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)

Before I venture into the tasting, I am tempted to share a few wine facts first.

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.

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.

                                      

The Riesling grapes source 1

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 ,tingling too !

This wine reminds me of green valleys and waterfalls.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 !