs over the tongue, sinuous texture and finish.

The cultivation of wine can be traced back to several millenia before a man was nailed to a tree for suggesting that people should try to be nice to each other. The ancient Egyptians made wine, as did the Greeks, Romans - every major civilization that got past the tree-good-fire-bad stage explored the "celestial liquor". In the thirteenth century, the wines of Bordeaux were being shipped to England, and by the next, those of Spain and Portugal had also become widely available. India, however, suffered from the minor handicap of being a British "colony", which meant sky-high taxes, and consequently, low demand. Things have changed for the better, though - today, the Indian FoodGods list legendary procurers such as Marchesi Frescobaldi, Marchese Antinori and Algelo Gaja; noble houses such as the Cheval Yquem estates; fine wine producers such as Faively and Michel Laroche; the house of Gundel from Budapest, Great Australians like Torbreck and Clarendon Hills, established Napa Masters like Phelps, Mondavi and Caymus.

Many Indians suffer from the misconception that wine does not go with Indian food - the problem in question may be rephrased as : Does wine go with spices ? After all, the essence of Indian dishes is the multitude of spices used. The range of spices need not bog us down - a basic classification of their cooked form as subtle, soft or strong, is enough. For example, Turmeric would be classified as subtle, asafoetida, soft, while clove and cinnamon (and the famed garam masala they go into ) would be in the strong list. Not exactly Arun Sanyal level ;-)

Think for a minute of the ingredients of the dish - onions in dopyaaza, garlic in a lahsooni preparation and so on - if the intensity of the most persistent flavour can be harnessed with a
matched wine, ( the stronger the flavour, the younger and more robust the wine ) it will result in one heavenly ride. Remember, the strength is to enhance the taste, not try to overcome it - no wine can match good food.

En suite, classify the dish not ffor the presence or absence of meats ( white wine for white meats and red for red meats is absoloutely misleading ), but with regard to the style of preparation : roasting versus frying , or boiling, and the consequential change in texture, flavour and succulence of the food. Also influencing the equation are the actual ingredients - potatoes wil tone down the spiciness, crisp veggies add a different... facet, and the tanginess and texture of gravies and sauces are integral to the overall flavour of the food, and thus, the choice of the accompanying wine. Wines can be similarly classified, from elegant and light to medium bodied to full bodied and robust. However, serving a ricch wine with a rich dish may not always produce the desired effect as the two may clash cataclysmically in the mouth in a cacophany of flavours and lead to utter discord ( sorry, was just re-reading Auguries of Innocence ). Just like you wouldn't wear bright orange and electric blue together ( unless you are me, Lorne, or heading the Mardi Gras ), don't pair wines together because you like them individually.

I shall later post some combinations of dishes and wines that I have tried and enjoyed. Comment ! Vox populi, vox Dei, and all that...

- Yours ( NOT ! ) nayabed.

P.S. : Thanks to ITC WelcomGroup Hotels for Free Food, and Zest, and also a special thank you to Ira and Natane for all your help with this post ( and subsequent posts on the subject of wine ).