Tag: Wine and Food

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Blog TippleTalk

#TippleTalk – COVID-19 pandemic: Future of Fine Dining

From chefs and sommeliers to mixologists and servers, a large part of the fine dining experience is the human element. Remove that and what is left behind is barely a reflection of its grander stately version.

A few months ago, as I was enjoying my course of pasta before the mains were scheduled to arrive, the maître-d’hôte came along and generously drizzled my plate with truffles and parmesan cheese. Today, if the same were to happen, I’d give a silent shudder if the person wasn’t wearing rubber gloves. And even then, I’d most likely ask them to simply leave it at the table and let me do the garnishing myself. So much has changed in so little a period of time. The pandemic, in that sense, has set us back and moved us forward a 100 years simultaneously!

Noma, four-time world’s best restaurant, reopened as a burger and wine bar

In Europe, restaurants have started opening. Gone are the days of cosy bars where elbows rubbed. The term ‘can’t touch him/her with a barge pole’ is the norm for setting up social spaces today. Places have gone all-out inventive in trying to find ways to keep people feeling safe and secluded without losing too many covers. Acrylic enclosures, sliding dividers, smaller table settings, all this is being done to create a sense of letting people be isolated in a crowded space.

The paradox of it all makes home delivery sound like a much more convenient option. Just order your food home, call up your friends on Zoom (or Hangouts or MS Meeting, or whichever app you are all commonly using) and enjoy it as the next best way to socialise without the worries. Home delivery has truly been picking up and even the big five-stars are giving in to the demand. I still don’t feel that they have their pricing pegged right, but maybe over time, it will work itself out. And with WhatsApp allowing eight people on a video call, I think socialising over the net isn’t all that hard to do.

So that’s food and friends sorted, but what about the drinks? Well, with the home delivery of alcohol commencing, it makes the idea of staying in sound ever more lucrative. You can finally do it all from the comfort of an armchair.

The definition of fine dining is changing with pandemic hitting hospitality industry globally.

But what about fine dining, an experience which isn’t just about the food, drink and company, but also about the ambience and service? How will that fare going ahead? Will they, too, start delivering course-wise meals to home? But how is that fine dining if I am sitting at my own dining table? Also, who is serving me here and guiding me through the wine list, or preparing my aperitif of a peated whisky sour? From chefs to sommeliers, mixologists and servers, a large part of the fine dining experience is the human element.

Remove that and what is left behind is barely a reflection of its grander stately version. Bare-bones fine dining is an oxymoron and it just doesn’t work when we try to understand it out of context. Maybe the finer places could send the team home to cook and serve me, but where does that leave social distancing? And would I be able to afford that experience, considering how the drying up revenue streams means that my spending capacity already stands diminished compared to even a few weeks ago? If others feel the same, will there remain enough takers for the service to keep it afloat?

Hospitality sector is facing huge loses amid COVID – 19

Just before we went into lockdown, the team at Indian Accent shared the news with me that once again they were the top-rated Indian restaurant (climbing to number 13) in Asia’s 50 Best list. Alas, I never got around to sharing forth that information and, now, all I can do is sit and reminisce my last meal there. I certainly hope they (and others like them) will find novel ways to see themselves through these times.

In times today, when few eateries can live beyond their first year, my heart goes out to all those who have managed to stick around for longer, but are now faced with this very real scare of having to permanently shut doors. I don’t have any solutions to suggest, but let’s wait and watch how things pivot. The coronavirus may become a permanent bane for all of us, but if there’s one thing history has taught us it’s that there is no species more resilient than the homo sapiens.

Written by Magandeep SINGH
First published in Financial Express.

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Blog Videos

#52Drinks52Weeks – Barolo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzFXuOwLp5I

King of Wines and Wines for the Kings, Barolo is Italy’s pride. But did you know it wasn’t always red, it wasn’t always dry. It was sweet and sparkling. With time it has evolved and now rule palates and imaginations the world over, like a king.

On the Northwestern edge of Italy are the hills of Piedmont, which in Italian can literally be translated as the foot of the mountains. Wines have been made for centuries. By the Celts, Romans, and even the French under the Kingdom of Savoy. However, the Nebbiolo grape came here only on the 1266.

