At a recent party thrown by a friend, wine was the center of attraction though whisky, single malt, vodka and other poisons were more in circulation. The first small sip of the white wine and I knew it was a disaster. Darkish golden to orange in colour, it did not smell foul but certainly felt dead on the palate. Otherwise a very pleasant wine I Feudi di Romans Pinot Grigio 2004 from the North Eastern province of Friuli in Italy, had lost all its freshness and crispiness. Gone were the melon and peachy flavours. It almost tasted metallic and repulsive on the palate.
One look at the bottle and the label would have sent alarming bells to a buyer with some wine knowledge. The colour of wine and vintage are some indications even if the producer is unknown. Usually the Pinot Grigio has pale colour and should be drunk young; within 3 years of the vintage-certainly the low end wines that are normally available in the Indian market. But my friend had been convinced by the wholesaler (read bootlegger) into believing that 2004 and the producer meant a premium wine. Salt on the wound was that the ‘wholesaler’ had made my friend pay a pretty penny for the Pinot.
My disdain does not end there. The wine drinkers of the evening would not have enjoyed the real taste and pleasure of an uncomplicated Pinot Grigio. Generally a single dimension wine, it’s a fun and fresh wine you can enjoy as an aperitif or with tapas, fish and vegetarian cuisine. We have often served different labels of this fastest growing wine in the US, at the Delhi Wine Club dinners. Every time we serve this varietal, whatever the quality or the producer, it is a hit with the members because of its freshness, fruitiness and crisp acidity-even though it is mostly short on the end.
The red wine of the evening, Chianti Colli Senesi Fattoria del Cerro 2003 was still breathing, though well past its prime. Poor storage had made it unworthy wine for the evening-at least at the price paid for it. Chianti is drinkable for 2-5 years normally; Good quality Chianti Classico and Reserva last-and even get better for a longer period. In this case some of the fruit was also missing on the palate. It must have been drinking better 3 years ago and would have made a decent party/banquet wine. Not its day today, though.
I have often advocated that we should perhaps evolve a policy of sticking ‘Best Before’ or ‘Best After’ stickers on wines to help the hapless consumer decide whether the young wine is past its prime (it is mandatory in the case of beer) or the age-worthy wine is ready to drink (for instance, a Barolo, Barbaresco, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Reserva or Grand Reserva from Spain, barrel fermented Chardonnay or even Sauvignon, quality Riesling from Mosel etc, which are generally opened before they are at their best). Every producer can give recommendation on each label. Importers/producers will certainly balk at the idea-claiming extra work involved but also in their mind fearing that it may become more difficult to get rid of undrinkable stocks through the existing channels including the friendly neighbourhood wholesaler of my friend. But I would definitely not suggest it to be government controlled- we don’t want to open a new channel of corruption or tempt the honest bureaucrats.
Today, India’s metros are full of imported foods that are past their expiry dates and would not be allowed to be sold in their country of origin. They are being imported by unscrupulous importers into Dubai where re-labeling has become an art. The product is being dumped on the gullible cosmopolitan consumers who love the ‘phoren’ beauties. We may also be the similar victims of wines. In the ‘Ask Wineknightindia’ of our website, I would be glad to advise our readers about the efficacy of buying a particular label or vintage in India.
The Wine you have been buying and drinking so far may be Dead…but with proper storage and guidance from me or anyone knowledgeable about wines, Long Live the Wine!
Subhash Arora |