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| July 2006 »
| Many people believe that this is India's century. Among them are Time Magazine's editors who featured India on their magazine's cover recently. But the editors did still better by highlighting the Indian wine story. They began the story by talking about The Tasting Room which is owned by Sula Vineyards. Read about Time's coverage and learn about Bombay's Boom. We believe it is not only India's Century but also one for its wine drinkers too. | 
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The London International Wine & Spirits Fair took place between May16 – 18, and was a very slickly-organised event. Equally impressive was the width and depth of participation by wine companies from all over the world. Now in its 26th year, the LISFW is firmly established as the leading annual international wine fair in the world, where everybody who is anybody in wine takes part. The UK is the world’s largest import market for wines (some 140 million cases), so competition is fierce. Read Alok Chandra's report below.
Chateaux Margaux and Latour are leading the way with this year's Bordeaux wines. The 2005 vintage is the most expensive ever with wines being released at a record breaking €350 per bottle. The winemakers blame the high prices on free markets while consumer advocates like Robert Parker are furious.
| As the smallest alcoholic drinks category across Asia-Pacific, wine represents the biggest opportunity for global producers. This market segment has grown from a marginal 3.30 m litres in 2000 to 3.75 m litres in 2005 and is worth US$ 35.9 m today.
It is, therefore, no surprise that the French with their atomic wine weapon ‘Vinexpo‘ chosen the sixth overseas exhibition to be held in the inaugural city of Hong Kong where the first took place in 1998. | 
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Over three days the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center hosted just under 600 producers from more than 28 countries from around the globe and catered for over 6,500 visitors. An estimate of 40 percent of visitors were from Hong Kong and Macao and the remaining from the rest of Asia. Read Dr Ariff Jamal's report below.
Studies have shown that chocolate, especially dark chocolate when taken in moderation can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. As we all know, red wine in a similar fashion is a popular cholesterol fighter. However, what happens if you don't enjoy drinking wine? Fortunately, as this article points out, there is always grape juice.
In a significant departure from the past, The European Commission is adopting plans to reform the European Union's wine sector. As Jancis Robinson has pointed out, this promises to be an emotionally charged and controversial affair.
The problem is simple. Even though Europe produces some of the finest wines in the world, the consumption of those wines are dropping. New World wines from the southern hemisphere and the US are attracting more attention and more dollars too. To better compete with these wines, the European Commission is going to encourage winemakers to make bolder, stronger wines. Furthermore, the EU is going increase its paltry €14 million promotion and marketing budget.
But the suggested reforms go still deeper. EU's Agriculture minister, Mariann Fischer Boel, is recommending that the rigid rules around wine making be abolished. She is also suggesting that the over complicated wine labelling system be changed. Whether Europe can swallow these reforms or not remains to be seen. Most recently, the European Commission approved plans for 79 million gallons of French wine and 69 million gallons of Italian wine to be distilled into undrinkable, industrial-grade alcohol simply because they had such an over supply of wine.
Rumor has it that the staff at the Wine Bar in Raghuvanshi Mills, Mumbai really know their stuff. Depending on what you're planning to eat, they'll tell you which wines to try. The beauty of it all is that you can buy wines by the glass. They stock 16 wines at the moment but are planning to increase that to 70 over time.
Ajay Gothwal sent us this news blurb. | Cool weather, live band, grape crushing by models and Champagne Indage wines like MDP Ivy Brut, Ivy White Zinfandel, Chantilli Chardonnay and the Chantilli Cabernet Sauvignon all made for a successful wine evening in Bhutan recently.
The evening combined the prize distribution ceremony of the Haa Golf Winners with the Chantilli Harvest festival. Music was provided by Krosswindz of Kolkota. |
Liebherr, the German conglomerate, and world's leading producer of construction machinery has launched its sophisticated line of wine cabinets in India.
Liebherr's extensive wine storage and multi-temperature wine storage cabinets are an alternative to a wine cellar as they offer optimum conditions for wines to mature and to develop their full flavours. One can store up to 231 bottles in these cabinets.
Controversial celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay caught Sir Cliff Richard off guard when he had him blind taste one of his own wines on live television. Ramsay first had the British entertainer blind taste a red Bordeaux worth around $750. Richard loved the wine. Ramsay then poured a second glass, which the singer branded "insipid."
When Ramsay told Richard that the second glass was one of Richard's own (a much cheaper Vida Nova from Portugal), Richard fumed but then later blogged about the evening and explained that his palette was tired especially after the expensive Bordeaux. The moral of the story - simply don't do blind tastings on live television.
Italian newspapers are reporting that India plans to set up a wine-making center with the help of Italian expertise to train farmers and vintners. The deal was signed on Friday for the Italian wine makers to help imporve the standard of wines across the country.
