Wine Tasting - The SULA Riesling 2017
Moliere ,The
famous French poet had once said ,“Great is the fortune of he who possesses a
good bottle, a good book and a good friend.”
I guess
then, I am definitely among the blessed and thank you God!
I was
introduced to wine long back (when my Father was posted overseas) but have
seriously started appreciating the taste and flavors of wine only recently. Turning
another leaf in my wine tasting journey, today I shall be reviewing the “Sula
Riesling” for my readers.
![]() |
Sula Riesling (source -Sulawines.com) |
WINE DRINKING IN INDIA
With
evolving times drinking wine has become acceptable and fashionable in our
society and the fairer sex is no exception to the trend but there is plenty of
evidence to suggest that wine was a popular drink in India even centuries ago.
In the Rig-
Veda we find mention of wine. Grog shops were in existence then. Wine or beer
was stored up in leather vats for the use of the public.
Charaka says
of wine ,'invigorator of mind and body, antidote to sleeplessness, sorrow and
fatigue, producer of hunger, happiness and digestion.'
If taken as
medicine, and not for intoxication, it acts as Amrita (ambrosia) it cures the
natural flow of internal fluids of the body."
(Source - Wine in Ancient India, by D.K.Ghose).
HEALTH QUOTIENT OF WINE
The Resveratrol and Polyphenols in wine (red wine has much more than white wine)
have been proven to be good for health (of course if taken in moderation, like
a glass a day). It has shown to lower the risk of Depression, Dementia,Cancer and Type -2 Diabetes when consumed in moderation like 1 glass a day for women and 1-2 glasses a day for men.
Excessive consumption regularly can lead to Alcohol dependence,Liver Cirrhosis, Increased risk of Depression and weight gain.
MORE WINE FACTS
Wine is an alcoholic drink made by crushing grapes and then fermenting the extract without adding sugars, acids, enzymes or water to it during the process of fermentation.
The final taste of wine depends on the delicacy of the techniques used by wine makers and needless to say also the variety of the grapes.Wine making involves the process of harvesting the seasoned and matured grapes,since “crushing” sounds a brutal word in context of something as delicate as wine, so I shall instead call it “juicing”, juicing is then followed up by fermentation, clarification, ageing and bottling.
Wines can be broadly categorized in 5 varieties - Red, White, Rose, Sparkling and Orange based on the external appearance, these further have different flavor profiles depending upon the grapes used and methodology of wine making.The Sula Riesling that I shall review is a white wine.
Excessive consumption regularly can lead to Alcohol dependence,Liver Cirrhosis, Increased risk of Depression and weight gain.
MORE WINE FACTS
Wine is an alcoholic drink made by crushing grapes and then fermenting the extract without adding sugars, acids, enzymes or water to it during the process of fermentation.
The final taste of wine depends on the delicacy of the techniques used by wine makers and needless to say also the variety of the grapes.Wine making involves the process of harvesting the seasoned and matured grapes,since “crushing” sounds a brutal word in context of something as delicate as wine, so I shall instead call it “juicing”, juicing is then followed up by fermentation, clarification, ageing and bottling.
Wines can be broadly categorized in 5 varieties - Red, White, Rose, Sparkling and Orange based on the external appearance, these further have different flavor profiles depending upon the grapes used and methodology of wine making.The Sula Riesling that I shall review is a white wine.
SULA -THE BRAND
Sula
Vineyards, was established way back in 1999 by Rajiv Suresh Samant ( the
current C.E.O.) on his family farms in Nashik, Maharashtra .It was India’s very
first winery and its success paved the way for the putting the Sula Vineyards
of Nashik on the map as India's Wine
Capital.
The name
"Sula" came from his mother's name - "Sulabha" - and
symbolized the rich, Indian heritage of his wines. Today, Sula is India's
leading wine company and is leading the charge of Indian wine across the wine
world. They also conduct wine tasting workshops and annual wine fairs which are
big crowd pullers.
We shall
soon cover the Sula Wine fest in our later posts but let me now come to the tasting
notes of Sula Riesling.
SULA
RIESLING – It is the first Riesling (pronounced Rees-ling) wine of India.A
Riesling wine is produced by using the white Riesling grape with high acidity and pronounced fruit flavors best suited for a sparkling white wine. and the wine thus
produced can be sweet, semi- sweet or dry(the dry has the highest percentage of
alcohol and thus feels a little dry to the taste buds ).
Price – Rs
850/- for 750 ml (and you thought all wine is expensive!)
Presentation
– It comes in a hock shaped narrow-necked amber glass bottle with the
characteristic indentation at the base and has a metal cap.
TASTING
NOTES
Sula's
Riesling is a fruity aromatic wine with hints of green apples, grapefruit,
peach & honey. Best enjoyed nicely chilled at 6-8 C.This is important
because I noticed a great change in the crisp note and the finish with the temperature
variation.
