India Wine Challenge 2008
| Robert Joseph, chairman and organizer of the India Wine Challenge was recently in India to launch the second edition of the Challenge. Joseph, who is the former Chairman of the International Wine Challenge London, also runs Wine Challenges in other Asian wine producing countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand. |  |
“I've been running wine competitions for 25 years and place huge importance on the trust we have earned and maintain across the globe,” he commented last year in an interview with Sommelier India. Sommelier India supported the India Wine Challenge and were the first publication to announce the results.
The first one was in 1984 when Joseph organised a small tasting to see how English wines performed against examples from other countries.
“Calling that little 50-wine competition the International Wine Challenge was a bit over the top, I admit, but the range of wines and tasters was international and we gained enough publicity for the event to become annual. It has since grown to its current size of 9,000 wines, making it the biggest event of its kind in the world.”
At the inaugural India Wine Challenge, a panel of experienced Indian and international wine experts tasted 350 wines blind in 2007, including 35 from 10 wineries in India. The Indian tastings took place in Delhi while the foreign wines were tasted in London at the headquarters of Montgomery International.
If it were not for our labyrinthine excise laws and procedures, he would prefer to hold the competition exclusively in India. For the present, however, it will follow the same pattern as last year with tastings in London and New Delhi. The London event will take place at the end of October, while the Indian tastings will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, a few days before IFE-India, the annual Food and Drinks exhibition, December 2 - 4, 2008.
While in Delhi, Joseph took the opportunity to put across his ideas to wine producers, importers and others and asked for their viewpoint and recommendations. Despite the doubts expressed in some sections of the industry and early teething problems, Joseph has great hopes for the India Wine Challenge. Maintaining that competition is, by definition, healthy, he sought to allay fears, saying that far from having a negative impact, participating in an independent wine competition would help Indian wines gain credibility and acceptance in international markets. The India Wine Challenge, he hopes, will become a widely used reference for Indian wine professionals and consumers, alike, when it comes to choosing wine.
More on India Wine Challenge
Nine Hills wins finest Indian Wine
India Wine Challenge Results
Interview with Robert Joseph of India Wine Challenge
India Wine Challenge - Supplying the Wine
The India Wine Challenge: Are you participating?
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