Varun Venaik’s food blog is a project that focuses on sharing knowledge and ideas on the advantages of organic food as well as practical advice on how to start living this lifestyle sustainably and on a budget.
Ever since he was a young child, Varun has been interested in and passionate about eating well. Varun was raised in a home where maintaining one’s health was regarded as the top priority in life, and this healthy outlook on life was instilled in him. Varun and his family maintain that a person’s health is their most valuable possession.
Varun Venaik’s food blog is a health-conscious person’s dream come true with its tips on how you can sustainably introduce organic and unprocessed fruits and vegetables into your diet. The site aims to address every aspect of living a natural, healthy lifestyle as well as tips on how to grow your own produce and have a flourishing self-sustainable garden.
Varun believes that having a glass of wine (especially organic wine) occasionally and in moderation is a nice way to unwind after a busy week at work. Recently Varun has been comparing Australian and Italian wines, in the hope of understanding subtle differences between the two.
1. Varun Venaik’s verdict on Australian and Italian wines
Australian wines—particularly red wines—are quite a bit stronger and more flavorful due to the country’s warmer environment and increasing yield of sweet grapes.
Australian wines tend to have stronger and more robust flavours than European wines, which are softer and more complex.
Surprisingly, many Australian sparkling wines resemble champagne .
Australian wines have quite a unique flavour and tend to be fruitier or sweeter in flavour. French wines often have a much more subtle flavour. Austrian wines have a stronger flavour while still being smooth.
In a manner, Italian wines can be perceived as a hybrid of the two. They aren’t as hefty as Australian wine, but they also tend to be a bit drier and less sweet, giving them a crisp, citrusy taste.
On average, some Australian wines tend to cost a bit more, especially when comparing the average prices for more affordable options.
Interestingly, Australia’s regulations force producers to choose screw caps over cork, whereas other traditional European nations still have a strong cork history.
2. Reason for difference in taste and quality of Australian and Italian wines
Australia is a new world production zone, but because it was spared the pest that decimated the majority of European grapes in the early 20th century, you can still find some older plants there.
Its grapes are more French in flavour than those of other new world farmers (this is true for most of the new world producers). You will often see French origin grapes like Cabernet Sauvinon/ Merlot and Shiraz/ Grenache etc. (these two are from North Spain/South France) most frequently but Australia also has some Italian / Spanish origin grapes mixed in.
There are some generalizations that can be made, but they are ultimately just that—generalizations—and they are constantly evolving. For instance, I would like to point out that Old world wines frequently have more blends than single varietals compared to Australian wines, but Australian wines have a lot of GSM—the Rhone style blend—while increasingly—especially in Italy—more single varietal wines are produced.
Large cooperatives tend to be a little more dominant in the Australian wine industry, but there are also more small local producers emerging in Australia and gaining increasing scale and prominence. In contrast, consolidations are becoming more common in Europe, though they frequently take the form of alliances and cooperatives.
3. Final Remarks
Follow the advice that Varun Venaik regularly posts on his food blog if you enjoy organic food as much as he does or if you want to permanently alter your lifestyle. You will undoubtedly have a better grasp of how simple it is to live an organic lifestyle after reading the blog’s content. You can change your life, enhance your health and make your wellbeing a priority by committing to a few simple actions and following the advice detailed on the blog.