It’s a finicky character, and ripens late, even on the sunniest of Piedmontese slopes, and are picked in early winters by when the fog sets in. The Italian term for fog is ‘nebbia’ which gives it its name. At one time it was locally said, when the fog sets in, pick the grapes.

Other story suggests it is because of the heavy bloom or white powery yeast on its skin that’s why it’s called so. Whatever be the true story, this thin skin red varietal is a local hero, and works perfectly well in the hills of Piedmont. It claims the hills as its world-famous permanent address, which now is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By the time the term ‘Barolo’ first featured on the wine labels, in the 19th CE, it was a dry red wine with mouthwatering acidity, supple tannins, and a personality that couldn’t be ignored.

The first few generations of Barolo producers would age the wine in huge oak barrels for long and make them rest further for decades before drinking them. These producers were called the traditionalists. They’d say, buy now, but drink after 20 years. But then came the younger generations who were a little impatient, or excited, to show their wines. They brought in smaller barrels that made wines age faster, or literally cut down the massive ones from their papa’s cellars with a chainsaw. 

These wines were fruitier, fresher, more vivacious, and less oak driven, ready to be relished upon release. Though the dads and grand-dads didn’t appreciate this tinkering with the personality of Barolos, consumers called these young guns, the modernists. And this war on oak-usage sparked what is now called the ‘Barolo Wars’. This divide has stayed and even movies are made on this now. Watch the famous documentary Barolo Boys to find out more about.

This has to be the biggest wine war in a region. So much so that kids of traditionalist winemakers weren’t allowed to be pals with those of the modernists. They may disagree on the style, one thing they agree on is the recipe. It had to be a Nebbiolo-only wine, aged for a minimum 3 years to be called Barolo, and for 5 years for Riserva, before they was released. This recipe was conferred with the coveted DOCG title in the year 1980, the highest quality level for Italian wines

Now there are various styles of Barolos and one must understand the differentiations between its communes and villages, and crus and winemaker’s style to pick their favourites. The more aromatic ones come from Barolo & La Morra, while the Castiglione Falletto, and Monforte d’Alba will give you more structured and age-worthy wines. Serralunga d’Alba is a bit spice and muscular. This is all thanks to the divide of the the Tortonian and Helvetica soils under the grape wines.

Be it the traditional style or the modern one, it’s a gastronomic delight when paired with the local Alba truffles, Agnolotti pasta in Ragu sauce, or a good game dish. If not this fancy, try a mushroom-heavy pasta or risotto and you’ll see the magic unfold.  Even better if the Barolo is decanted and drunk after its 10th birthday, or if it is a Riserva make it its 15th birthday. But do note, good Barolos can age up to 30-40 years as well.

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Blog TippleTalk

#TippleTalk – Romancing Indian Cuisine

Indian food is many things. It is historic, exotic, imaginative, filling, familial…many things to many people. And yet, it is never one thing: romantic. Of all the Avatars that Indian cuisines have enjoyed the world over, the are still not the obvious choice when it comes to a memorable meal for couples. For the country that gave the world its most sacred text on sensuality, it is quite a pity that the myriad foods of our country are not considered aphrodisiacal.

Modern Indian cuisine is changing in an artistic manner

And so Indian food stands derided from the art form that it is and reduced to a life support function in a country of a billion. To pass from being the subject of fantasies and poetry to a mere substance for subsistence, there can be perhaps no worse a way to be relegated.

But not all is lost for somewhere in the garble of information that is life today, there remain undercurrents of the ethereal, nebulous notions of  what constitutes a fine moment, one that is preserved in eternity. All romances needs two parties so Indian cuisines may just be up for some serious courtship. Time to bring in the wine, ladies and gentlemen. Yes sir romance is not entirely dead, and as long as this inexplicable illogical and yet the sweetest of all afflictions continues to plague mankind, there is still hope. Here are a few factors that can help infuse a little love into your daily ingest of Indian rations. But before we talk wine, here are a few other caveats.

