Bringing the Thunder to India

Bringing the Thunder to India – Episode #533

September 4, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk has predicted India will make a big splash on the world wine scene in the next decade, will these 3 wines show that kind of potential?

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Comments on this episode(161) Leave a comment ›

“Very happy for you that you are bringing in information about smaller …” by Adrian aka AnGkEr
“Interesting results you came across. I’m kind of surprised that somet…” by K. Parashar
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Tiger Hill Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz
Chateau d’Ori Cabernet Syrah 2007

Links mentioned in todays episode.

The Thunder Cruise

161 Responses

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July 19, 2009

Adrian aka AnGkEr
Very happy for you that you are bringing in information about smaller wine producing countries to the masses.
May 1, 2009

K. Parashar
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.
January 21, 2009

Dessert Wine Nerd
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.
December 1, 2008

Kristen
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/0,28804,1642444_1857084_1857081,00.html

QOTD: Very happy.
October 10, 2008

yowens
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
September 28, 2008

Sharon
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.
September 22, 2008

Harry
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.
September 22, 2008

YoungDave
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.
September 14, 2008

Dan-o
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!
September 14, 2008

wannaBconnoisseur
Q-Better you in India than me, Brett’s no spring chicken anymore…good luck.
September 10, 2008

Frank
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……ahum…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
September 9, 2008

James B
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.
September 9, 2008

Tobias
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.
September 9, 2008

Manidipa
Writing in from India to say thanks! Also…

@Matt W: No, the majority population in India is NOT Muslim
September 8, 2008

ChiroGuyDC
QOTD: PUMPED that you “were” in India, and the Jets have and always will suck…signing Favre will not change that.
September 8, 2008

JayZee
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.
September 8, 2008

Colin Komar
QOTD: Awesome show from India! I am so jealous! Congrats to the Jets for scoring Brett and congrats on your first win yesterday!
September 8, 2008

Rick O'Shea
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.
September 7, 2008

Shiv Singh
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.
September 7, 2008

Shiv Singh
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/
September 7, 2008

Tyler RM
QOTD: Excited, but I don’t think that I’ve seen any Indian wine available in my area wine shops.
September 7, 2008

Jim in Atlanta
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.
September 6, 2008

Mike L
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.
September 6, 2008

Susan
Gary- India???????????????????? WOW!!! Glad to see you are in Mumbai !!!! Great Stuff!!! Can’t wait to try wine from India……………….
September 6, 2008

Matt W
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?