Magnum Gripes

I received an invite for a wine evening that said, “Magnum Opus.”

- V SANJAYKUMAR

I was starry-eyed for a couple of days. As a wine nerd, I dreamt often that a generous friend would pour me a glass of the iconic red called Opus One. Opus One is a headline wine made in Napa from Bordeaux varietals. It is a collaboration between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. A magnum of Opus One is hard to get in India and costs a pretty penny.

Such dreams evaporate when you read the small print. This magnum opus evening was an Indian story with two characters, Uma and Krishna Chigurupati. Their names were shortened to Krsma. Krsma is a boutique vineyard that makes small-batch expressions that have consistently surprised Indian aficionados. Its bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have found favour among sommeliers. Krsma has a compelling story that needs to be told, but this column is about magnums in general.

Magnum bottles are a pain. Wine chillers in India have been designed to accommodate slim claret bottles, it is a struggle to fit the bottom-heavy Burgundy and Rhone bottlings.

Champagne bottles are troublesome, too. I have also had trouble with wines from Chile from P S Garcia whose bottles, for some unknown reason, bulge at the bottom. Fitting a bulky magnum into my local chiller called for a carpenter’s skills. I had to hire one to remove a shelf.