New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) Two glasses of wine will
bring down cholesterol levels and help you stay away from hard liquor,
advises international winemaker Jean-Manuel Jacquinot.
"Two
glasses (20 cl) of wine a day will considerably bring down cholesterol
levels. Wine will enable you safely eat red meat and keep you away from
hard liquor, which is bad for the system," Jacquinot told IANS on the
sidelines of a "Meet the Masters" wine pairing event here Saturday
night.
Jacquinot and viticulturist Phillip Deverell are touring
the country for presenting lunches and dinners paired with Nine Hills, a
bouquet of exotic wines from Pernod Ricard India (formerly Seagram
India) to introduce Indian consumers to a taste that is fresh, yet
mature.
Thus, on offer Saturday night were five varieties: Shiraz
Rose 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Chenin Blanc 2010, Shiraz 2010 and
Cabarnet Sauvignon 2009.
The first was paired with gruyere,
spinach and sundried tomato equiche/mushroom vol-au-vent/chicken shish
kababs starters and the second with a starter of home grown sprouts
salad with summer fruits/poached chicken.
The Chenin Blanc 2010 was paired with goat cheese, spinach and pine nutravioli with pesto sauce.
The
piece de resistance, of course, was the main meal with a choice of
Moroccan-styled braised lamb shoulder, Cajun spiced grilled sole,
ratatouille cottage steak with mustered cream and baked aubergine,
tomato and mozzarella stacks. This came with not one, but two wines:
Shiraz 2010 and Cabarnet Sauvignon 2009.
Jacquinot, better known
as JMJ, is a member of the French Oenologist Association and was elected
to the board of the Champagne Oenologist Association. A qualified
taster at the Comite Interprofessional des Vinesde Champagne, he also
sought to dispel the notion that wine couldn't be paired with Indian
food as it was too spicy.
"On the contrary, red wine pairs ideally with spicy Indian food," adding that oily food was a strict no, no.
"Oily food and wine just don't go together. In any case, oily food is best avoided as it is bad for the system," he pointed out.
Jacquinot
and Phillip Deverell have already visited Chandigarh and after Delhi
will be travelling to Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Bangalore, as also
Seagram's Nashik winery in Maharashtra to "celebrate the 2012 vintage,
engage with the consumer and showcase Nine Hills", as Jacquinot put it.
The
Saturday night event at Lodhi-The Garden restaurant, was jointly hosted
by Seagram's Nine Hills and hospitality major Sewara.