Very happy for you that you are bringing in information about smaller wine producing countries to the masses.

Interesting results you came across. I'm kind of surprised that something like Chateau D'Ori could come out of India this soon. It always seemed to me that the biggest thing about wine in India hasn't been about people not knowing how to make great wine, but about the buying constituent preferring certain ranges -- Sula's blushes/roses are popular in _India_ for a reason, after all. The market in India has much more experience and exposure when it comes to beer, rum, and gin than they do with wine.

I was kind of curious on one thing, though, and that is the matter of wine pairing with Indian food. I've often found that wines that have a whole lot of complexity and a whole lot going on tend to be a bit too much when taking Indian food (particularly North Indian dishes which are cut with cream/butter) because the food itself is loaded with a pretty complex web of flavors and aromas, both in terms of spices and in terms of aromatics like onions, garlic, etc. Maybe it's just me and my palate not having the strength to take it all on the chin. Similarly, high alcohol is generally not preferable to me with the food of certain regions in India (particularly areas like Andhra or Goa). Mainly because there's a lot more use of pure heat in the food, and high alcohol makes that heat just burn. I don't like more than 12% alcohol content with Indian food, save for desserts. Acid is fine, and generally a good thing for heavier, richer North Indian dishes (which you'll run across in restaurants but less so in homemade "grandma" stuff), but then a lot of South Indian dishes tend to have their own strong acid component through the use of tamarind, lemon/lime, yogurt/buttermilk, and I find that that the acidity of most any wine gets squashed in the face of that.

Some South Indian dishes are comparatively simple and more or less water-based, and then you can get away with more complex wines to complement them, but even then, it's still always a challenge to find something that works. A few local restaurants I've found will actually take common South Indian dishes like Masala Dosa and in order to get a good wine pairing, they have to take a hacksaw to the food and remove many aspects of the base recipe and the way it's served and you end up with a poor facsimile of the food just so that you can get a decent white to go with it. Personally, I'd prefer a substandard wine that pairs well with good food than substandard food that pairs well with a good wine.

Comparatively speaking, beer is easy to work in, and it's probably because its primary angle is bitterness, botanicals, and floral notes. Medium-hoppy lagers almost always work well with North Indian foods of any type, though I might lean a little towards strong ales for South Indian, maybe even porters with certain items popular in Goa and West Bengal. Although there are plenty of beautiful wines for pairing with Indian desserts, particularly since many of them are nut-based or dairy-based, the big thing is that whether it's wine or beer, it always seems like you get the biggest bang if you focus on bringing out qualities of the sweets more so than qualities of the beverage you're drinking.

I'd love to see you do a show on wine pairing with Indian food. It seems like so many people refer to it as sort of the "Everest" of food-wine pairings.


@Matt W : Muslim population in India is the 3rd largest in the world at about 150 million people, but they're only about 13% of the population, with about 80+% being Hindu. I'd also add that a measurably large section of the Muslim population who stayed in India and didn't head into Pakistan with the split actually did so because they wanted to avoid prospects of Sharia and lead a less religiously-ruled lifestyle. As such, it's not that unusual (though not common) for even Muslims within India to be okay with drinking alcohol, as they are effectively "moderate" Muslims.

QOTD: Very happy for you that you're in another part of the world. It has to be amazing to soak in another culture. Enjoy every moment. Couldnt care less about Farve, though. Hate his guts. Im sure you do now, too, after he become a INT throwing robot this season. :D

Glad you could spotlight Indian wines. I read about some of your comments in a Time article on Indian wine:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/...

QOTD: Very happy.

I didnt realize how far behind I was on episodes until today when you starting talking about just aquiring Favre! QOTD: Very excited, hope you had a great time

Hey, your N.Y. Jets were victorious today. I hope they continue to improve (except against the Pats, of course). I watched a bit of the game today and couldn't figure out why they were wearing blue and gold uniforms.

Glad you loved Mumbai, which personally I advise people to avoid, like the Indian wines i've tried. Both were dirty and harsh, although there were some beautiful points mixed in. I do love India though (Madras, Trivandurum, even New Dehli were all great, just not a fan of Mumbai after spending 3 weeks there) and am glad you found a well made wine there - I stuck with beer after several terrible wine experiences.

QOTD: VERY excited about the temporary relocation of the thunder saddle to Mumbai and I look forward to boosted quality from India soon. Yeah yeah- yay for you and your Favre.

Good show - glad that the last wine redeemed the wine in that country.
QOTD - I am happy that you are in India, but I am sure that you would prefer to be in Bordeaux or Toscana!

Q-Better you in India than me, Brett's no spring chicken anymore...good luck.

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Hey Gary

Great episode, "for lack of a better word....was poor" had me ROFL.

