Magandeep Singh blogs for the Wine Society of India about his adventures in the world of wine:

Wine sense is, personally speaking, a very important wine term. It symbolises all that is really needed for enjoyment: the wine, and the sense. While a million people write about wine, dissecting it, turning it over and around, very few people actually take the time to enjoy it.

This is exactly why wine sense is most similar to, and also almost as rare as, common sense. The sense in fact is a consequence of the wine: the more wine you try, the more sensible you get about it. I have always thought of wine as a learning in practice, like horse-riding; you get better with every mount but drinking is way cheaper and admittedly less painful on the groin! For me the best memories are associated with the ones that generated the least amount of fuss (wines, not steeds). The best wines are those which don’t need a long tasting note or a description, and least of all, a score-card.

So not to contradict myself by writing a lengthy column that tells you not to read about wine, let me just give some pointer sips to help get you going.

Italian Franciacorta:
This is a sparkling wine from Italy, great bubbly taste with plenty of white fruit character and crisp balanced elegance. More importantly, it is better than a lot of champagnes and, be assured, in the studied circles, it is way classier to be seen drinking this than the regular shampoo. Why? Because given its lesser-known status it still almost matches champagne in price thereby exhibiting that in spite of having deep pockets you also possess a deep knowledge of fine wines. If I had to pair this wine I would say that it goes best with New Year celebrations, no matter who you are dating or dining!

Austrian Sauvignon Blanc:
I do not think they currently can be found in India but if someone asked me bet my money on good Sauvignon Blanc, I would probably cast my vote for theirs. The wines are super fruity, great acidity (something we always look out for in start-the-evening style white wines) and yet they do not have the aggressiveness that many SB from other parts of the world can display. A word of advice here: always try and buy white wines when travelling so that you can air-transfer them. Ship-transfer just kills the nuanced floweriness of most white wines, it seems. Austrian SBs shouldn’t cost more than other medium-ended whites. Such wines are great for aperitif, a luncheon or just to be enjoyed with light preparations which require minimum cooking.

Blends:
Blends are a very under-rated category. I love them: it’s like having a wife and a mistress rolled into one – someone who can turn the spice on in bed and in the bakery! Be it white or red, the essence of a blend is to bring together the best of two grapes in complete harmony without losing the essence of each. Although blends have always existed in the wine world, I think the Aussie vinos did make it more of a trend than anyone else although the French and the Italians have blended since the beginning of wine. A good blend need not be expensive. They are excellent with most Indian cuisines, definitely pairing better than single grape wines.

Light Reds:
This is a distinct category in itself - I kid you not. Think of grapes like Gamay, Saint Laurent, Pinot Noir, etc. or, to simplify, think of wines like Beaujolais, Bardolino, New World Pinot, and certain Austrian reds. These wines are rich without the rawness. They are easy to drink, can be enjoyed cooler than room temperature and are great for those who usually do not like reds as the tannins are low, making the wine easy to enjoy. Most such wines are amongst the most affordable wines on any wine list, are often offered By-The-Glass and are very versatile managing to match food or just frolic.

Sweet Wines:
This category is like porn – everyone enjoys it, and may even have a stash of it hidden somewhere, but no one will ever admit to indulging in it in public. People think that to drink sweet wine is to show your wine ignorance. Well if that is the case, why are France and UK the biggest markets for such wines and why do Austria, Germany and Italy manage to drink most of their stuff themselves thus leaving less-than-dregs to export? There is no shame in sweet wine consumption, except of course if you don't offer it well chilled. White sweet wines (Moscato, Late Harvest, Noble Rot and Stickies) work great with dairy-based sweets while the darker chocolate and caramel stuff is better with the red sweet stuff, like Port, or even Lambrusco.

Long ago, when I started writing my first wine column, it was also called Wine Sense. I don't do wine sense anymore and I still don't know how much sense I made to my readers back then. But I met a lot of people through the column and we all had a whole lot of wine and memorable times. We didn’t much care for tannic structure, aromatic profiles or lingering after-tastes but whatever little we did manage to retain have been the best lessons in wine we ever had.

Just,
Magan.

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