Chianti is a red wine from Italy, known for its red fruit, mushroom and wet forest floor aromas. What is interesting about Chianti wines is that when you let them age, they evolve beautifully adding layers of complexity and elegance to their taste and smell. Through this painting, I have tried to capture the concept of age. To me maturity is not about fading away of appearances but is an evolution of the mind. The stretched mesh in painting depicts the peeling away of our mental barriers as we mature to reveal a beautiful and wise soul

Like the notes of a song stuck in your head, this wine lingers on your palate for long. Kirsch, red plum, black plum, blue flowers, liquorice, chocolate, cinnamon, perfumed black tea and start anise play a harmonious symphony on your palate; concentrated yet cheerful. Play it all night long and yet you won’t get enough of its fruit and floral lyrics.

The Le Dome 2010 a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc & 20% Merlot wins a perfect score amidst wine lovers because of its concentration and powerful structure. My strokes and colours are stimulated by the flavour profile and structure of this wine and my underlying theme of music is inspired by its long finish. I am sure when you taste it, it will play its beautiful symphony long.

A burgundy wine with aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, violet, rose, vanilla, sandalwood, truffle, mushrooms and meat. A finish that kept lingering and dancing in my mouth for long. The wine was elegant, restrained but not shy of fruit. It had a fleshy roundness that captivated my mouth. This wine had 20 years of bottle age and yet displayed vibrancy and freshness of the fruit.

My interpretation of this wine was that of a mature lady, one who may have aged but is young at heart. A woman who may be quiet but isn’t shy, elegant but one who hides a naughty side. A woman with a musk of rose and violet, and one who dances exuberating youth and freshness.

A wine of power. Bold black fruits, cigar, meat, earth and pencil led aromas make it a savoury, delight. Sage and spices add to its depth and the tannins, coat the mouth in a wet sandy manner making you go in, deep contemplation. It is a powerful wine on the exterior, but as you let it hold, it starts showing its softer more beautiful aspect.

My painting tries to capture this dual masculine-feminine aspect of the wine. I start the painting with an excerpt from Edgar Alan Poe poem to cue vulnerability and then go on to explore the wine further with the translucent strokes of my brush to highlight the sheer nakedness of the feelings, which are often hidden behind the garb of masculinity.

Ofcourse the story began with a sip, the aromas and flavours of night jasmine, lemon, pineapple, orange, butter, and layers of freshness all captured my thoughts. But then I got carried away by the lusciousness, the caress of silk in my mouth. It was almost like the lips that taste it, become it.

My painting therefore portrays fuller, luscious and juicy lips of a woman to cue all the characteristics of this wine.

Can wine be your partner for an evening spent alone, loving, nurturing and caressing yourself?

When delicate rose petals, violets intermingle with lush juicy red berries and one gets to taste this foreplay of fruits with an orgasmic medley of mocha and wet forest floor, it makes you love not lust. This wine presented mellowed aromas and a gentle play of flavours - red fruits, rose petals, dried flowers, herbs, sandalwood, leather, rust, tobacco. Powdery tannins spread across. Palate, balanced by the acidity of wine. Soft but not shy. Fluid but strong. This wine gives you a well cushioned floral-fruit punch!

What happens when you do not allow a wine time to breathe? It remains tight and closed. Through my painting I wanted to show how the aromas of burlap, black tea and rust masked the beauty of this wine. One could see glimpses of bright red berries – cranberries, raspberries, tart black plum hiding behind the sandy tannins and the earthy aromas of this wine. The medium garnet color of the wine indicated its age and one knew this wine could give more because of the vibrancy of the fruit and acidity. The approach was almost linear with red berries at core. it is only a matter of time before we see more from this wine. Beautifully well balanced wine given the alcohol was 14.5%.