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| August 2006 »
 | According to Decanter magazine, the World Cup has scored a goal for Germany's wine industry. Nearly 2 million bottles of wine with the World Cup logo were sold during the tournament, according to the German Wine Institute. The Wine Institute members had collectively coughed up €750,000 for the license for the logo.
It might be time for Indian wine producers to jointly invest in building India's wine image just as the German Wine Institute did for the Germans. The Commonwealth Games are round the corner. |
Wines from Australia are being discounted as a result of a wine glut. Some wines are being sold for a third of the original prices. While it is considered a short term phenomena it is still troubling news for Australian wine and the global wine industry.
Joseph Phelps's Insignia was Wine Spectator's 2005 Wine of the Year. Last year 12,400 wines were blinded tasted by Wine Spectator tasters. From those Insignia was chosen.
In contrast to most other Californian wines, from the very first Insignia in 1974, the varietal name was left off the bottle. The wine drinker was left to guess what grapes were used to make the wine. Prior to founding a vineyard, Joseph Phelps ran a construction company in Colorado. The wines are available in India through Brindco.
Sommelier India contributor Alok Chandra nicely frames the maturity of India's wine industry in an article for Business Standard. He explains the first wave of winemakers were the pioneers Indage (1986), Grover (1992) and Sula (1999) who were passionate and driven.
The second wave was started in Maharashtra in 2001 when the state liberalized wine-making, making it easier to obtain winery licenses resulting in the creation of vineyards like Vinsura, Flamingo, Renaissance, Sailo, ND, Mark Anthony and Mohini.
And finally, the third wave in his opinion is just getting under way. This wave is marked by the entry of major companies or professionals that are well funded and know the Indian spirits market well. All in all, it is well understood that the Indian wine market is in an explosive phase. We're just waiting for Indian retail to catch up now.
 | The Robert Mondavi Winery celebrated its 40th anniversary last weekend in Napa, with hundreds in attendance to commmemorate the 1966 founding of the iconic winery. Mondavi is considered one of the grandfathers of the California wine industry. At the founding of his own winery in 1966, he believed that California wines could rival the greatest of European wines. |
During that period, Californian wines were recognized as inferior to old world wines. The French and Italians believed that no new world wine could compare to wines that had been produced from vineyards going back centuries. Mondavi proved them wrong.
Have you ever considered making wine in your own kitchen? With wine still being so expensive, it maybe something to consider! Wine hobbyists in Lucknow have been making wine in their kitchens for a while now. And family recipes and experimentation has kept the tradition strong. While these drinkers lament that they may not have the best grapes available to them, it does not stop their enthusiasm from bubbling and their wine from fermenting.
To learn more about the Lucknow local wine makers, read Anisha Sharma's article for the Times of India titled, "Winsome wine: They're brewing it in kitchens!" And if you want to try making your own wine, Winemaker Magazine can help you get started.
On 6th July 2006, during a special ceremony at the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, Rajiv Malhotra was conferred with the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. Rajiv has been decorated with the title of Knight of the Order by Hon. Gianni Vernetti, Vice Minister of Productive Activities of the Italian government.
This award was in recognition of his work in promoting Indo-Italian trade and cultural relations. Rajiv is the promoter of IFOWS - Indian Food and Wine Show. Congratulations!
Did you know that Chateau D'Yquem is considered a Premier Cru Supérieur or a "Great First Growth." This means that it is grander than any of the other first growth vineyards which include Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Margaux Haut-Brion and Mouton Rothschild.
Wondering what the reason is? In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was the only Sauternes wine given this rating as historically it cost 50% more than other Sauternes wines. In contrast, the first growth Medoc and Graves wines cost only 10$ more than the wines classified as second growth in those locations.
Château d'Yquem is also purportedly the only house which ensures that the wines are made from individually picked grapes, ostensibly to ensure that quality is the finest possible. This means that each vine, on average, can only produce a single glass of wine.
India certainly seems to be toasting UB Group's entry into the Indian wine market. Business Standard is just one publication of many discussing the UB Group's entry strategy of buying the Loire Valley vineyard Bouvet Ladubay. Bouvet Ladubay produces elegant and fruity sparkling wines.
Shailendra Pai, managing director, Renaissance Winery is quoted in the article as saying, "The entry of major players into the still nascent sector would not only expand the market but also bring better technology and practices into the market." He is right, it is win for the industry, for the consumer and possibly for the UB Group as well.
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 | Ritu Dalmia of Diva fame was knighted with the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. Diva restaurant is the Winner of the 2004 Wine Spectator Award. To learn more about Ritu Dalmia read this article.
