Wine Connossier

crvlvr

Thats usually true, unless you are looking for something that is not used commonly by the locals. As hard as I looked, I could not find an answering machine in Bangalore. Why? no one uses them in India. Even voice mail on cell phones are not popular.

GoanCanuck

You simply wasted time looking around in Bangalore when the answer was just a click away.
http://shopping.rediff.com/shop/subc...ing%20Machines

Ravibagal

In Mumbai you can always try the Malbari guys at fountain. They can get you anything these days. In the past it was only electronics but last week when I was down looking for a phone some parsi guy was asking the guy to arrange a eastern european girl for him.

-m2-

Being somewhat of a connoisseur myself, I've established my own winery to ensure an adequate supply of high quality tipple for myself and guests. Importing wine, even from a local liquor store, would be considered gauche where I live. (as well as a waste of money as the price is mostly tax).

The carboy in the photo contains 23 litres of what I'm sure will be a delightful Valpolicella, and it will soon join batches of Zinfandel, Chardonnay and an interesting Apple Reisling in the cellar. The boxes contain the basic varietal grape concentrate kits which make producing excellent wines a snap: and the price is right at less than 50rp a litre!

I wonder if that Malabari guy could score me a few wine kits?

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crvlvr

-m2-.. Details please.. Does this kit allow one to make their own wine?

-m2-

crvlvr...yup. The kit contains a 7litre bag of varietal grape concentrate, a package of vintners yeast, and some stabilizing and clarifying agents which are added at various stages in production. The first 7 days is the primary fermentation in a large covered tub, then a transfer to a 23litre carboy with airlock for 2 more weeks of fermentation, followed by transfer to another carboy for stabilizing and clearing. This stage takes 1-2 weeks and it is ready for bottling. Being lazy, I bottle in gallon jugs and transfer to smaller bottles if I am taking it to a party -- I've got an old 'beer fridge' on the deck to keep the opened gallons of varieties I like chilled.

Beer and wine kits are very popular in BC as liquor taxes are pretty heavy and it is really not much of a challenge to produce a decent wine; they can be found in supermarkets as well as special shops that sell kits and have facilities for making and storing in-house for a small fee. Kits range from about $30CAD on upward to $75 or so for 100% fresh (unconcentrated) juice. I buy a bunch of medium-grade kits when they are on sale and have had no complaints -- in fact, I find that commercial wine often gives me a headache and I never get one from my own. Less chemicals involved, I think. I'm thinking about trying the beer kits, but I usually only drink beer in Goa so it is not a major expense here at home.

Isn't wine still fairly inexpensive in California? I can still remember buying gallons of Gallo's finest for a couple of dollars a jug back in my student days in Washington State ('course that was a few years back now )

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and meanwhile, back at the wine club.....

edwardseco

Yes, it still is cheap in California and cheap is in vogue. You can take boxed wine, much lighter, to India that way. I like the idea of home brew and have seen the home brew beer kits..

jjacquemain

I have made my own beer a couple of times, although not this last year, I hope to make a couple batches of thick chewy stout this fall. My wine making skills are pretty shakey but I do make a mean batch of dandilion wine...mmmmmm

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There is no defense against chaos~

sticky

Blasphemer, heathen!!!!

only joking....
The headaches that you get are from the histamine that is in red wine (from the seeds and the skins (and stalks if it is made really badly)), and sulphur which is added to shitty white and red to try and correct mistakes in the process.

In australia the amount of sulphur which is allowed in wine is regulated.

the trick is..... dont buy shitty wine

but your best be is to buy australian wine

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Flashpackers: Backpackers doing it in style.

Mays

I am glad that the topic so close to me is finding some space in the Online Stratosphere that we see around us.

Well Folks...For people in and around Delhi I propose that we hold an impromptu
Wine evening wherein:
We taste Indian Wines
We taste some New World Wines...I have seen the racks at the Oberoi...they have some really fabulous vintages....not that expensive if you were to say 2-3 people were to share it.
Best part wud be to exchange ideas on the wine club...

Do let me know....if anyone fancies the idea...

GoanCanuck

How inexpensive would this be? High quality wine and the Oberoi sounds very $$$$$ to me.

brightspark

Oberois at 360 degrees does indeed have a very big choice.. You have new world wines starting at I think 1100 or 1300 plus taxes.. The other day I shared a bottle of Cabernet Shiraz.. reasonably good.. at 1,850/- plus taxes, if I remember right... which is not outrageous.. though I guess, for that kind of money, I would get some seriously good wines...


There are actually two Wine clubs running in Delhi, that I know of... however they are quite fussy about membership.. I in any case, did not even care to apply..

The newer one is run by a guy called Mr. Subhash Arora, who has some software business somewhere around East of Kailash.. They meet about once a month, have a contributory dinner.. and the annual membership fees..
which is probably around Rs. 10,000/- does cover some good wines..

The event where I was in they showed a film on Gaza wines, and were serving some high quality wines.

Usually they are able to get some kind of special deals / promotional offers.. A regular club will almost never pay the regular hotel prices.. It would in fact be generally less than half of the list prices..


There is another club which started, several years ago.. with I think Ghulam Naqshbandh, the previous MD of Sita World Travels as the President..


www.delhiwineclub.com is one of the websites.. The other one.. as soon as I find the details.. or contact numbers.. I will post them no this website.

Mays

Its not that expensive.....aprox INR 500 per person say 3 people for a decent bottle of wine.....

dont want to make this a membership driven issue but an impromptu sharing of ideas and wine....hey we keep paying membership for n no. of things so why not just indulge in something like wine...

edwardseco

Now this one redefines the term open source. Have a good one M2..

http://www.voresoel.dk/

limaye

If someone is willing to offer a venue, I can get very good (french, spanish, etc) and VERY cheap wines through some connections. Those of you who know me I have offered this before!

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in vino veritas