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| In – di - Wine… |
OVERVIEW
This study is conducted to expose some of the aspects in the
Wine Making and ultimate role of Grapes. The study also reveals some facts in
regards to the Vine growing regions and Viticulture in India. A general method
of wine making is also included, to encourage the wine drinking culture. In
India major portion of population of the alcoholics prefer the kicks or hangover
out of the alcohol and very few are there those who dare to inquire about
taste, mouth feel, characters of grapes and even the medicinal effects… To appreciate
and drink wine, one has to go through the tasting of wine, the basic five
principles of tasting is also included. My views are also listed in respect to
the Wine consumption and future of Wine Industries in India. This article
focuses to literate people towards not only being a Responsible Drinker but a
Sincere Drinker too. Here is an effort to dispel some of the
uncertainties, myths and fears, before the reader plunges himself in this glass
and desires to enjoy the dive...
In – di - Wine…
Love Wine…!!!
Wine has been passion and vocation for many since years. Ones
indulgence into a glass of Wine, takes him through real, rich, fantasy and
wonderful adventures there in. This is an effort with respect to your beliefs, to
reveal some beauty features of the divine beverage. The bitter truth is :
Anybody can be wine expert.. It does not require inborn gift or a graduate
education. The world of Wine is a big one, no one till date has ever claimed to
assimilate it all. But the very first guided step will lead to the World of
wine. This World has come through evolution and is regarded as Old
Wine world and New Wine world. I discovered Wine to be more than any regular
beverage. The most defined words for Wine are believed to be -
: Wine is the fermented juice of freshly gathered Grapes or
fruits.
But here we are restricted with Grapes/Vine only. The union of ancient
tradition and always improving technologies, the fruits can be turned into
anything – ranging from an enjoyable drink to a complex and noble tribute to
the winemakers art.
Wine is fermented juice of Grapes. Fermentation is the
conversion of Sugar in the Grape juice to alcohol by the action of yeast. If we
have an unmonitored process, it will lead to acetic acid or even further to
vinegar. Wine can be made from many fruits like apples, peaches, pomegranates….
But Grapes rules this.The science of wine-making is called enology. The
basic process is to:
• Harvested grapes are de-stemmed and crushed, where the
"must" is extracted ("must"=juice + skins + seeds + stems
for red; juice only for white). Initial quality evaluations are made and the
vinification process is decided upon. Alterations and adjustments of sugar
level and acid can be done at this point.
• Sulfur dioxide is added to prevent oxidation and color
deterioration, selectively activate certain yeasts for fermentation, and kill
bacteria and other undesirable microbes.
• Must is transferred to fermentation vats for sugar alcohol
conversion. Fermentation is stopped by racking or dispensing wine into
containers; sometimes Sulfur dioxide/ SO2 is used to stop the process and act
as a preservative.
• Wines are filtered, and then may be aged in oak barrels for
some time prior to bottling.
• Bottling takes place at appropriate age, after
ultra-filtration for clarity and antisepsis.
Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh….
-William
Butler Yeats 1865–1939
To know all these characters better …. Let me introduce you the
Indian Grapes.
The genus Grapes or Vitis is broadly cultured throughout the
globe with the term Viticulture. The large diversity of climate and geology of
the India makes Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Punjab and
Haryana areas suitable for winemaking. A major portion of Central belt from Gujarat
to North East is not ideal for Viticulture. The summer growing season in India
tends to be very hot and prone to monsoons. Many of India's wine regions also fall within the
tropical climate band. Vineyards are then planted at higher altitudes along
slopes and hillsides to benefit from cooler air and some protection from wind.
The altitude of India's vineyards typically range from around 660 ft (200 m) in
Karnataka, 984 ft (300 m) in Maharashtra, 2,600 ft (800 m) along the slopes of
the Sahayadri Valley to 3,300 ft (1000 m). Summertime temperature can get as hot as 113 °F (45 °C) and wintertime
temperature can fall to 46°F (8°C). During the peak growing season between June
and August, rainfall averages 25–60 inches (625-1,500 mm).
Indian Sub-tropical Region: This region includes the
northwestern plains corresponding to 28° and 32° N latitude inclusive of
City/Area of Delhi; Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, Hissar and Jind districts
of Haryana and Bhatinda, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana districts of Punjab.
