Pink is the colour of the season for the Indian wine market, says Antoine Lewis.
By the end of the month, wine racks will be filled with a fresh bouquet of rosés. Riding the pink wave are three new Indian still wines, a sparkling rosé and an imported pink champagne. By introducing so many wines in a category that’s barely known (and rarely appreciated), producers seem to be signalling that they’re expecting a rosy future.
The immediate impetus for these launches is the start of the festive and party season. But the long-term potential of rosés is also very promising, said Abhay Kewadkar, the business head at Four Seasons Wines, which is planning to release a rosé over the next few weeks. His optimism stems from the fact that rosés account for about ten to 15 per cent of the total global wine market, but only account for five per cent of the Indian market. Considering that Indians drank approximately 12 lakh cases last year, the market for rosés is potentially 1.8 lakh cases a year, not accounting for the 30 per cent annual growth the industry has been witnessing.
Rosé fans say that their choice of tipple incorporates aspects of both red and white, but has a discernible character of its own. Rosés offer a balance between the delicacy of white wine and a touch of the astringency and tannins of a red. However, wine snobs look down upon rosés, claiming that they are a compromise that offers none of the best qualities of either.
The distinctive pink colour of rosés is the result of a production process in which red-skinned grapes are crushed but the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for only two or three days. The grapes are then pressed and the skins are discarded. If the skins were left in contact with the juice throughout the fermentation period, the wine would grow more intensely red. Depending on the amount of this contact, the colour of a rosé could range from a pale salmon to a deep magenta.
In the saignée (or bleeding) method, rosé is a byproduct of red wine. This method involves the winemaker removing some pink juice from the unfermented juice of a red wine at an early stage. This concentrates the tannins and colour. The pink extract is used to make rosé wine. A third method of blending of red wine with white to impart colour, though once popular in the Champagne region, is not as common anymore.
In Europe, rosés have the reputation of being summer wines. The refreshing crispness and lightness that characterises them is the result of the lower presence of tannins and the higher acidity. In tropical countries like India where summer stretches on for much of the year, rosés are particularly well-suited especially for brunches and afternoons.
While pink champagne is made exclusively from the pinot noir grape, rosés can be made from a variety of red grapes. From the new crop of rosés that will hit the market, the Four Seasons rosé will be made from Shiraz and zinfandel, while Château d’Ori’s uses syrah. The newly released Tiger Hill sparkling rosé is also made from pinot noir but has a taste akin to flat soda. It lacks fruit flavours and has an abrupt finish. In contrast, Indus’ soon-to-be released rosé, a blend of cabernet and Shiraz, is crisp and light with aromas of peach and fleshy fruits, although the flavours don’t linger terribly long on the palate.
While the acidity of rosé wines brings crispness, the light tannins make it a particularly suitable accompaniment for thalis, which feature both light and heavy foods, says Kewadkar. Kailash Dhuru, the winemaker of Chateau d’Ori, believes that rosé can go very well with Chinese cuisine (but not Szechwan whose spiciness is difficult to match).
The introduction of a variety of wine with a limited audience indicates that the Indian wine market is maturing, and has prompted winemakers to vary their portfolios. But this increasing sophistication isn’t the only reason the Indian wine market has now got more diverse. Indians are still highly price conscious when purchasing wine. Unlike sparkling wine, which also has a niche clientele, but is more difficult to make and sell cheaply, rosé is easy to produce and could be more affordably priced.
Published in Time Out Mumbai Friday, October 17, 2008
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