Top 10 wines Myth Indians have.

The top 10 myths about wines that Indians have: -

1) Wine is daaru?

Wine is not DAARU, and this is one of the biggest myths that the Indians have, they are not exposed to any kind of alcohol from their childhood and which is why they have a perception that all alcoholic beverages are the same and fall under one category and that is DAARU.

2) Older the wine better it is.

Not always, majority of the wines, 95% produced around the world is meant to be consumed in a couple of years or when young (maybe a few years aged), the rest 5% of the wines can age for longer, maybe 10 or even 100`s of years. And the main thing to keep in mind is that at least in the Indian Sub-continent climatic conditions DO NOT STORE YOUR WINES FOR LONGER. Maybe a couple of years, that too when stored properly. Otherwise, your wine will turn into vinegar and you`ll start hating wines. Relax… Finish the wine bottle, Simple isn`t it.

3) Wines especially reds need to be served at room temperature.

If you`re in any European country or where snowfall happens, the temperature there is ideal for storing the wines for longer but where the temperature crosses 45°C, like in INDIA, don’t do this crime of serving the Red wines at room temperature. Wines need to be served at a specific temperature depending upon the different wines respectively and the serving temperature for a Red wine is around 15-20°C (Slightly cold), white wines – 12 -15°C (Cold) and dessert wines and sparkling wines need to be served below 8°C (Properly Chilled). If the wines are not served at proper temperatures, they`ll not taste good and won`t express themselves properly and again you`ll blame the poor wine for all this.

4) Indian wines are totally waste. Imported wines are the best.

Indian wines are doing a great job when it comes to wine, yes, we are not the top wine-producing regions around the world but definitely, we are making some exceptional wines that are competing internationally. The Indian wine market is at a nascent stage still and needs to develop and it is growing slowly and steadily. Definitely, we cannot compare our wines directly to French wines but we cannot simply call them waste.

5) Every wine that has bubbles is champagne.

NO…NO…NO… Champagne is a region in France and all the sparkling wines made there can only be called champagne, just like Assam tea cannot be made anywhere other than the Assam region, same logic. All champagnes can be called sparkling wines but all sparkling wines cannot be called champagnes.

6) White and Rosé wines are meant only for ladies.

Wine is something that has a personal preference, it is totally false to claim that it is only meant for ladies. I have seen various wine enthusiasts who like white wines a lot.

Why this myth arise?? India is a male dominant country and usually, people prefer to have hard alcoholic drinks like Whiskey, Rum, etc. And wine has low alcohol strength which may be good for consumption to a beginner or ladies who are not exposed to alcohol.

7) Wines doesn’t get you drunk.

LOL...... Seriously????? I bet you to drink a whole bottle of wine and then see its effect, I do not promote that you should drink excessively because anything of excess has a negative impact on your body.

Drinking wine slowly and giving it time would definitely do not makes you that drunk though, but if you gulp the whole bottle in less time, that will definitely give a kick you would remember. ;)

8) Sweet/Dessert wines are for beginners

Not really......People in India are not exposed to wine culture and they are towards whiskey and rum more, those who want to try alcohol for the first time may try wine because of low alcohol strength and if they taste a Barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon definitely will not like it for sure.

People who try for the first time are required to start with sweet/dessert wines or light white or Rosé wines so that they appreciate wine.

Dessert wines are usually served as a digestif or paired with desserts, not really a wine only for beginners.

9) Flavors are added to the wines.

Nothing is added as such, all the flavours in the wines come from the grape itself.

There are various types of wine grapes around the world and all the grapes have distinct taste, characteristics and flavours, e.g. there are many varieties of mangoes around the world and all taste somehow different and even smell different, there are different compounds in the grape that gives rise to various aromas in the wine, also the winemaking process is also responsible for a distinct flavour and aromas in the wine.

10) Wines with a cork are the best.

It's not, yes, you may find the best wines in the world with corks but the studies have proved that having a cork does not make much of a difference to the wine.

Usually, you will find a wine with cork on in the old world countries (though some new world countries are also using it), new world countries use screw caps.

It is also known that wines with a cork may develop TCA, a.k.a. cork taint, which is a type of wine fault.

Simply put, corks are a bit expensive and screw caps come in a budget. another topic for a good 1-hour debate.

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