Grapevine Buzz

All that you needed to know about wines as well as the best wines suited for the Indian palate, climate and food.

Naturally, personal taste is the leading parameter for whether a wine resonates with your palate and tastes good. But, it’sequally important with wine to be open to trying new things. It is great if you have an understanding of what you like but having a sommelier available to suggest wines could be an opportunity to try something you normally wouldn’t. I think the basics to understand are the styles of wine: sparkling, white, rose and red. Beyond that, preferences such as sweetness levels and the relative level of weight of the wine (alcohol/tannin) would be useful guides to trying and tasting wine. Our offering for the Indian market is diverse. Under the Jacob’s Creek umbrella, we have a wine for every taste bud and celebration. The four wines that are popular in the Indian market from Jacob’s Creek are Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay, Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet, Jacob’s Creek Sparkling and Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz.

Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay:

This modern Australian Chardonnay is complex yet easy to drink and showcases a range of varietal flavours. In terms of aroma and palate, the wine has an intense mix of citrus and melon underpinned by toasty notes. It is well-rounded and its creamy palate perfectly showcases vibrant fruit flavours and toasty oak.

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet:

This is a classically Australian blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon made in a balanced and smoothly structured manner. The wine has dark cherry and plum with notes of mocha spice. It is a bright, medium length wine made in an approachable style. The wine has a lovely soft tannin and its palate offers plum and warmed berry flavours.

Jacob’s Creek Sparkling:

This premium sparkling wine is made from carefully selected grapes. The refreshing lemon citrus aromas of Chardonnay are in harmony with the red currant characters of Pinot Noir from careful blending. It is the perfect sparkling wine for all occasions.

Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz:

The Double Barrel Shiraz is crafted from superior quality grapes which are first matured in traditional wine barrels then, using unique Double Barrel technique, they are finished in aged scotch whisky barrels. The wine is rich, deep and smooth with toasted mocha and char notes that sit perfectly with vibrant dark fruits. The use of the ‘Double Barrel’ technique is an industry first and builds additional layers of complexity for a richer, deeper and smoother taste.

Wines that resonate with Indian climes

The spices, rich flavours and fresh ingredients in Indian food involve some serious thought to figure which wines work best. Jacob’s Creek has a bouquet of wines that are perfectly suited to pair with a wide variety of Indian food. For instance, Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet goes well with roasted food items such as baigan ka bharta, Tandoori chicken and even spicy curies, while Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay pairs beautifully with Indian food that has a creamy base such as Paneer Malai tikka, Malai Kofta, Shahi Panner and Chicken Malai tikka. For the robust red with a strong note such as the Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz, rich Indian dishes such as Rogan Josh, Laal Maas and Tandoor food are a pairing made in culinary heaven. As for the Jacob’s Creek Sparkling, you can just enjoy it the Australian way as a refreshing sparkling wine; perfect as an appetizer on it’s own.

An Expert’s guide to good wine

The world of wine is vast and varied and quality can come down to personal taste or what you feel like drinking at a particular point in time. In an emerging wine market such as India looking to an established producer such as Jacob’s Creek with over 170 years of winemaking history and an established distribution network is a good way of ensuring you are purchasing high quality wines. When I assess the quality of a wine, first I look at it visually first, then smell, before the final taste test. What I evalu

ate is the appropriate level of freshness, the typicity of the wine in terms of aroma, flavour and structure, all of which contribute to the style and quality of a wine.

Is price a crucial differentiator?

A good wine is one that excites and stimulates the drinker; a great wine could be the wine that proves to be the light bulb moment that initiates and informs that fascination. As with everything in life, price is always an important variable. Jacob’s Creek offers exceptional wines across different price points to satisfy different palates. Often, it is people trying a wine such as Jacob’s Creek Classic that might inspire a lifelong affair with wine.

Importance of Stemware

Stemware definitely impacts the perception of wine with different sizes and shapes designed to release aromas based on the wines in them, some open up and release aromas or to hold them in the glass. Additionally glasses with larger diameters can allow the wine in them to “breathe” more, which can soften the wines out, particularly a red wine that is older.