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Hot & Spicy Cuisine, why Taylor & Shroff.

October 26, 2009

Over the centuries western/ European wines have developed to compliment
and enhance the styles and flavours of western foods. So much so that
we now have a sophisticated set of rules , ideas and beliefs regarding
which wines are best paired with various foods. These  wines styles,
with subtle fruit, exacting balance, good acidity and often high tannin
levels are varied and exciting on the palette yet are able to lift or
harmonise with the carefully crafted flavours of the foods. It can also
be argued that these wines are right for the  temperate climate and
indeed the social context in which they are drunk.
Many wine
companies around the world are now becoming more ambitious in their
sales and exporting plans and are looking to the relatively under
developed markets of Asia and the Far East.
On one level this is to
be commended but when the whole environment into which the wine is
being exported is taken into account, there is often a mismatch between
its style and the context in which it is being drunk. The wine is
essentially being taken out of the environment for which it was made.

In
our particular circumstances we have good Indian connections yet are a
wine producer in the UK. Over the last few years our understanding of
the Indian styles of food, the way they socialise as well as of course
becoming hugely aware of the obvious differences in climate have made
us acutely aware of just how poorly our wines match the Indian
environment.
The foods have instant flavour, are sometimes but not
always hot, have complex tastes and a varied combination of fresh
spices. They were in many ways the opposite of western foods. It became
apparent that beers, spirits and soft drinks were the more favoured
drinks with these foods and if wines were to ever feature as
complimentary to these more varied  food flavours  they would have to
fulfil a different role to the one they currently do.
There were
three main areas that we decided to focus on,. The first was adapting
the wine style to the food. The second was to make the wines more
versatile to adapt to different social occasions and the third was to
look at the packaging and the way they were presented.

To take
all these areas into account we decided to keep the range simple , with
very easy to understand labelling and identifiers. To aim for
refreshment , smoothness and flavour we lowered the acidity in the
wines, and aimed for styles with reduced tannins and fuller,more
obvious fruit flavours. To make them more adaptable and desirable the
alcohol level was raised to that of a fortified wine, the sweetness was
increased. Over the months we learnt that the Indians loved to
socialise in the early evenings yet the concept of doing this with a
wine in hand was alien to them. In their hot and often humid climate
they preferred drinks that were cooler and more thirst quenching,
However, many Indian do have western aspirations and there is something
very civilising about wine. The simple act of adding ice to the wines
we had developed made the wine cool and refreshing. As the ice melted,
the high alcohol was diluted and the sweetness and fruit flavour
tempered a little to make a delightful long drink.
Once we had
stumbled across this concept a whole door was opened that saw us
experimenting with mixers, tonic, lemonade, making basic cocktails and
generally discovering just how versatile, exciting and different the
wines could be. Having said that we also found that the wines by
themselves with their higher intensity of flavours yet smooth less
fiery mouth feel actually did compliment the spiciness, heat and exotic
flavours of Indian, indeed general Asian foods.

To summarise;
wine is not just a drink but has a number of roles to fulfil. We looked
at, identified and then pulled apart these roles and then put them back
together in a different way to suit a different culture and cuisine.

Written by Alex Carr Taylor, Vineyard Manager & Wine Maker (Carr Taylor and Taylor & Shroff).
Enquiries - Ben Furst; ben.furst@btinternet.com and 07787448506

Taylor
& Shroff Wines have been featured with The Independent Newspaper,
Tandoori Magazine, Mood Food and Menu Magazine, Love That Wine.Com,
Exclusive London.Com, Love Food Love Wine.Com. Now being poured at Jali
in Hastings, Imli in London, The Curry Lounge in Nottingham, Assam’s in
Glasgow, Taste of India in Surrey, Indian Ocean in Manchester and
available in Jersey too!