“In France, a newborn often tastes wine before the mother's milk,” said Jean Manuel Jacquinot, or JMJ, a French “wine scientist” and mentor of Pernod Ricard's wineries in India, at a wine tasting event organised at Lodi – The Garden Restaurant in the city recently.
This practice is a clear illustration of the ritual significance of wine for the French. While India does not worship wine, more and more Indians are acquiring a taste for wine in their travels abroad, JMJ explained. Wine could, therefore, become big in India too.
But according to JMJ, the dietary excesses and high average temperatures observed in India would require a lot of preparation and some compromises for wine to gain currency. “The subtle flavour of wine cannot fight the fire of spicy Indian food,” JMJ explained. “It is important also not to expose wine to the shock of high temperature, so not just the wine, but the glasses too must be refrigerated,” he added. That said, he conceded that red wines pair well with butter chicken while white wines pair well with certain Indian vegetarian dishes.
While current wine production levels in India are sufficient only to cater to domestic demand, JMJ envisaged a global role for Indian wines. Placing Indian wines on par with the best European and Australian wines, he emphasised the popularity of Indian food overseas, especially the UK, and noted the potential for export of Indian wines for pairing with Indian food in restaurants abroad.
At a motley gathering of not more than 50 people, comprising wine enthusiasts and journalists, JMJ moved from table to table, explaining the art of wine tasting patiently to his listeners.
The wines on offer were from the Seagram's Nine Hills stable, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The wines included Shiraz Rose 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010, and Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 among others. Fermentation of these wines, from vineyards in the Dindori and Satana regions in Nashik, was stopped prematurely so as to retain some of the natural sugar of the grape, for the Indian palate, JMJ revealed.
These wines were paired with Mediterranean food items in a thoughtful manner. The Sparkling Rose complemented the quiches and kababs; the red wine accompanied the choice of Moroccan-styled braised lamb shoulder, cajun spiced grilled sole, ratatouille cottage steak with mustered cream and baked aubergine, tomato and mozzarella stacks; and the sweet wine ushered in the fig ice-cream. While French wines and Indian food are not in concert, policy makers in France and India certainly are. Advertising alcohol-based beverages is banned in India as per the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2000. Similarly, the French alcohol policy law, the Loi Evin, named after the then Socialist Health Minister Claude Evin, was passed in 1991 to control the advertising of alcohol and tobacco.
Calling the law “idiotic”, JMJ said the wine lobby has not “forgiven” the Socialists, consistently voting against them, including the new President-elect Francoise Hollande.
Having already visited Chandigarh and Delhi, JMJ will travel to Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Bangalore to introduce the Indian consumer to the “fresh, yet mature” taste of Nine Hills wines.
