I am always so immersed in bringing out the next issue of delWine that it almost slipped my mind that the 400th issue was around the corner. No big deal-one might say. But with the amount of blood (wine) , sweat (as in equity) and tears (my wife’s mostly) that have gone into bringing out each issue despite my heavy travel schedule, I thought it would be interesting to our readers.

We started delWine in April 2006 and have reached this milestone in little over 4 years, with around 6-8 issues in a month. But our story and the efforts to promote wine began in 2002. Leher Kala was the beautiful TV anchor with Headlines Today when Delhi Wine Club was launched. She covered the event on TV after looking into the plans and ambitions. The Club organised its 162nd event in Goa recently where she was  present, coincidentally. I thought it appropriate to record her impressions in the article she titled ‘Wine Warrior’.

There are not many wine writers who are not only experts on wine and the process of winemaking but can describe in a poetic style, easy and enjoyable to read. John Salvi, Master of Wine has 50 years of wine drinking, selling, judging and writing under his belt. I don’t know of anyone better than him to write about Rosé, a wine that is gaining its deserved popularity. This article is a must read for students and sommeliers alike from this Brit from Bordeaux.

Pinotage is an interesting iconic grape of South Africa-you love it or hate it. I had the pleasure of visiting several wineries and meeting different winemakers with Cathy van Zyl, Master of Wine from South Africa. The reaction was so diverse that I requested her to write an article about this signature wine of South Africa.

When it comes to Spain, our gastronomical US expert Gerry Dawes has few equals. He travels through the country tasting wines and good food and photographing for eternity. I asked him to write about his food and wine experience so those of us travelling to Spain can enjoy their visit to the Iberian Peninsula more.

If you know Italian wines you already know about the diversity and must have heard of Michele Shah- an English journalist and consultant who has made Tuscany her home. An expert focused on wines from Italy she won the Best Foreign Journalist Award last year from the prestigious Grandi Vini d’Italia, a prestigious organisation of producers. Again, I asked her to write about Italy for its diversity. 

Australia is another region which is so close to our palate and purse. It has been enjoying a roller coaster ride during the last few years- a heart thumping experience for some while stopping a few heart beats for others. Dan Traucki, the well known writer of Australia who writes for us occasionally, takes us through this interesting ride without causing us any heartaches.

The world of wine has been going through a roller coaster ride of its own-with new technologies and innovations some of which have become a standard feature already while some maybe revolutionary today but may take a driver’s seat tomorrow. Joel Payne, the US born German wine expert and journalist who is currently editor of the famous German Wine guide and the Paris -based Circle of Wine Writers, sheds interesting light on the subject.

No matter how we look at the wine market, its growth would always be linked with food even though we are not in the frame of mind to drink wine with Indian food. Ritu Dalmia, owner of Diva Restaurant in Delhi and a well-known TV starred Chef and author, has shown the way for drinking wine with food as a natural gastronomical feature with Italian cuisine and has been constantly evolving the wine list in her restaurant to match with dishes from her Menu. She exhorts our readers to be more experimental.

Unfortunately, the growth of national consumption of wine is restricted by Article 47 in the Indian Constitution that makes life more complex than the most complex wines. Recent example in Chennai to threaten introduction of prohibition in the State of Tamilnadu is just one example. Our panelist Rajiv Seth dissects the issue of neo-prohibition with the dexterity of an expert heart surgeon.

I had requested a leading wine producer to write on his impressions about the current state of the market in India. Unfortunately, he had to rush abroad for a goodwill mission and I was left holding baby. I have taken the liberty of publishing an article about the wine industry in India, which I had penned recently for a leading wine magazine of Slovenia  to give our foreign readers an opportunity to get a feel of the current state of the market in India.

The current issue has 12 articles instead of our usual 6 and it might be worth pressing that SAVE button for an interesting insight into some of the wine areas and regions-others will be covered in the 401st issue of delWine and 402nd , and 403rd and…..

This special 400th issue coincides with the 63rd Independence Day. We are not free from the shackles of intricate procedures and we are not free to drink wine as we please, but we appreciate the freedom to express ourselves freely- which is much more important than this minor aberration. Therefore, let’s raise a glass of wine to raise a toast to our Liberty and Freedom.

Cheers for the 400th issue. And Cheers for a Free India!

Subhash Arora

Editor