QOTD.....I'm not happy your in India because I'm JEALOUS!! =) I'm happy that your happy about Favre tho.

Very happy on your behalf, as you should be when in India, because it's en excellent place to be. May your stay not be too short.

Writing in from India to say thanks! Also...

@Matt W: No, the majority population in India is NOT Muslim

QOTD: PUMPED that you "were" in India, and the Jets have and always will suck...signing Favre will not change that.

Nice show - I've certainly never had wine from India before. Intriguing possibilities though.

QOTD: Well, you WERE in India and I don't care about YOUR New York Jets. But congrats on your opening win and on the hated Patriots losing Brady for the season.

QOTD: Awesome show from India! I am so jealous! Congrats to the Jets for scoring Brett and congrats on your first win yesterday!

I wish my local wine store stocked Indian wines. Oh..and I also wish my state would allow me to receive wine by mail. Guess I'll have to go to India myself.

By the way, Indian wines are available in the States. For example, you'll find Sula, Grover and Chateau Indage in most Indian restaurants and some retail outlets in New York. The retail shop in Curry Hill carries Indian wine.

Gary, I enjoyed the episode especially because it was focused on India. I'm glad you drawing attention to the Indian wines and the challenges faced over here. The market is definitely young (as was the US market 30 years ago) but there's a lot of excitement both on the wine producing and the consuming front. Everyday more and more Indians are taking to wine and are trying wines from all over the world.

For those interested in learning more about the Indian wine scene visit the blog of Sommelier India - The Wine Magazine. We're India's first and only magazine dedicated to wine. We'd love your feedback!
http://www.sommelierindia.com/blog/

QOTD: Excited, but I don't think that I've seen any Indian wine available in my area wine shops.

QOTD - I am happy that you had a chance to be in India, but I am not happy that Brett Favre is a Jet, since I am a Packer fan.

Hey! Give us our QB back!

I hope Favre does great things this year. As a Packer fan, I miss him, but I consider it a bonus that he's still playing and the Aaron Rodgers era can begin.

QOTD: I'm insanely jealous that you're in Mumbai but happy that you get to travel the world, that's the fruit of a lot of labor and love. You earned those miles. Keep up the awesome work.

Gary- India???????????????????? WOW!!! Glad to see you are in Mumbai !!!! Great Stuff!!! Can't wait to try wine from India................... :)

QOTD: Happier that you're in India. I think you are right in that there is huge potential, but isn't the majority population in India non-alcohol drinking Muslim?

Keep these on-location episodes coming!!!!!! Really enjoy having an eye on the rest of the world.

I have the basic Sula shiraz, so your description of the Reserve is not filling me with confidence!

QOTD - I am happy for you Gary, plus you made it out alive without getting any serious stomach bugs or mosquito bites (I've been to India, that's no mean feat!).

My son has Brett Favre on his Fantasy Football team but he's starting Drew Brees this weekend.

QOTD: I am very happy that you are out in India trying some local wines...any time our industry gets further exposure it's great. As for Bret...I'm very happy for you and I certainly hope that you get your day in the sun when they play the Giants.

QOTD - Thrilled to bits for you about the Jets thing, envious of the India part!

QOTD: Great trip huh?! Good for u on Farve, Steelers first though.

QoTd
Very nice ep and good luck with the Jets winning the SB.

I'm happy for you and for me that you are in India. I'm sure you are having a great time, and I hope that down the road I will get to try some good wines from India as a result of your trip.

In your dreams!
Smell it first.

Indian wine is an up and comer for sure. Great Episode.
Try Virginia and North Carolina Wines, They are up and comers too!
Word Gary Veeeeeanerrrrrchuuuckxy

Indian wine is definately an interesting concept. I am taking your advice and trying some wines outside of the napa valley land scape.
I am currently drinking a bottle of Uriah from spring valley vineyard in Washington. It's a great bottle, and I probably would have passed if not for the show.
Thanks!

Never knew about Indian wine G .......... Interesting info.
Your Jets are still going to have a hard time .. Farve is washed up..

QOTD - Im stoked for you being in India! But sad about the Gov tax issued you bring up...my wife is Indian and I keep telling her we need to move there and open a wine business, but maybe not...
Farve? Should have stayed a Packer and retired with grace and dignity!

It was great fun to watch today's episode. My husband tasted some sauv blanc while he was in India last Spring and remembers chatting with you about the trip when you were in Seattle. He's been sending the URL to all of his Indian co-workers, and they're enjoying it.

I'm looking forward to joining Jeff on his next trip, maybe in December or January later this winter. We'll have to search for some d'Ori while there. :)

Gary awesome episode India in the background looks awesome.

QOTD:
-Very happy for you and the Jets :)