Hand- Feed

It helps if you are open to the idea of eating with your hands. the best way to enjoy a proper Indian repast. If touch is means of sensory stimulus then by coming in physical contact with your food you are enhancing the possibilities of enjoyment of any given meal.

Adapt Presentations, Not Recipe

Traditional Indian dish with a modern presentation

Indian gastronomy has a rich history, to change recipes is to belie it. Rather than tweak recipes to makes them “wine-centric” (for it isn’t the ingredients or the cooking that is the problem), I’d rather we revisited presentation. Family style servings presented with as much enthusiasm as midterm papers aren’t exactly romance-inspiring. Focus thus must to present dishes in a manner thats less communal and more personal. Course-wise presentation helps in creating flavour focus which then makes wine pairing a more systematic exercise as opposed to holistic. Such service formats also allow for inventive garnishes and portion-control for there is nothing romantic about gluttony!

Chilli Threshold

Spices plays an important role in Indian cuisine

All food enjoyment in India is limited by ones’ personal capacity to tolerate heat as measured on the Scoville scale. This refers to the amount of chillies used to spruce up any Indian dish and detrimental to pairing with wine. As stated above, do not adapt recipes but adapt your manner of eating: use less curry or more bread in each bite. Try and savour instead of savagely attacking a dish. All these can help to an extent. Beyond that, a one word solution is yoghurt.

No Side-Plate

If one must stick to the conventional ‘Thaal‘ style service where everything is served all at once then placement is important. If the plate is imagined to be a watch-face, the bread or the rice lie at 6 o’clock, the meats, lentils and vegetables between 10 and 2 with salads and pickles in the remaining spaces. What this does is emphasise the role of bread or rice which will tone the spice in every bite as they envelope the dishes or soak up the gravies. without them, the pairing would be off balance. Having a side-plate puts the meats and veggies centerstage and that is not the format of traditional Indian dining.

And now for the wines; remember pairing wine with food is a great way to make any meal romantic. But also keep in mind that this exercise began in the West and there, it was an organic process, evolving through time and history, unlike here and now in India, where it is almost imposed. In such, it is best to discard all existing ideologies and to try and create newer more relevant concepts. That established, what follows next are some points that us sommeliers keep in mind when pairing Indian cuisine with wine.

Match the strengths of the dishes with wine

Always match strengths. Light wines for light dishes, and richer ones with the heavier dishes, white or red doesn’t matter. Intensity of a wine must sit well besides the dish, neither subduing it nor being overpowered by it.

If the course has no bread (like kebabs and starters) then best to deploy the big reds here. The smokiness of the kebabs can marry very well with oak-kissed wines.

Tikkas has smoky flavour that can match with oaky wines

Fruity wines are always preferable over oaky ones with the mains. As bread and rice will lower the spice quotient of the dishes, a big wine may dominate the pairing, killing the subtle spices and flavourings in the process.

It is essential to remember to pair wines to the gravies and the curries, the meat or vegetable element is largely insignificant. Pairing the ‘sauce’ is always the smarter way to approach pairing, especially given how often the same sauce is used to create a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian version of any given dish.

From the points above one may infer with Indian cuisine, wine service order is somewhat lopsided, starting with the big reds in the beginning and moving onto the softer wines. That should not be considered wrong as it follows the order of the nature of our food. It’s either this, or else get ready to start your meal with phirni and end with tikkas!

In the end, all pairings are subjective so there is no one best rule to follow. What’s sensible is to listen to the common advice and then to try something that you feel like for even the best match are often not the most obvious. If gastronomy be an exercise in romance between food and wine — to take the ordinary that is provided and transform it into the exemplary – we have consistently floundered in telling the tale of this romance. It’s time we set the record straight.

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Blog TippleTalk

Art of Food and Wine Pairing

I don’t know who or when decided that we need someone to tell us what to drink with our meal, but that was pretty much the first sommelier on the planet. Since then, sommeliers have crowded the F&B space, dictating this, decreeing that, some matches being proclaimed heavenly, while others being snubbed.

Food and wine pairing intuitive yet subjective.

