Bacchus Calling

In the city to share her knowledge,Nanut is conducting wine tasting sessions and teaching the staff at restaurants the right way to serve wine.

“My aim is to share a basic knowledge about how to serve wine from a bottle. I also check the menu and train waiters to help diners pick the right wine,” says Nanut,who came to India two years ago to promote and distribute wines at Indian hotels and restaurants. Working for a leading wine and spirits importer and distributor in India,Nanut travels all over the country to share her passion for the fermented beverage.

Admitting that a choice in wines and food is subjective,Nanut maintains that there are some rules that need to be followed. “The basic rule is to never choose a wine which will be overpowered by the taste of the dish,and vice-versa. One should always order white wine with white flesh and red wine with red flesh,” she says.

After spending almost two years in India,Nanut is now getting a sense of the Indian palette. “It seems to me that Indians preferred wine because of its sweet and spicy taste. But one of the most interesting things I’ve observed is that people here don’t drink wine at home,with regular meals,at least not as much as they drink whiskey. I think it is a cultural thing,where they prefer wine with European cuisines,” she says.

Nanut also feels that wine is still considered as a luxury food item in India. “Wine culture is growing in India,and I think that the Italian restaurants are helping in making it popular but French or Italian wines cost almost seven to eight times more than what they cost in our country because of the import taxes,” she says.

The fact that India has also started producing its own wines,especially in Maharashtra,gets Nanut excited. “Indian wines are interesting,most of them are very sweet due to the climate which is sunny and dry. But that is only the beginning,there is still a lot to do,” she concludes.