CHENNAI:Drinking wine is like riding a bicycle. No matter how many times you fall, once you find your balance, you enjoy riding!” smiles sommelier Balu Pandiyan, who has been studying wines for the last 14 years. He completed hotel management course several years ago and has been networking extensively across the globe. He has even worked with the F1 team as a sommelier. He is working at Blanc Carouge and is also doing his advanced level master sommelier course and is on the third level.
Balu believes that the term sommelier is overused. “When you enjoy drinking wine, it makes you a connoisseur. If you enjoy teaching about wine then you’re an educator. But a sommelier has an extensive background in food and beverage, and always improves their palate,” he explains. Their exams include tasting wine and judging what region the grape comes from, down to the soil type and village! This comes with a developed palate.
Have you wondered why you swirl the wine in the glass gently before drinking? “As the wine is compressed in the bottle, you swirl it to let it breathe,” he smiles. Also, remember that you always hold the stem of the glass, never the globe.
Red wine is to be had in room temperature — of Europe! From 18-20 degrees is optimal, and Balu recommends you store bottles in your bedroom. “Put it in the fridge for 10 minutes before you open it,” he adds. White wines should be had at around 10-12 degrees, and sparkling wines from 6-8. It also helps if the wines are stored in temperature-controlled dark cellars.
If you have noticed, wine bottles are always stored horizontally. “That’s because the cork has to be kept moist and always in contact with the liquid, otherwise the cork dries and allows air in,” informs Balu. Once oxygen mixes with wine, it slowly converts wine to vinegar.
Screw cap wines and bottles that come in bags are common these days. “It’s like you’re in a ballroom wearing an Armani suit and Adidas shoes!” he laughs, but says it’s good for easy, everyday drinking wines and restaurants where they serve wine by the glass. “Expensive wines should have proper corks,” he opines.
Do prices always correspond to quality? “Not necessarily. Everybody produces champagne in Champagne region but we only know of Moet & Chandon and a few others. There are small producers, who have similar quality but not the big labels,” he says adding that wines can be overpriced too.
So what is the difference between old world and new world wines? “Old world wines are traditional. In India we have been making wines since 6000 BC. It was lost along the way,” he says. “There were thumb rules earlier, red wine with red meat and white with white meat. This has changed over time because there are so many different cooking methods! If you’re having spicy food, it’s better to have wine with lesser alcohol content which is not dry but semi-sweet, preferably white.”
Did you know that it is acceptable to add a cube of ice in a glass of white wine? “It’s very trendy now to add ice to entry level wine. The taste won’t change much, and it stays cold, and you won’t see the stars!”
Whites are traditionally summer wines, but if you want to enjoy a red in the beating Chennai summer, Shiraz and Merlot are safe choices. “Shiraz has a peppery earthy note and Merlot is sweet and not heavy bodied,” he says.
The jury is out to question, should you decant your wines? “Only when it’s a high-end vintage! These wines have been sealed in bottles for years, and they need to be decanted so they can breathe and be circulated. The sediments also need to be filtered,” he shares, adding that there is a proper method of decanting, which includes a candle and not a plastic funnel.
Sadly enough, you can’t extend the life of wine once you’ve opened the bottle. It is best to finish the bottle the same day, but it can rest for three days after which it must be thrown out. “You can do other things with wine though. You can make sangrias and even cook with it!” he adds.