Yes, I know how wrong that sounds, especially coming from a sommelier. How can a person who has allegedly dedicated his life to the cause of grapes and their ferments preach the gospel of barley and its brews? And yet, here I am, just a sommelier, standing in front of you, asking you to raise your pints. On a side note, I really need to update my movie references.
But first, a moment of silence for all those who propagated those innumerable posters highlighting why a beer is better than a woman and died lonely deaths, either for lack of a social circle or by being bludgeoned with beer bottles by angry women. We shall not repeat such mistakes. So women quip aside, beer can certainly be better than wine, and wine-folk, both makers and in-takers, have a lot to learn from the other side.
Beer is popular: Beer is your buddy; it is everybody’s buddy — the one who runs for class president and wins, and is also the prom king, and the athletic celebrity. Wine, by comparison, is the nerd in the chemistry lab, trying to find new ways to produce copper sulphate. This needs to change. Blue wine is an attempt, so is Brosé (brothers bonding over Rosé). We need more such; how about a Pinot Pyjama party, or maybe a Chianti crew to hang out with? And Barolo and billiards is an idea whose time has long come and I claim all franchise rights.
Beer is complex: Wine harps on about complexity, but that is a meagre 0.5 per cent of the total production. The remaining wine is happy being a fun drink to kick-start every evening. But it will need focused image-building to get there. Beer is all about fun, and then there is a small group dedicated to craft brews, the kind who get off on how bitter their IPA (India Pale Ale) is, or just how rare the hops that flavoured their beer. Barring these ‘hipsters’, beer is democratic and socialist at the same time. This balance of keeping both the corporate and craft end of the industry happy is a fine one and beer has it down to a T.
Beer is cheap: When was the last time you walked into a bar and saw a glass of wine the same price as a pint of beer? The options are either to get a simple pint and know that you can afford another one or two, and still not have to sell your kidneys for food the next day, or you can get a glass of some plonky Sula, pay a fortune for it and feel it rot your innards as you have no money left to afford suitable treatment.
Beer is fun: When you call people for a beer and barbecue, they turn up in shorts. Put wine on the invite and you have penguin tails turning up. See pictures of beer adverts and they show people smiling; wine soirées, by contrast, look more like the elite bourgeoisie planning their next world domination. This is bad PR. Wine needs to go younger, go cooler. They need to “catch ‘em young and watch ‘em grow”. (Don’t ask me where I got that tagline from.)
I am all for wine and love what it brings to my table, but beer is good too. So, let’s all raise our steins, not just because I am asking you to, but, to use one last movie reference, because it’s the week with International Beer Day (August 5), and this week, you tell the truth.
The author is India's first sommelier, food, wine and travel writer and TV host. In His free time, he works.