Asia's most comprehensive international wine exhibition will be held in Singapore between November 2nd and 4th, 2006. Over 450 exhibitors from 23 countries will spend 3 days wheeling and dealing with key buyers, importers and distributors, retail chain owners, F&B purchasing directors and wine enthusiasts from across Asia. A total of 15,000 visitors are expected at Wine for Asia this year.
Vijay Mallya and the UB group, the world's third-largest liquor producer plans to buy a wine company from France's Taittinger for $15 million. UB currently has only a small presence in the wine segment. UB proposes to import wines from the French champagne house to boost its presence in the Indian and Chinese markets.
Over at the Hindustan Times, Vir Sanghvi worries that wine will not do much for India's image in the world. Market researchers believe that the image of a country as a brand depends on intangibles such as the ability to make luxury goods like wine for the international markets. Sanghvi believes that instead of wine, IT and global outsourcing will play that role for India.
We disagree. IT and global outsourcing are certainly strong brand ambassadors there is no denying that. But IT and global outsourcing caters to just one attribute of India's brand. Wine too is an integral part of brand India and we are confidant that in the coming years, as Indian wine gains greater acclaim around the world, it will contribute significantly to India’s brand image.
In fact, Indian wine was served to attendees at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The government of India understood wine’s importance. Indian wine is now served in countries from Norway to the United States and France too. And Decanter Magazine named Grover’s La Reserve the best New World wine last year.
Just as wine has done much for countries like the United States in the 1970’s and more recently New Zealand and Chile, expect a lot more from Indian wine.
Vikram Doctor wrote a well researched piece on rosé for the Economic Times in which he discussed the five rosés that he was able to sample. These were Sula's Madera Rosé (Rs. 195), Chateau Indage's Ivy White Zinfandel (Rs 425), Grover's Shiraz Rosé (Rs. 360), Flamingo (Rs. 355) and Sula's Blush Zinfandel. His favorite? The Sula which was pleasant, crisp and smooth followed by the Flamingo which was crisp too.
According to Reuters, dark soya sauce, widely used in east Asia, may prove to be more effective than red wine and vitamin C in combating human cell damage, researchers in Singapore said.
Scientists found that the sauce -- derived from fermented soya beans -- contains antioxidant properties about 10 times more effective than red wine and 150 times more potent than vitamin C, Singapore's Strait Times reported on Saturday. Antioxidants -- found in red wine, fruits and vegetables -- counter the effects of free radicals, unstable atoms which attack human cells and tissues.
The Ambassador of France in India H.E. Mr.Dominique Girard inaugurated the “Apéritif à la française” festival in Delhi on June 1st, 2006. The festival which was organized by Sopexa, the Food and Beverage Marketing and Promotion Board of France, the French Embassy in India and the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries was held at 28 locations across the world at the same time.
H.E. Mr.Dominique Girard, The Ambassador of France in India (centre) pictured with Rajiv Singhal, Charge de Mission, Sopexa India (right) at the “Apéritif à la française” festival in Delhi.
According to the Indian Express, Rahul Mahajan claims that he passed out drinking sparkling wine. Rahul Mahajan who is the son of the late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan was booked on Monday for possession and consumption of drugs. We appreciate what he's doing to promote wine in India, but wine in excess is harmful too. And of course, we're not sure whether it was drugs or wine that made him pass out in the first place.
Americans are drinking more wine than ever before, a new study by the Wine Market Council shows in a recently published article on Bloomberg. At the same time, the U.S. is still far behind some nations in per capita consumption.
Growth has been dramatic, from 177 million cases of table wine consumed in 1996 to 205 million in 2000 and 249 million last year. Add in sparkling wines, sherries and ports, and the figure hits 300 million, with a retail value of $25 billion.
Most interesting have been the reasons for the increase in wine consumption namely, 1. News stories about how moderate wine consumption can be a positive in terms of health; 2. Change in consumer attitudes regarding occasion appropriateness; 3. A strong U.S. economy; 4. Rising disposable incomes; and 5. Branded advertising.
Are the same reasons spuring wine consumption in India? There's certainly a lot of articles on wine but not that many on the health benefits (which are actually numerous).
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The charismatic Gaia Gaja (pronounced Gaya) was in India last winter. Here’s what she had to say about growing up in a wine producing family, Piedmont’s premier grape, Nebbiolo, the path-breaking innovations of her father, Angelo, and Gaja’s move to Tuscany.
Here father and daughter look through a copy of Sommelier India. |  |
If you were thinking about even sipping wine while being pregnant, then think again. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy, particularly during the first or second trimester can permanently harm the cognitive development, lowering IQ in the child, a new study found according to David Liu, Ph.D. at Foodconsumer.org. All it takes is 4 oz. of wine to cause damage.
© Copyright 2008. Consolidated Media Intl. All rights reserved.
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