Now, here’s the truth: yes, there is an art to pairing food and wine. But it’s an intuitive art. It’s also subjective, which means that it’s alright if two people agree to disagree. There are, however, a few basic cardinal rules and they are listed below. Outside of these, anything that steals your fancy is fair game.

Light wines go with light dishes

Keep in mind the intensity of flavours while matching it with food.

This transcends the veg/non-veg debate. You can have fish with red wine if the preparation is rich enough to require so. Similarly, certain lamb dishes can be had with luscious barrel-fermented and aged white wines. Match intensity of flavours, not colour or principle ingredient.


Nothing is worse than being served a dry wine with sweet dishes.

The old Champenoise (people from Champagne, not people who drink too much Champagne, mostly because there’s nothing like too much Champagne) are much to blame. They keep trying to serve dry (Brut) Champagnes with desserts and ruin both wine and cake for us. The simple rule of thumb: the wine must be comparably sweet with the dish at hand, else the dish will make the wine seem astringent and sour. So avoid a dry wine with a sweet dish, no matter the colour or occasion.

OK, there is one thing worse than the point above and that’s serving a tannic dry wine with sweet dishes. Nothing strips away at the balance and harmony of your palate than being asked to spoon the chocolate mousse with whatever remains of the main course red. If it were up to me, I’d sip through the wine and finish it before ordering dessert.


Sweet wine with a savoury fat-rich dish

Acidity in wines balances greasy element in food

However, can be done. This is because a sweet wine isn’t just about the sugar, but also a lot about the acidity, the crisp tartness that, hidden as it may seem, is what keeps the clawing syrupy aspect of the wine in check. It is this acidity that balances out the greasy element in the dish. Heard of foie gras and Sauternes? Well, this is the principle that guides that classic pairing.


Soups and eggs are best off not being paired

The reasons are simple. Eggs leave an unmistakable smell in the glass (once you eat an egg and sip from a glass) so it ruins the wines bouquet. And with soups, the hot-cold temperature isn’t always a pleasure. Also, as soups shrink from being a legit course to mostly a course-breaker, or a palate cleanser in some cases, there is no need to dedicate an entire glass of wine to it. Either continue the previous wine (from the starter) or serve a wine now to lead into the next course.

The best pairing for a successful evening is the company it is enjoyed with.

Follow these cardinal rules and you will never get it too wrong. And always remember the most important rule of pairing: don’t impose your choices on others. Your likings may not correspond with your guests’. Accommodate for this. The best pairing for a successful evening is the company it is enjoyed with. Don’t lose out on that in the long run.

Written by Magandeep SINGH.
First published in Financial Express.

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Blog TippleTalk

A Sweet Tipple

If there is a devotion Indians show as much as they do to God, cricket, politics, and movies, it’s to all things sweets. In fact, if you’re a true Indian, somewhere in the country or even away, you may even skip a visit to a temple, mosque, or a church but will definitely have a dose of sugar in one way or the other. Be it with our morning cups of coffee or chai, in yogurts with our meals, snack bags we munch on, those sugary drinks, shakes, smoothies, and juices, or just pure sweet and dessert courses that follow after our meals. Call it a deep-rooted connection with our ancestors’ diets that has drilled sugar-intake into our genes or the irresistible appeal of a platter of homemade sweets prepared at every corner of the street, India, in a nutshell, remains a sweet-toothed country. That’s the story generally after our meals. A somewhat equal reverence is enjoyed by the tipples we engage in before a meal. Be it light draws of beer or wine, or a generous pour of whisky on-the-rocks; we love them as they come. However, it’s interesting to see that this is one area that we like sans-sweetness. Quite a contrast you’d say.

Dessert wines are sweet enough to replace your dessert, hence the name.

Under the umbrella of fine wines, there exists an intriguingly exciting genre – dessert wines. They are the simplest (and at the same time, complex) that a wine can get. These wines can be sweet enough to replace your desserts, and hence the name. Rarely does one witness someone reject tasting these wines, especially in India. Be it at a morning tasting, an evening get-together, or at the dinner table, these are the most-demanded and first ones to vanish off the offering. Concern remain, they may appreciate tasting them but not order them from the wine lists or pick them off the local wine shop shelves.