A Riesling
is a versatile wine for pairing with food, because of its balance of sugar and
acidity. Pairs well with Indian ,Thai and Chinese cuisine.
COLOUR -
Very Pale Gold with a hint of green
NOSE -
Mostly fruity – I smelled more of green apples,apricots and some aromatic notes too
PALATE - This
dry,crisp wine with low acidity,was delightful on the palate
FINISH - Medium lasting finish !
FINISH - Medium lasting finish !
This wine
reminds me of lush green valleys and waterfalls. There is a tranquility but a hidden vibrancy
too. Riesling is a versatile wine for pairing with food, because of a fine
balance of sweetness and acidity and is quite apt to pair with yellow curries,
such as kormas, tikka masalas and pasandas.
I rate it a
3.8/5.Recommended and quite good at this price!
That's all from me ,until next time - SWIRL ,SNIFF ,SIP ,SWALLOW and of course enjoy your wine !
That's all from me ,until next time - SWIRL ,SNIFF ,SIP ,SWALLOW and of course enjoy your wine !
I have tasted wines from various parts of the world but I am yet to develop a 'taste' for it :D I although love sparkling wines :D
ReplyDeletewww.docdivatraveller.com
Yes Sparkling wines are another favourite !
DeleteWhat else do you need when you have a glass full of good wine!! The flavor of green apple is amazing
ReplyDeleteI agree - Great is the fortune of he who possesses a good bottle, a good book and a good friend!
DeleteI have no taste for wine so never knew so much about it. Your post is quite informative. Great facts and review Preeti :)
ReplyDeleteIt has been a love and hate journey and I am enjoying it.Thank you for your lovely words of appreciation !
DeleteThis sounds so yummy! I'm usually a hit or miss with Riesling so I definitely want to try this one.
ReplyDeleteI have learnt that it is difficult to generalise with wines.So the same brand may produce a great wine one year and not so great another year depending upon the crop and weather.
DeleteIts really cost effective and a must one to be tasted after going through this review.
ReplyDeleteYes, a lot of us do think that wine is an expensive indulgence but I have come across many pocket friendly ones that taste great.
DeleteRieslings are such yummy wines! These look like some good ones! I love wine tasting!
ReplyDeleteThank you - I too loved wine tastings!
DeleteI appreciate your informative post. We live in "wine country" in Watkins Glen New York. Although I am not a wine person myself, many in my family enjoy their wine.
ReplyDeleteWow - lucky you to live in a wine country!
DeleteI love wine tasting. I went to a festival once with friends and found some private vineyards we really liked. You have a lot of great information here. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to a private vineyard too someday!
DeleteThere are only certain wines that I really like. I can't get into them all.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, some just grow on you with their particular taste and balance of flavors.
DeleteHeard a lot about this place, should go and try once. Great pictures Preetiji, I'm sure you would have had loads of fun !
ReplyDeleteWhy not Atul!Life is short and let us enjoy and explore as much as we can.
DeleteRiesling wine is my favorite, it pairs with good curries.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it goes very well with yellow curries.Have you tried the Sula Riesling ?
DeleteI love the review although i’ve not tried Sula Riesling but i’m a great fan of Sula Seco you should try it Preeti
ReplyDeleteThank you for the heads up Richa!I will defitely give Sula Seco a try.
DeleteI am not quite an alcohol person, but once in a while I do love wine. When I had visited France I had tasted a lot of them n of course they have many health benefits.
ReplyDeleteGreat to know that you tasted french wine too :)
DeleteI'm yet to develop this taste and liking. Despite knowing the benefits of red wine (in moderation), I'm awaiting a day when I'll love it, lol. Sula Riesling sounds a good choice for wine lovers.
ReplyDeleteSurprising , because your extensive travel must have exposed to some of the best wines in the world, but then again it is an acquired taste.
DeleteI have never tried Sula Riesling,after your review will try this too. BTW I am a wine lover too
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I did not love it as much but at that price it was not bad either.
DeleteI guess it takes time to develop liking for wine. I am not too fond of it but, but wine tasting experience looks appealing.
ReplyDeleteYe,it is an acquired taste and of course there is a wine for all palates.
DeleteThis was definitely an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI have negligible knowledge on this topic ao I thoroughly enjoyed reading ur post and learned many things here
Hey Sarah,I am so glad that you loved my post.Thank you for appreciating !
DeleteI had Sula Chenin Blanc 2018 last night. The wine should never leave you with a drowsy feeling next morning. Then its for you. Sula does fall in the category of my choices of wines. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
UK
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks and Cheers !
DeleteI love this post. Thanks for such a great list of wonderful things. I can’t wait to start reading many of them. Best wine blog
ReplyDelete