Wino is a sharaabi

People mistakenly refer to wine as sharaab. I have spoken and written many times that wine is wine and liquor is sharaab. Of course there are no dictionaries that define the term only conceptions and misconceptions.

Wine is not sharaab. Hard liquor is- whisky, vodka and gin are (distilled alcohols, I believe). Of course, it is my rendition and may not hold in a court of law.

But everyone would agree that an alcoholic, especially the one who drinks cheap stuff or is addicted to it can be aptly labelled as a sharaabi, which does have a negative connotation- of an alcoholic.

Wino is not a wine lover or a connoisseur, but a mere sharaabi.

I rest my case.

Palate vs. Palette

Another word that is incorrectly spelt by many people including the neo wine journalists is palate.

Palate is the roof of the mouth. It is also a person's ability to distinguish between and appreciate different flavours. One also defines the palate as a person's taste or liking.

The term is used a lot in defining wine flavours, mouthfeel and texture etc.

But many people mistakenly spell it as palette instead.

Palette is a thin board on which the artist lays mixes of colour for his painting. It can also refer to the range of colours used by the artist. But it should never be used to describe food or wine.

You may drink Vino that your palate appreciates, you might even drink vino if your palette craves for it, but for Bacchus' sake, don't be a wino and don't call any wine lover or a connoisseur a wino; you might offend him!

Subhash Arora
December 24, 2007

(With due apologies to Jennifer 'Chotzi' Rosen www.corkjester.com )

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