Winemaking is way of life

When beer dominated the spirit of alcohol in his country, Australian winemaker, Paul Bailey was busy satiating his thirst for knowledge for wine. As an Oenology student at Roseworthy College in South Australia, Paul explored all facets of winemaking.

8220;Australia for beer 8211; thefamed Foster tagline represents the face of alcohol in the country but only a handful know that the country has a wine history that dates back to 1920s. As you can see shiraz, the loving and delicious small grape and also the wine from the country has rapidly replaced the face alcohol now,8221; beams Bailey.

An engineer by training, Bailey8217;s love affair with wine began many years ago. 8220;I had a seminal experience when I travelled to France as a young man. I was in a vineyard in the Beaujolais region and that8217;s when I knew what I really wanted to do with my life. Winemaking isn8217;t a job. It8217;s a way of life,8221; reminisces Bailey. Paul who learnt the ropes of wine making on vineyards in Barossa Valley, Mildura and Sydney for nearly a decade brought his expertise to Valleacute;e de Vin as winemaker since last two years.

Bailey8217;s Valleacute;e de Vin is a two-year-old, fledgling Indian wine-maker that has already firmly placed its feet into the domestic wine market.

8220;Even though the pace is slow the Indian wine market has all the potential to emerge as one of the forerunners in the field. For instance Nashik is very similar to Australia. Our vineyard is on top of a hill, so the soil is really untouched and great for cultivation,8221; says Bailey

As a backpacker when Bailey came to India some 15 years ago the only thing he found amiss when savouring Indian cuisines was the lack fine wines to go with them. 8220;Perhaps it8217;s a slightly early stage in India to make food-wine associations,8221; says he