Know the Wine, Impress the Boss (or that Girl) !
By Jawahar Malhotra
Last Updated: June 06, 2008
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HOUSTON – By the end of the evening at the Shangri-La Art Gallery on the West Belt, a few of the wine sippers were slipping into the casual chatter of connoisseurs already. “So, you want to try another Cab (for cabernet sauvignon)?”
An offer like that was hard to pass down and many glasses came forward to empty the bottle.
“Okay folks! Grab a grape and a bite of cheese. Roll the two together as you chew and cleanse your palette.” said the affable Sundy, looking with a mischievous grin from behind the serving table. Tushar Anand, the Young TiE President was busy pulling open the cork from the next bottle of wine, a Merlot from Chile.
Sundy, short for Sundaram Srinivasan, admitted that he was a wine lover who had learnt the basics from “on the job training”. With nearly 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in various management roles, Sundy had an opportunity to visit and work in over 19 countries. Along the way, he learnt several languages and, of course, the nuances of wines from around the world as well as the rituals that go with drinking them.
A light-hearted fellow, Sundy dabbles in standup comedy, playing in a few clubs in the Bayou City. Sundy is also a passionate poet, with 4 books in English already published. His quick wit and gift of the gab was on overdrive this evening as he enlivened the wine tasting networking June event of the Young TiE.
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“We were looking for a person who could teach our members a few things about wine etiquette,” explained Deepak Chandak, the YTiE media coordinator. “Sundy was a great choice as our members who needed a little extra TLC in this area.” Although renowned for their technical and managerial skills, many desis are still unsure of their way around wines and western dining etiquette. This social was meant to help familiarize the YTiE members with that process.
After a brief social hour with some wine and finger foods catered by India’s restaurant, the attention turned to the wine choices for the evening. Sundy explained the differences between the heavier reds and the lighter whites, “which oxidize faster after opening”. Allowing a wine to also breathe, after opening, was not a good idea due to the oxidization process.
“European wines are usually named after a place, like Bordeaux, “ explained Sundy, “while other countries name their wines for the grape, like Merlot.” Then there are blends; he went on, from different grapes and genetic blending of grapes. As another tip, Sundy suggested finishing off a good bottle at one setting rather than let it sit for a few days. And red wine should be drunk at room temperature, “but room temperature in France is usually around 65 degrees, so slightly chilled in Houston is fine.”
The YTiE were mesmerized after a few small plastic glasses, each tossed out after finishing a specific bottle. Then it was cleanse, sip, sip, sip and roll the last gulp to taste the texture, the body, the alcohol content. After the Merlot came the Chardonnay from California and the last, a German Geweurztraminer, or spicy grape, that is almost as sweet as a desert wine, and “goes well with spicy Indian food”, added Sundy.
The brief introduction to wines came to an end with several bottles still unopened. Twirling a Cab to seek the trails of wine run inside the glass, a sign of alcohol content, as a parting shot, Sundy suggested the novices stay with a wine they liked and became familiar with.
The merlot seemed to win that YTiE night!
Young TiE is underwritten by Tara Energy, (strong supporters since inception), and its activities are supported annually by George R Willy PC, and Comerica Bank. Ameriprise Financials (David Raj) and Shangri-La Arts supported the wine tasting event.’ |