History of sweet wines began from the Greek and Roman era where grape juice was drawn and stirred with some yeast to initiate fermentation, breakdown of sugar to alcohol. With the lack of much understanding about the process, the wines would remain only partly fermented as the weak yeast would give up soon with dropping winter temperature and increasing alcohol levels and wouldn’t complete the cycle, resulting in a considerable portion of sugar unmoved, thus creating a sticky yet alluring sweet wine. Some of these were so highly regarded that they were reserved only for consumption by the kings’ court and the royal priests. Eventually, they spread out to reach the layman, only at certain marked occasions, and their worth was well understood. Even though the technology has boomed today to fully ferment the sugar but the divine temptation of these sweet drops hasn’t let the wine style become a matter of the past. They are demanded the world around and reserve a considerable portion of the wine lists. Yet, India has turned its back on them and hasn’t welcomed it with arms wide open, the reasons are many.

POST DINNER DRINKS

Dessert wines are not a mid-meal proposition and are best reserved for later

Indians were introduced to the British idea of post-meal indulgence but never received it fully. Be it Cognacs and brandies, digestive liqueurs, or even something as simple as coffee. Lunch is considered a workingman’s meal, thus light, and dinners are almost a gala event. We compensate what we miss out at lunchtime with heavy main courses of rich gravies, curries, and rice, leaving no corner for these post-dinner sips. Dessert wines are not a mid-meal proposition and are best reserved for later. Indian cuisine generally doesn’t allow us that liberty, drawing only a little scope for their presence on our tables.

VARIETY OF INDIAN SWEETS

We love our desserts, don’t we? Be it as light as Sandesh, kheer, basundi, or phirni, to something as heavy as Jalebi, Gulab Jamun, or Khubani ka Meetha, we can polish off the platter in a jiffy. The concern remains with their complexity of styles, sweetness levels, textures, and serving temperatures (especially when served warm). Although there exist wines from light to almost raisin-sweet luscious sticky consistency to match all levels of India sweets, however, the idea of pairing them with something to sip alongside is non-prevalent. Desserts in European/ Western cuisines are generally served cold and classified into three flavour-dominant categories: Heavy: chocolate/coffee-based, moderate: caramel based, light – sugar based, and so are the wines, making it simpler to marry. Indians desserts are a complex chapter, even for Indians, and lack of understanding of the two worlds has inhibited the acceptance of dessert wines here.

HEALTH CONCERNS

A hereditary health concern engrained in our genetics is that of diabetes. If you’re not one yet, the fearful thought of getting there defines what you eat, right! Dessert wines and Ports can have as much as 100 grams of sugar per litre, or even more. This is the same natural sugar found in fruits, called Fructose, but in higher concentration. Though it is healthy but our genetic build-up suggests us to stay away.

CONNOISSEURSHIP

Some of the fine dessert wines are amongst the most expensive wines of the wprld

Wines are a fine beverage, everyone likes to be seen talking about them. A little knowledge about wines and their vocabulary places you in the category of ‘connoisseur’ in your social circle. While some believe sweet wine is just alcohol with sugar, truth is they are never easy to describe. As a general belief, talking about these wines is considered less intelligent. Most vinos embark their wine-drinking experiences with Goan Port-style wines, the sugary red wine that tastes almost angelic when youthful. In social circles, however, they wouldn’t rate it high. Even if that’s your daily poison, they are looked down upon and thus refrained from, holding its sugary sweetness to blame. It’s true, some bad wines are masked with sugar to bring them to a drinkable status, but not all sweet wines stand true to that notion. Historically speaking, three wines were called ‘gods’ wine’, and two amongst them were dessert wines. Amongst these two, one is so prestigious for the country that it’s a part of their national anthem! 

TEMPERATURE AND PORTIONS

Hotels and restaurants fail to educate the consumers about the fact that high sweetness makes the drinkability of dessert wines restricted. Result, 90-100ml is their average service portion, against 150ml of dry wines. Furthermore, as the sugar level escalates the service temperature should be dropped to curb the sticky, clawing mouthfeel the wines can bring.

