The Old World encompasses more than just France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Portugal is often overlooked, but has recently become much more visible due to its increasing quality standards and continued modest pricing.

The Wine Society of India's Spring Selection will be a focus on Spain and Portugal, hence this blog's focus on Portugal.

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Blog: Steven Spurrier


Burgundy – the 2007 vintage

Each year in January, the UK wine trade holds a series of tastings of the last but one vintage in Burgundy .  Over two weeks, literally thousands of wines are tasted by the trade and Press and much of the wine is sold at that time.  The most exciting vintage in recent years was far and away 2005, but the 2006s were well received, especially the ..Read More >>

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Tasting wine is easy:  if you can taste food, you can taste wine, for the senses of smell and taste that enable you to capture the aromas, flavours, spices and texture of food are the same as you use for wine.  But there is a difference between tasting and drinking, which is Paying Attention. 

After the first experience or two, you don't need to pay attention to the taste of Coca Cola or of Kingfisher Beer, for the taste will always be the same.  But the taste of wine, of different colours, from different grapes grown in different parts of the world, is almost never the same and each glass will more likely than not be a new experience.  So to get the most out of the experience, just like tasting a new dish at table, you have to follow certain steps which, in a very short time, will become a matter of habit.  The four steps are:  Appearance/Colour; Nose/Aroma; Palate/Taste; Aftertaste/Conclusions.

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Wine is a simple beverage. It rarely demands much of us. The unconditional love of wine is not one that can be matched by even a cat or a dog; wine requires way less cleaning up after. But that is why we often end up taking wine for granted.

This is when wine seems like a chore, or worse yet, like a wife of ten years. Complacency is the worst way to punish a wine habit which is why I am listing a

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So we have heard the term often. Perhaps we have even met one but were too occupied to notice, or remember. But few of us know what they really do. I am talking about the sommeliers. Is it a different species? Are they from Krypton? Is it a cult? Do they have super powers? Is it true they can tell a wine from 30 feet with their hands tied behind their backs?

To answer all that together:

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Let's face it, wine is an expense. In many ways it's like spending on your better half but at least there you have assured returns, perhaps, even a credit facility. Also, no matter how high the margins when spending on women, we somehow seem to find our own justification.

But where is the justification in wine margins? I am yet to successfully pick up a lady by tempting her with Latour '62 and I

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, well, if you happen to be in India that is. For the western world, Christmas is still some time away. But this is perhaps the best time to be in India, for a mix of reasons, each as convincing as the next. The social life cycle of an average Indian takes a more or less predictable path all through the season from hereon and this is what most of us will experience.

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