Nothing French about it

Got wine on your mind tonight? Forget your usual Pinot Noir or the regular Merlot. Indulge in some Barolo from Piedmont in the northwest of Italy or some Shiraz from Australia. Because that really is what is slowly taking over elegant dining tables of late - new world wines and those from the rest of Europe.

“We export other European wines as well as new world wines and I see them gaining an acceptance in the market,” says AM David, vice president, Sultania Trading, a firm that deal in wines and other imported alcohol. Having recently brought in La Poesie and some Italian grappa to India, David says the toughest part of about bringing exqusite French wines to India is the lack of infrastructure to clear it as soon as it arrives in the port. “So I suppose a new world wine travels better that way and is not too expensive either,” he says.

The fact that to get a bottle of great French wine works out to be really expensive unless you buy it from France itself makes things easier for other wine makers. “France doesn’t mass produce where as new world wines produce exclusively for export and therefore by nature are less expensive. And taste really great too. French wines are usually made for consumption within the country,” says model Shamita Singha, who has trained professionally in wine appreciation.

She adds that as far as taste is concerned she doesn’t think the culture of wine drinking has developed in the country yet. “I am not sure they are replacing classical French wines but, yes, suddenly there most definitely is a spurt in wines that are from Australia or Argentina or even wines from other parts of Europe such as Italy or Spain,” says Roger Habermacher, executive assistant manager F&B, the Grand Hyatt.

“I can only speak for the hotel so I see a lot more people drinking a lot more wine and that could easily be the reason other wines are finding such a ready takers,” says the wine-lover who loves classic wines himself.              

m_sandhya@dnaindia.net