If not presented at the right temperature, they can potentially taste identical to warm chaashni (rich thick sugar syrup). Throw your dessert wine bottles at the back of the freezers for an hour and pour them out in tiny a portion, that’s liquid bliss!!

First published in Times of India Time N Style in September, 2013

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Blog Conversations

Conversations by Indulge – Charles Donnadieu

In times when full-time on-the-floor sommeliers are growing, they still face a bit of an identity crisis. Usually, it is the Beverage Manager or a server with a keen interest in wines who dons the title. But Charles Donnadieu, the corporate sommelier for The Lalit Group of Hotels, is an exception. Apart from heading the beverage portfolio of twelve major properties across India for the group, he trains his staff, hosts tastings, dinners, evenings, and is the go-to man for all things wine. 

Charles started his journey in France, later moved to Ireland, and now India is glad to call him one of our own. Team INDULGE learns his inspiring + motivating journey, and documents it for the young and budding beverage professionals in the country.

 

What inspired you to become a sommelier?

Conversations by IWBS – Charles Donnadieu

I started my first job as Food and Beverage Manager in resort in Connemara, Ireland, right after completing Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management in 2004. Later, I realised that I have lack of knowledge in wines. How to recommend and understand the preference of our costumer and suggest wines accordingly was a difficult task. I decided to go back to school to study wines again through one-year “the mention complementaire sommellerie” program at l’Etincelle, Nimes, France. I did a three months’ practice in the vineyards during harvest and six months theory & practice in school itself. Lastly I ended up with a three months’ training in a Michelin Star restaurant. 

My teachers transmitted their passion & knowledge to me, thus, making me a better sommelier and a beverage professional.    

  

What struggle did you face during your initial days working in India? And how did you overcome them?

My English was poor. It took me a little time to communicate properly. Indian wine market itself was very difficult to understand, between wine offers, and availability, which keeps on changing every six months. Promoting wine producer rather than the brand isn’t simple to implement. Indian market is more brand driven and, for a sommelier, it’s very important to discover new wines and appellations to make his wine offers more attractive than the market itself.

English with practice became better. Boutique wine programs have been implemented years after years with a good response from our costumer. Every six months, a lot of wine enters in the market and other leaves. This acts as an advantage for a sommelier to taste a lot of new wine every other month. I think this is very important, in order to educate our palate and improve our knowledge.

What are the commendable things you see in India as a young wine-producing region?

In the last six years I have seen a lot of improvement in the key wine regions – Nasik, Karnataka, and Hampi Hills. Year after year it’s still a surprise to see how they sustain quality and make their own styles. For example, full body & spicy oak barrel Cabernet-Shiraz from Nasik, or aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, or Chenin Blanc with a refreshing tropical style that defines some of the Indian wine producing regions.

Indian wines at The Lalit, New Delhi

More and more wine from India are being awarded at international competitions. This means India is about to be on the world wine production map. For mere 40 years-old history, it’s such a good recognition

According to you, what qualities should young professionals have to become a successful beverage professional?

I think it’s very important to be humble and passionate. Taste as much as possible, get your hands on every beverage, and never get drunk, in public or even in private

What are your favourite tipples after a tiring day?

A post-work Mojito at Kitty Su before heading home is still my favourite.

What’re the advantages of working in India?

India is a young market. There are many activities happening around wines which makes every day different from the other, and working more enjoyable.

Charles, would you please share your daily work schedule?

As corporate sommelier, my journey starts at the office around 11 am to ends at 7 or 10 pm. What I do on a daily basis is:

Charles is the brains behind the brilliant wine list at Lalit Group of Hotels
  • Dealing with wine supplier – mainly tasting wines, updating and finalising menus, and planning upcoming wine dinners.
  • Plan and deliver internal trainings to all staff members to make them familiar with our wines.
  • Wine promotion across the hotels, wine dinner programs, and pairing concepts to make our guests enjoy wines during meal, rather that just before, or after.
  • Updating wine list across 12 hotels.
  • And of course, each day is different from the other.