By Subhash Arora

Recently, a TV journalist visited me one hot summer morning for a few sound bytes about the Indian wine scene.

The photographer naturally wanted to 'shoot' me with a glass of red wine in my hand. I decided to open a bottle of Grover's Rose. "Perfect colour," he mumbled in Italian and went on with his job. Now that the bottle had been opened and would otherwise be wasted, I invited the gentleman to taste the wine. Reluctantly, he took a sip. "This is delicious," he said. "What is it?" he asked me as he went on to polish off the glass.

It was a Shiraz Rose 2005 from Grover Vineyards in Bangalore, produced from grapes that have grown on vines originally brought from France. The salmon pink wine has tinges of orange, which makes it very attractive to look at. It is a clean and brilliant wine with a fair amount of fruity aromas. The flavour is crisp and very refreshing with a full mouthfeel.

Though it looks invitingly sweet, it is actually bone dry. It is slightly tannic and can be drunk as an aperitif or with Indian kebabs and stuff. It's a most likable wine for vegetarians, especially in summer.

Abhay Kewadkar, the winemaker at Grover's, tells me that the sugar level is less than 2gm/ltr. Remember that there is always a small amount of about a gm left in a wine, no matter how dry it is or how complete the fermentation. The human tongue is not capable of 'tasting' sugar if the level is less than 2 gms/ltr. The wine, therefore, is as bone dry as a Chablis.

This limits its utility with hot and spicy Indian food. I must admit I don't share the enthusiasm of the internationally acclaimed Michel Rolland and Jancis Robinson, who find it an excellent wine for hot Indian food. I would prefer a slightly sweeter version to handle the chillies. For non-chilli hot food, especially vegetarian cuisine, it is an ideal accompaniment.

At Rs 360, it is a great summertime drink. Don't be ashamed to have a glass or two with your wife, who prefers it possibly because it reminds her of the red JB Rose or Rooh Afza, which soothed parched throats in mid-summer. Make sure it's chilled to 8 degrees so you can enjoy it at 10-12 degrees.

In a restaurant, please don't let the waiter fill your glass all the way up. Insist that he pours less than half a glass with the rest of the liquid chilling on ice so that you can enjoy its fruity flavours  for a longer period. I'd also recommend a glass or two of this wine to those troubled by sugar problems or suffering from Type 2 diabetes.