The Order, which was instituted in 1947, is awarded to Italian and foreign nationals who have provided a significant contribution to the development of friendly relations with Italy with reference to language, culture and socio-economic activities. |
The ceremony at the Italian ambassador’s residence will be attended by Italian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gianni Vernetti.
| Tittarelli Wines, a part of the Argentinean wine making history since 1915 have been launched in India by Mr Jagdeep Chowgule of Best Foods & Wine Impex of Goa, a company focused on bringing in the best Wines from Argentina into the Indian Market.
According to Mr Chowgule " Argentina is renowned worldwide for its great varieties AND and delicious Wines. |  |
We are very proud and happy to be associated with the rich and historic wine brand of Tittarelli, which is much loved by the British, French, Americans, Canadians and Brazilians.
Sommelier India columnist Alok Chandra, recently discussed Reveilo in an article for Business Standard. Reveilo is a hundred acre vineyard and winery which in his opinion is making the best wine in India. The father and son team of Suersh and Yatin Patel have transformed their table grapes family business into a wine producer. The first harvest was taken in February-March 2005, with the Cabernet Sauvignon yields kept down to 1.5 tons/acre.
According to Alok's notes, the Reveilo Chenin Blanc 2005, Reveilo Chardonnay 2005 and the Reveilo Syrah 2005 are especially promising. Vikram Doctor also covered Reveilo for the Economic Times and Express Hospitality featured the vineyard too.
According to the Business Standard article, Reveilo is available in Mumbai at Parry (Bandra), Twinkle (Andheri), Juben (Juhu), Nita (Churchgate), Big Boy (Chembur), Peekay (Crawford market) and The Cellar (Malabar Hill).
Global wine consumption increased for the seventh straight year in 2005 to 2.59 billion 9-litre case. Most of the increases came from drinkers in the US, UK and China too according to the 2005 edition of The Global Drinks Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast. China is projected to trail just France, the US and Italy in terms of total consumption by 2010.
The European Union continues to be the world's largest wine market accounting for 58% of global consumption in 2005. The U.S only accounted for 11% while China was at 6% of the world's consumption. Constellation Brands ws the world's largest wine marketer exceeding 100 million cases.
Barely weeks after having to rescind its bid for Taittinger Champagne, India's UB Group has acquired Bouvet-Ladubay from U.S hotel group Starwood Capital. The price was apparently more than the $15 million that has been quoted in the press.
Bouvet-Ladubay produces sparkling wine brands such as Saphir and Trésor and is based in the Saumur region of the Loire. UB Chairman Vijay Mallya said that he plans to use the acquisition to import high-quality premium wines into the Indian market and to gain access to state of the art winemaking technology. It looks like the Indian consumer is going to have even more top quality wine in the near future.
| Sommelier India was highlighted in the Limca Book of Records as India's first wine publication. The book celebrates over 10,000 remarkable achievements of Indians around the world. It is in its 17th edition. Readers thank you for your support. We wouldn't have made it into the book without your help. |  |
The text of the entry states, " Sommelier India, edited by Reva Singh, is the only wine publication on wine. While it does highlight Indian wines, international wine destinations and unknown facts fill the pages. So if you cannot tell your Bubbly Chardonnay Semillon from your Chianti Peppoli Antinori and want to change that, this is the publication to subscribe to! A bi-monthly, Sommelier India fills an important niche judging by the expanding subscriber base."
Italy was the top wine exporter last year in terms of volume, beating Spain and France according to the International Wine and Vine Organization (OIV). Interestingly, over 90% of their wine exports go to just 11 countries. While exports to India have increased 80% in the last four years, it still represents a small percentage of Italy's global exports.
The real question is how are Indian exports doing? To which countries are Indian wine makers are exporting the most? We suspect most exports are going to the US, UK and Canada. Grover Vineyards, for example exports wine worth $ 4,35,000 every year. When you travel abroad, what other Indian wines do you find? Are they popular?
The Grand Hyatt Mumbai and Best Foods & Wines hosted one of Argentina's award winning winemakers, Tittarelli S.A. Their Finca el Retiro Malbec 2003 got a bronze medal at the 2005 Decanter World Wines Awards. The family owned business was started by Italian immigrants and have been producing wine and olive oil since 1915.
There is yet another excuse to enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal. Grape skins include melatonin, the hormone that keeps our body clocks in check and tells us when it is time to go to bed. Wines that are particularly rich in this compound include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti. Researchers from the University of Milan, said that the compound could help keep our circadian rhythms, or body clock, in check.
As consumers struggle to understand why the Indian government with various duties makes foreign wines so expensive for us. Well, apparently Russia has even larger problems. New import laws there have forced shopkeepers to remove their bottles from the shelves until they get the new excise stamps in time for a July 1st deadline.
The government only started issuing the stamps in May and importers have been scrambling to get their bottles stamped. To make matters worse, restaurants and wines stores cannot re-stamp the bottles. They have to be returned to the importer for re-stamping.
© Copyright 2008. Consolidated Media Intl. All rights reserved.
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