Why does wine often not taste right? The answer lies in a little-known chlorinated compound called TCA, which can taint corks and sometimes even entire wineries… Read more

Most hosts agonise over what to serve as cocktail snacks. The trick is to try and do at least one or two dishes that show a little flair and suggest a degree of effort… Read more

Europeans make much of regional origins when it comes to their own food and drink. But notions of terroir collapse when the product in question is chocolate. I’m always hesitant to write about chocolate because the more I read about it, the less I seem to know. Read more

Are you one of those people who suspects that so much of the hype surrounding wine is entirely fraudulent? If so, then the events of the last few months will provide enough fodder for your scepticism. Let’s start with the Wine Spectator Awards. You may have seen these awards proudly hung on the walls of many Indian restaurants including at least some that are not noted for their wine service. Read more

Even if you say that you do not like mushrooms – a common enough position with many Indians – and never order them at restaurants or cook them at home, there’s probably one mushroom you eat far more often than you realise. Read more

By some coincidence, the movie Bottle Shock was released on the day I went to California’s Napa Valley. Bottle Shock, a small but generally well-reviewed film starring such dependable B-listers as Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman, tells the story of one of the wine world’s most famous events: the so-called Judgement of Paris. In 1976, a young British wine dealer called Steven Spurrier who had failed to make much headway in cracking the French wine establishment had a bright idea. Read more

It’s a nagging thought that’s never found full expression. But each time I would read about medieval Europeans and their rush to find a way to get to India to discover the riches of the East, something inside me would stir uneasily.  Pepper, I would read, was more precious than gold in Europe in those days. A single nutmeg commanded prices we associate with white truffles in modern times.
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I’ve never been able to make up my mind about the food in Paris. For many years I stuck to the position I had evolved during my youth: it is impossible to eat badly in the French capital. This is the romantic view, shared by many people of my generation who have happy memories of cheap bistro meals that turned out to be terrific; of amazing local produce; of excellent local wine at everyday prices; and of our first Michelin-starred meals. Read more

I have been eating Ritu Dalmia’s food for far longer than I have known her. Years ago, when it was almost impossible to get good Italian food at reasonable prices in Delhi, I began to frequent MezzaLuna in the Hauz Khas Village. Read more