The art of ordering the right wine

We Indians tend to look at the right-hand-side of the wine list, with the well-heeled ordering the highest-priced wines, while the more economically-minded go for the lowest-priced bottles

Wine is many things to many people. At the simplest level, it’s an everyday libation, something to wash your food down with and to provide some “spiritual upliftment” while doing so. Millions do that all the time and the wine consumed is generally a table wine, well-made but uncomplicated, and inexpensive — and often a wine cocktail or vermouth, not just a still wine.

At the other end of the spectrum are dedicated tastings of high-quality (and generally expensive) wines, conducted by the producers or vendors to demonstrate the quality of their top offerings. Such tastings are normally curated by experts who lead the audience through the wine’s origins and its features — an opportunity to both learn as well as appreciate.

Somewhere in between come those evenings at fine-dining restaurants where one would choose one or two wines to go with the food being ordered. The wines here would be mid-range and the host would try to combine taste with economy, particularly since wines can cost anything upwards of  Rs 3,000 ($ 45) per bottle at most restaurants. This is where things start to get complicated. 

The aphorism “a little learning is a dangerous thing” (attributed to the 18th-century English poet Alexander Pope) is particularly relevant to wine, and is demonstrated with every wine order. 

The Amarone della Valpolicella 2013 is a blend of Corvina and Rondinella grapes, allowed to wither in the shade for three or four months after harvest and before wine-making

Since few restaurants in India have a sommelier and few diners have more than a passing knowledge of the wines listed on restaurant menus, a curious game ensues. We Indians tend to look at the right-hand-side of the wine list, with the well-heeled (or those with a corporate credit card) ordering the highest-priced wines, while the more economically-minded go for the lowest-priced bottles. 

Never mind that most restaurants do not declare the vintage of the wines listed, nor the fact that quite often, the reds are served at “room temperature” (which in India could be anything up to 30 degrees Celsius). A rare request for a decanter (for the reds) will mostly be met with a blank look and a shrug.
 

The waiter should, in any case, bring the wine bottle to the table, open it in the presence of the customers and pour a sample for the host to approve. In the event that the wine is found wanting, the manager will be summoned to query the nature of the complaint and, at any good establishment, will replace the offending wine with another — either the same or a different label.

Interestingly enough, this practice was first started in France in the late 19th century when, due to the devastation of vineyards by the phylloxera microbe, there was a scarcity of wine and many establishments started putting old wine in new bottles (to pass it off as good new wine).
 

Maybe it’s time to return to a simpler way of serving and drinking wine. As the wag said, “Drink more wine, it will keep you happier and healthier.”

Wines I’ve been drinking: The Tenuta Sant’ Antonio estate is located in the Veneto area of north-east Italy. Its 125 acres of vineyards are at Monti Garbi near Lake Garda and their modern visitor-friendly winery blends into the hillside. I tried their Amarone della Valpolicella 2013 (Rs 5,093 in Bengaluru) recently — a blend of Corvina and Rondinella grapes, allowed to wither in the shade for three or four months after harvest and before wine-making. This is then matured in oak, which gives it an amazing taste and aroma profile: ripe fruit and pepper aromas, full-bodied taste, soft tannins and a long finish. 

Yum! 

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant