When we met with London based wine consultant and writer, Peter Csizmadia-Honigh, he was bubbling with humor. He has written a book on Indian wines, something which not many Indians themselves are familiar about. His book, titled ‘The Wines of India, A Concise Guide’ talks about wineries around the country, the producers, specially commissioned maps, classification of Indian wines, his personal selection with brief tasting notes and a list of highly recommended wines.
You’ve studied English literature and economics, what got you interested in studying about wines?
I got into wine because when I moved to England I knew I had to get a job and I knew that I couldn’t make a living out of literature and I knew I didn’t want to work in finance with my economics degree, so I tried to find something in between and that’s when I got an opportunity at the Institute of the Masters of Wine. During the nine years I worked for them, the institute grew considerably. There were people who studied about wine and were passionate about it and I knew that’s where I could really learn more.
What is the major difference between wine producers in India and elsewhere in the world?
The major difference is that in India there is no dormant period which means that as soon as soon as you prune them, they start to grow again. So theoretically you could do two or three harvests a year. Also, the temperature here is warmer and so ripening happens faster. You can’t come here with the European mindset of making wine.
What are your top 3 Indian wines?
I can tell you about some wines that are absolutely good. In the case of sparkling wines, I think Chandon is doing a really brilliant job. Also sparkling Casablanca is a good mid-range wine. I really like the wines from the SDU winery. The wineries in south Bangalore have some really exciting set of wines as well.
Is it common for restaurants to serve Indian wine abroad?
Yes, they do serve Indian wine abroad. Sula exports wine to 20 countries. Then there’s Fratelli as well. But the question was that how much more would you pay for export charges, marketing and PR in a foreign country when your consumer base is in the country itself. But some wineries like for their names to be in the wine lists of foreign countries and once that happens, it gives confidence for the domestic marketers. Most often, Indian consumers are dismissive of their own wine, with a notion that the quality isn’t as good as international wines.
You travelled across the country and studied around 400 wines, how long did this extensive research take you?
I’ve been across the country for 3 months, but after that I had to keep bombarding the producers with emails like “Oh I forgot to ask you” and things like that. But I’ve been to some pretty challenging places. You have to take it as an experience, take it as it comes, and push yourself to a limit to understand more about yourself. All in all it’s been a great trip.
What advice would you give an aspiring wine connoisseur?
My advice is be open minded, try to understand, try to learn more about it. What place the wine is from, what grapes they use. Then enjoy it, savor it and share it with other people. Be passionate about it because that’s the only thing that will truly drive you on to discovering new flavors, to enjoying new moments and to enjoy it with the knowledge that you actually know more than the wine that you chug back . And once you know more, then learn to be humble because there are others out there who know more about wine than you do. So be humble about it and always strive to learn more about it. To those who don’t know as much about wine, try to be helpful.
While talking about Peter’s initiative towards the Indian wine industry, CEO of All Things Nice and Program Director of Wines of India, Nikhil Agarwal says, “The quality of Indian wine has never been better and it is heartening to see international attention being focused on our vineyards and wineries. This along with the recently formed initiative called the ‘Wines of India’ program will act as a catalyst to promote Indian wine in India and internationally. There has never been a better time for the Indian wine industry”.
