Indian wines are fast becoming all the rage. Chris
O’Leary casts his eye over the trend
H
aving consumed many
a bottle of Indian wine, I
must confess it has not
always been a pretty
sight. Since 2009 I have
sampled quite a few,
each new bottle promising absolute and supreme drinkability…
Yet with most after the first sip my palate
yearned for something French or Chilean.
While travelling in India in 2011 drinking
Indian wines was compulsory because it
was largely all that was available! At first
their Sauvignon Blancs and Cabernets were
actually quite palatable… But their flavours
quickly grew old and insipid. And yet a
34 T A N D O O R I
lot can change in two years. Whilst I must
confess on average Indian wine is still not
on par with its New World counterparts, the
best Indian wines are quickly rising through
the ranks.
Sula’s Sauvignon Blanc – dare I say – is
actually good. What is more, it actually
shows attractive hues of the Nashik terroir in which it is grown. And upon tasting
Anokhee’s Cabernet, I – and my palate –
had genuine reason to be excited for the
future of Indian wine.
I think The Cinnamon Club's executive
chef Vivek Singh was spot on when he said,
“Much like other new world wines, Indian
has enormous potential but it is just so
new and their vines are just so young. But
in a few years there will be some cracking
wines from India, and in the meantime it is
important to support them and give them
as many wine list placements as possible to
introduce them to UK consumers.”
QuAlITy
Barry Dass – Founder and CEO of Namaste
Wines – is already convinced by the qua ] B