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Wine Dinner by
Hyderabad Wine Club (HWC) to Promote / Revival Hyderabad Wine Culture -
at “Mainland China”
on 18th
March 2005,
In
its pursuit to develop wine culture in Hyderabad, HWC organized one more
wine dinner on 18th March 2005, Friday at “Mainland China”
with a range of wines from Chile. It is such of these wine events,
makes people understand what wine is.
After all Hyderabad is the oldest Grape
and Wine Centre of India, and is logical to “Revive Wine Culture” here.
During Nizan Ul Mulk – around 1700, it was the French (who came here for
military advice) refined the art of Wine making, and Hyderabad becomes
one of the major centers of Indian Wines. But in all probability wines
were made perhaps many years before the arrival of French. Now
Government and Horticultural department has taken an initiative to
develop wine parks. Let this initiative soon materializes to a reality
and Hyderabad will become important Wine Center of India.
Hyderabad Wine Club is seriously and
continuously striving to develop Wine Culture here. Beneficial Aspects
of Wine Drinking certainly outweighs to wean away people from drinking
hard liquors, whether it is finest of whiskeys or crudest of desi
liquors. The idea here is not to induct teetotalers to drinking, but to
shift people’s preference to wine drinking.
HWC also feels that, we should encourage
individual grape farmers to establish Estate Wineries in line with other
countries, on “Home Scale/ Cottage/ Small Scale Food Processing Units”
with smaller license fees and minimum infrastructure and least
interference from authorities. Let farmers grow grapes, convert part of
them to wines and sell them on farm. Most of 600 grape farmers of AP
will love to do it, as it certainly helps them to get remunerative price
for their produce.
While Wines from grapes is common
phenomenon all over the world, there are some small wineries
specializing in fruit wines. Taking clue from them, we can allow fruit
growing farmers for making exotic “Fruit Wines”. Fruit wines have a
long and distinguished tradition in US and in England and latest in New
Zealand and Hyderabad can become another place in the world to boast
about them. Andhra Pradesh can seriously think about fruit wines –
mainly from Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, Watermelon, Banana etc., if not
abundantly grown Tomato.
Next in the ladder of exoticism are Flower
Wines, be it Rose, Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Hibiscus - and we have
plenty of them.
Taking this Government initiative to
develop wine parks to higher heights, we should allow Wine Industry on
par with Food Processing Industry (Yes, Wine is indeed food) by allowing
various categories of wineries from Home to Large Industrial Scale
Considerable efforts were made by HWC to
make all the wine events, educative to the participating members. While
they have comparative tasting of different wines at a single sitting,
ever present is a wine specialist to clarify smallest of doubts
regarding wines.
This evening was devoted to taste and
compare wines from “Chile”. Chile is fast becoming a strong wine
developing country to reckon with and classical wines at an affordable
prices are available practically everywhere in the world, thanks to the
extensive support extended by Chilean Government.
As the tradition goes with HWC club the
dinner started with a Sparkling Wine. Of course they could not procure
the same from Chilean Wine Cellar, but “Sula Brut” the latest entry to
Andhra Pradesh from Sula vineyards, was a welcome guest to start their
dinner. Sula’s Sparkling is off dry and was matched well with “Chinese
dim sum”, “Chicken Sivmai”, “Chicken Twin Pepper” followed by “Chicken
Coriander thick soup”. The sweetness of the wine lessens the effect of
chillies, at the same time lifting flavors with its bubbles. The racy
Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (Valdivieso) is a good alternative for the same
soup, adding an additional grassy herbal touch to the soup.
It was another
memorable evening in our club history. In spite of working day, and
being professionals, all the people promised to attend the dinner turned
up and it was a pleasant time for all of us. Looks one or two of our
members started understanding wines. They started comparing wines from
our previous dinner (EJGallo Sierra Valley series) wines with today’s
wines. Of course the sparkling wine "Andre Brut" looked much more
superior to the one "Sula Brut" we had today
“Shrimp Pepper Garlic with a dash of
lemon” was served with Sauvignon Blanc and did well to match. The
Valdivieso "Sauvignon Blanc" is equally good as was the "Sierra Valley
Sauvignon Blanc". And we could enjoy both Tierruca Merlot 2001 and
Carmenere, but there were more re-pours for Carmenere. Half the way it
becomes a game of everything for every one. Too much food is coming at
a rather brisk pace; all the wines got mixed up at a certain point of
time. Finally what everyone feels, is keeping a side the order of
drinking wines, preference from lighter to heavy, white to red, all is a
matter of subjectivity and the evening is just for enjoyment. And what
it was finally. I tried to induct some order in between, but joined the
bandwagon just to relax and enjoy the evening.
Then the Merlot 2001 (Tierruca), a soft
and easy drinking red wine, handled “Cumin Fish” with elegance. The
soft tannins could not interfere with the slightly burnt flavors.
The Carmenere (Tierruca) on the other hand
is more robust in tannins compared to Merlot but not as strong as
Cabernet Sauvignon. Chile is claiming this exciting grape variety as
its very own and so rather proud of it. With its intense red berry
flavors, some firm tannins and upright structure and moufthfeel it is
good compared to the more laidback Merlot. The main course served
during the Reds “Stir Fried Hakka Noodles”, “Ginger Capsicum Fried
Rice”, “Exotic Vegetables in Chilli, Sesami, Onion Sauce, “Chicken
Ginger Chilli Soya Sauce” added an exotic touch to this beautiful, well
planned Wines and Matching Food. The more “Indianized Chinese Food” is
well received by the guests, showing Chinese restaurants adoption to
local palate.
The team from “Mainland China” Mr. Sagar
MG, Mr. Suprio Banerjee and Mr. Latish Nair did a commendable job in
contributing their mite with their suggestions and help in organizing
this dinner.
It was an interactive type of Wine Dinner,
I am answering most of the queries regarding Wines. True to the club’s
objective in helping AP farmers, we do presented some unconventional
wines in between and at the end. During the flow of Wines an “Onion
Wine” was presented to members to check their olfactory senses. And the
taste of final “Coffee wine” added to Vanilla Ice cream is divine in
simple terms.
HWC continues to organize wine related
events – whether it is Wine Dinner, Wine Tasting Session, or Wine
Appreciating Lecture, with a firm belief, that it can make
“Understanding Wine” – a pleasure to Hyderabad Wine Lovers. And there
are people like Remie Law of Happyvines, Singapore who guide us from
behind.
Balaji Rao BK
President, Hyderabad Wine Club
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