New year cheers for the vineyards of Maharashtra...

Today i had the chance to taste one of India's finest wines...delicacy at its best, or may be the best wine so far tasted...it was "Chantilli" (shan-tele)red wine by Chateau Indage.

Lets unravel a bit of wine history..made by ageing grapes in the finest vineyards..grapes picked, crushed and stored in oak barrels..basic additives are tannin, sugar and acid (alcohol blend is also common)..these barrels are preserved in controlled light and temperature...so ageing is in progress.

Addition/extend of tannin (antioxidant) decides the period of ageing..for red wines the quantity of tannin is more and hence it can undergo prolonged ageing, increasing its texture, quality and price..tannin is found in grape skin, stem and roots..more the exterior skin used, more will be the tannin and red it gets...so always reserve the tannin rich red wine for special occassions ;)

Other than chantilli, there are some other good brand...like Rivera, Chardonnay, Chennin Blanc, Reveilo and many more worth tasting.

And the process of tasting is also important...
a)First nose - to get the subtle aroma.
b)Swirl the glass in ur hand and take the second nose for a prolonged aroma.
c)Sip the wine and swish it around the mouth..slowly!!..slosh it and draw in fresh air...tell the taste sink into the tastebuds...feel...hmmmmm i know, that is the delicacy i was talking about!!!