The art of ordering the right wine

We Indians tend to look at the right-hand-side of the wine list, with the well-heeled ordering the highest-priced wines, while the more economically-minded go for the lowest-priced bottles

Wine is many things to many people. At the simplest level, it’s an everyday libation, something to wash your food down with and to provide some “spiritual upliftment” while doing so. Millions do that all the time and the wine consumed is generally a table wine, well-made but uncomplicated, and inexpensive — and often a wine cocktail or vermouth, not just a still wine.

At the other end of the spectrum are dedicated tastings of high-quality (and generally expensive) wines, conducted by the producers or vendors to demonstrate the quality of their top offerings. Such tastings are normally curated by experts