 I don’t remember the exact words or I would have put them in quotes. The gist however was,’Please stop promoting wine and making money out of business. It is immoral. It is true that in old days Indian Gods used to drink wine but people who invaded our country made us drink wine and the alcohol has so many bad effects and is not good for health. It creates social problems in the families that are ruined.’
No Wine Business
Firstly, to clarify to him I am NOT in the wine business - I do not buy or sell wine at all. I get many offers for direct or indirect involvement and I politely but firmly refuse. It is quirky but that’s who I am. I do promote wines passionately and believe it is not fair to market and write about them at the same time because it is bound to affect the neutrality and objectivity somewhere along the line. I am furiously neutral to wines from all countries- perhaps more than the United Nations. This is not to say that there is anything wrong in making money out of the business. I know many millionaires and a few who are billionaires, perhaps not by selling wine alone or producing it but they have the passion for wine that attracted them and they are perfectly normal, educated and intelligent people whose business it is to make and /or market wines.
Promoting wine to non-drinkers
I am not unique when I say that I never encourage any non-drinker to start drinking wine (or any alcohol unless he or she really wants it); I do recommend that they start and stick with wine or at least make it a major portion of their beverage portfolio if they start drinking on their own accord and under nobody’s influence- this could be due to religion, social mores, family reasons, health or just plain belief and aversion to alcohol. I do encourage the novices to drink reds but always exhort them to drink what they like and not be influenced by someone else’s advice. I particularly advise them to drink moderately and regularly for health reasons. But most wine connoisseurs I know would give the same advice and would not induce, leave alone force someone to drink wine (forcing someone to drink was the gist of what he implied).
Wine- a healthy lifestyle product
Contrary to the impression of this gentleman, study after study has proved the benefits of wine. But he would be right, if people drank wine as an alcohol. I do not much care for the people drinking fortified wine because it has higher alcohol, masked by sugar, molasses or artificial flavours. I do not approve at all of people mixing vodka, gin or rum in the fortified wines to make a concoction to get the kick. That’s unfortunate but unlike passive smoking it does not hurt you if someone is bent upon ruining his liver-except agreeing with this disgruntled and misinformed reader.
Wine culture brought in by foreigners
Whether it was introduced by the Moghul kings or the Brits, is of no significance. As alcohol or intoxicants there have been several options available to people in India. Whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, brandy, country liquor, toddy etc are all high on alcohol which is the key ingredient and have been consumed in India for many years. Just because wine is new in our culture and the government has been myopic and ignorant about its health effects does not mean that the Moghul kings or the Brits can be blamed for the product.
Perhaps, unaccepted yet due to lack of vision and proper understanding, wine-making is a purely agro-based industry; even the alcohol formed is due to conversion of fructose into alcohol on fermentation and anyone can make it in the house for self consumption. It has a huge potential of thousands of jobs for the farmers and others involved in the industry.
Perhaps the gentleman is not aware that in Europe wine was drunk frequently as water was not considered potable. Today, the quality has improved tremendously and is at its best ever.
All his prejudices apart, I must apologize to this gentleman for not taking his advice and I shall continue to promote wine as long as I am physically capable of so doing through my various writings, tastings and wine appreciating programs. I would advise the gentleman to visit our website or any wine website and read as much as he can.
I conclude with my story that is actually a legend. In the mid nineteenth century, the owner of Cos d’Estournel , who was in love with India, used to visit and try to sell his Second Growth Bordeaux wines from St. Estephe to the Rajas and Maharajahs-one of whom loved the wine but asked him how he could convince his subjects to drink his wines as they were all teetotalers. The gentleman reportedly replied,’ your majesty, you need only to pour our wines in the glass and merely nose (smell) them. The perfume is so intense, elegant and enticing that you may not feel the need to drink them.’
Cheers! Even to my misinformed friend (Forgive him ’cause he knoweth not')
Subhash Arora |