When it rains, just pour

Red wines can be classified into two segments: the Bordeaux style and Burgundy style

The monsoon brings relief from the searing heat of the Indian summer, although the rains are a mixed blessing as all the major cities turn from hot and dry to hot and humid — with the exception of Bengaluru, which becomes cool and lovely.

With the rains also come traditional cautions (Ashada masa was from June 24 to July 23) against travelling and doing anything auspicious (weddings, house warmings) — sensible stuff for rural India, less so for cities. The cautions extend to what one should eat and drink — which is why hotel revenues are generally down at this time.

But there is a solution: Red wine. 

If in Indian Ayurveda grapes were recommended for their beneficial effects, then red wine would have been doubly recommended as it has a goodly amount of the anioxidant Resveratrol, a natural substance found on the skin of grapes (and berries). And Resveratrol, supporters claim, has all sorts of benefits to health including controlling diabetes, cholesterol, cardio-vascular degeneration, and even Alzheimer’s.

In the French paradox, red wine was identified as the probable cause for the lower incidence of heart disease in the French (as compared to Americans), despite the higher fat content in their diet. A documentary on the subject aired on the TV show 60 Minutes in mid-1991 went viral, and consumption of red wine in the US grew 44 per cent the next year.

So what red wines should one pick to drink?

Red wines can broadly be classified into two segments: the Bordeaux style, where the wine is dark and full-bodied, with lots of fruit and oak on the palate; and the Burgundy style, which is lighter in both colour and body, with complex aromas and silkey tannins. Bordeaux-style wines are made from grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo, and the like. Burgundy-style wine grapes are Pinot Noir (of course) but also Sangiovese, Malbec, Nebbiolo, and so on.

 What red wine style one likes is a matter of personal taste. In general, new wine drinkers tend to prefer darker and stronger reds, while over time some may gravitate to the supposedly more elegant Burgundy-style reds. 

Most Indian “reserve” reds are modelled on the Bordeaux-style of red wines, starting with that old classic, the Grover La Reserve (a Cab-Shiraz blend) priced at Rs 1,000 (in Bengaluru). Other Indian reserve reds of note are Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz (Rs 1,000), the Big Banyan Limited Spring 2010 Reserve (Rs 1,200), the Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon (Rs 1,500), the Charosa Reserve Cab and Tempranillo (both wines Rs 1,500),the Fratelli Sette (Rs 1,642) and the Zampa Chene Grande Reserve (Rs 1,850). Others include reserve wines from Vallonne Vineyards in Maharashtra and SDU Wines in Karnataka.

There are a very few Indian Sangiovese wines (Krsma, Fratelli, Revielo are there) at about Rs 1,200, and no Pinot Noirs at all — the Indian terroir is not kind to this grape, so no Burgundy-style wines from Pinot are produced here.

My personal favourite? Still the Grover La Reserve red, even though they’ve changed the old label into something unrecognisable. The wine has complex aromas of fruit and spice and wood, with a full-bodied taste and smooth tannins — great value for money.
 

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant