'Old sari box'—make your own wine tasting notes

A part from sneaky sips from my parents' wine glasses and surreptitious glugging of Christmas wine offered in church, my real tryst with wine began years ago at a swish wine bar in Mumbai.

- SMITHA MENON

A part from sneaky sips from my parents' wine glasses and surreptitious glugging of Christmas wine offered in church, my real tryst with wine began years ago at a swish wine bar in Mumbai. Millennials of a particular vintage will remember IVY, the very ahead-of-its-time chain of wine bars by Chateau Indage across the country in the noughties, which served Chateau Indage's own brands and as well as imports from Australia and South Africa. IVY afforded us newbs a chance to try wine without burning a hole in our pockets, with simple, easy-drinking wines that paired well with salted potato chips and Indian snacks.

Sadly, IVY and Chateau Indage, the company that ran it, went belly up in 2010. And with it, that initial enthusiasm I had for wine faded as I struggled to find a wine community that didn't seem so intimidating and elitist.

Later, when picking a career in F&B demanded a basic knowledge of wine, I found myself unable to connect with the complex tasting notes and jargon that seemed to dominate wine culture.

Lately though, that seems to be changing. A number of wine experts are emerging across the country, armed with world-class degrees and a palate tuned to the flavours of home.