Due to the climatic effect depending on the geographical location, only 90-95
days are available from the initiation of growth to harvest. Consequently,
‘Perlette’ is the only early ripening variety grown in this region. Rain damage
is a problem with Thompson Seedless in this region. Single pruning and a single
harvest is practiced.
Hot Tropical Region of India: This region covers
Nashik, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Satara, Latur and Osmanabad districts of
Maharashtra; Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar, Anantapur and Medak districts of Andhra Pradesh;
and Bijapur, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Gulberga districts of northern Karnataka lying
between 15° and 20° N latitude.
This is the major viticulture region in India accounting for
almost 70 percent of the grapes in the country. Double pruning and a single
harvest is the general custom in this region. The major problems in this region
are soil and water salinity and drought. Thompson Seedless and its clones
(Tas-A-Ganesh, Sonaka), Anab-e-Shahi, Sharad Seedless and Flame Seedless are
the varieties grown in this region.
Mild Tropical Region of India: An area
covered by 10° and 15° N latitude including Bangalore and Kolar districts of
Karnataka; Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore; and Madurai and
Theni districts of Tamil Nadu fall in this region. Maximum temperatures in a
year seldom exceed 36°C, while the minimum is about 12°C. Main varieties
cultured here are Bangalore Blue (Syn. Isabella), Gulabi (Syn. Muscat
Hamburg), Bhokri and Anab-e-Shahi,. Thompson Seedless is also
grown with less rate of success. Except for Thompson Seedless, two crops are
harvested in a year.
Vitis/Grapes is split into 2 subgenera:
1. Euvitis - "True grapes" :
elongated in shape, the berries adhere to stems at maturity and riped stage, forked
tendrils, loose bark that detaches in long strips. Vitis vinifera, the European
grape, and Vitis labrusca, the Concord grape.
2. Muscadinia - "Muscadine grapes":
small fruit clusters, thick-skinned fruit, berries that detach one-by-one as
they mature, simple tendrils, smooth bark with lenticels,. Vitis. rotundifolia.
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Grapes Species can also be classified by their usage:
Table grapes: These are consumed as fresh
fruit. 'Thompson seedless' is a major cultivar of table grape. Raisin grapes.
'Sharad & Sharad Seedless' is the major cultivar worldwide, and makes up
60% of raisin
production in the India.
Sweet juice grapes: Traditionally, this
classification was primarily dominated by 'Concord', the major American bunch
grape. In addition to juice, jelly, jam, preserves, and some wine is produced
from sweet
juice grapes.
Wine grapes: Some wine is produced from all
grape species (and many other fruits), but the bulk of commercial production is
dominated by Vitis. Vinifera cultivars.
The Indian wine Industry has an extremely promising future, with
the wine consumers growing in number and more people shifting from other
alcoholic beverages to wine. There is a keen interest within you, for wine that
exists and an urge to know more, right from wanting to know how to hold the
glass right to identifying flavor characteristics in wine. By understanding the
5 characteristics discussed further, you’ll have a better
chance of getting what you love. In recent history there has
been an increasing focus on analyzing and rating wines. The best way to learn
about your taste is to classify wines by their fundamental traits and then pick
what you like the best.
To understand the basic characteristics of wine it’s important
to learn how to taste wine. Learning to identify wine characteristics helps to
identify what you like about a wine.
Our human tongue perceives sweetness right at the tip. Often,
the very first impression of a wine is its level of Sweetness: aka “Level of
Dryness”. To taste sweet, focus your attention on the taste buds on the tip of your
tongue. If your taste buds are tingling – they are an indicator of sweetness.
Many dry wines can have a hint of sweetness to carry a larger image of Full
Body. If you find a wine you like, has residual sugar, you
may enjoy a hinting pat or even a lot of sweetness in your wine.
How to search it in cakehole…
Tingling sensations on the tip of your tongue. Slight oil-
smooth sensation in the middle part of your tongue that remains. Wine has a
higher viscosity; wine tears on side of glass drops slowly. A bone-dry wine can
often be confused with a wine with high Tannin.
Acidity: Wrapping Your Head around It
Tasting Acidity is often confused with the taste of higher
Alcohol. It is common for wines grown in cooler vintages to have higher
acidity. Wines with higher range of acidity feels light weight because they
come across like ‘spritzy.’ If you prefer a wine that is more rich and round,
you enjoy slightly less acidity.
How to search …
Tingling sensation on the front and sides of your tongue. If you
rub your tongue to the roof of your mouth, it feels gravelly. Your mouth feels
wet, like you bit an apple.
The Misunderstood Wine Characteristic
Tannin is often confused with Level of Dryness because tannin
dries your mouth. Tannin in wine is the phenol compounds that add bitter part
to a wine. Phenolics are found in the skins and seeds of wine grapes and can
also be introduced to a wine by aging in wood (oak). Imagine putting a used tea
bag on your tongue. A used and wet tea bag is practically pure tannin that is bitter
and has a drying sensation. Tannin tastes Full of Herbs and is often described
as astringent. Though all of these descriptor sounds very negative, but tannin
adds to balance, complexity, and structure and
makes a wine last longer.
How Does Tannin Taste?
Tastes bitter on the front inside of your mouth and along the
sides of your tongue. Tannin makes your tongue dry. After you swallow you feel
a lingering bitter/dry feeling in your mouth. Tannin can often be confused with
the term “dry” because it dries your mouth out.
Identifying Different Flavors
Wines are often known for their characteristics by their main
fruit flavors. Tasting for fruit flavors in a wine can help you better specify
your preferences. An example - wines that have strawberry notes lead to a very
different set of varietal wines than enjoying wines that taste
like blackberries. Additionally, the level of fruitiness that you taste in a
wine leads to very different growing regions.
Tasting for fruitiness in a wine
Red Wine: red fruits such as raspberry or dark fruits like
blackberry and blueberry? White Wine: Lemon and Lime or Peach and Yellow Apple?
Does a wine give you stronger impressions of other flavors such as grass,
bell pepper, black pepper, olive or meat?
Body: Light to Full-Bodied.
Body is a snapshot of the overall impression of a wine. Skill
can be improved by paying attention to where and when it is present. Body is
the result of many factors – from wine variety, where it’s from, vintage, alcohol
level and how it’s made. Alcohol Level adds to the body. The wine will have a
higher viscosity which is easily seen in watching it bead
on the side of the glass. A high alcohol wine typically tastes
fuller bodied than a light-alcohol wine.
Tasting body….!!!!
How does the wine compare to other wines you’ve tasted? Lighter?
Bigger? How long does the taste last in your mouth after you’ve swallowed? 5,
10, 20, 40 seconds? Is the wine full bodied up front but then drops off at the
end?
“Before you came, all things
were what they are…
The sky was sight’s boundary…
The road, a road…
The glass of wine, a glass of
wine!”
-Faiz
Ahmed Faiz
Wine is still a very nascent field in India and there is
tremendous potential for growth. The growth of the Indian wine industry has
seen phenomenal increase, not only in consumption pattern but also in the
number of newer wineries that have come up in the last seven years. Most of
these are modeled along the European school of thought. With changing urban
life style and high growth of the middle class section of the society,
wine as an alternative to other alcoholic drinks has come to
occupy a dominant position in India. It is still a young industry which can do
with greater expertise and more professional approach in all its aspects, from grape
growing to wine marketing.
FURTHER SCOPE
Considering the huge massive population of India and increasing
number of alcohol imbibers with the young sophisticated types already
experimenting with wine, it is obvious to assume that the younger generation would
shift to wine as a lifestyle product, the shift being complete in a generation
or two. Therefore, if we take a horizon of 20-25 years, we should be able to
see a marked shift towards wine drinking culture in India,
provided there shall be share of wine industry, as the new govt.
working towards the up gradation of tourism and hospitality sector and does not
treat wine and spirits with the same ink.First, there was a shift from hard
liquor to beer drinking; this is followed by increase in wine drinking culture with
strong educational program and health benefits of wine, helping the increase in
wine culture. In fact , India is 30-35 years behind Australia in terms of wine
drinking education and culture. True, wine drinkers are eager to learn and
enlarge their experience. Also true that there has been growth in the awareness
and appreciation of wine from a level where it was almost non-existent. But the
early pace of progress has lost the momentum. The reason - and your guess is
right - is our tangle of red tape and contradictory regulations. Though many of
the wine grape varieties are not mentioned above, the reader can begin his
search as a first
lesson. I continue to recommend a daily consumption of 1-2
glasses of good quality wine for women and 2-3 glasses for men, preferably red
and preferably with food. There are a lot of new features to learn about wine
in days to come, so keep your nose and palates open and savor every drop of it!
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