The growth of a wine culture in India is reflected by the proliferation of wine clubs in the country. Nearly every major city has a wine club or society. The most recent is Terroir -The Madras Wine Club, which was officially launched last week with a wine tasting and dinner at The Taj Coromandel in Chennai. Reva K Singh was at the launch. Pictured is Nirmala Seshadri, dancer and wine club member and Captain Arjun Nair, President of Terroir, The Madras Wine Club.

What a transformation! First there was the Kandahar, a cavernous Indian speciality restaurant that served its purpose in its time but now there is The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen here in Delhi. Approached by a light, translucent staircase at the lower ground floor, with over 4,000 sq ft of Bottochino marble and teak, the Deli is a delight for the senses.

"It's an honour to be awarded this title of recognition," said Ranjit S. Chougule, Managing Director of Indage Vintners Ltd., commenting on the Silver Medal awarded to Indage Vineyards' Reserve Merlot 2006 at the Mondial du Merlot Awards, 2008 in Switzerland. "It means a great deal to us both in terms of bringing recognition to Indage as a quality wine producer for our consistency in producing premium wines as well as for India to be known as a serious contender in the global wine business. It's also hugely encouraging!"

If you are someone working in the hospitality industry or influenced by the subject of wines, this is the course for you. The UK Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Foundation Level I Course is a certificate course organized by the KBR School of Wine. WSET offers the most comprehensive and contemporary wine courses worldwide. The next certificate course takes place on January 31 and February 1, 2009 in Mumbai and on February 21st and 22nd in Delhi. Sign up soon because there are limited seats.

The new chairman of the London International Wine Fair and Distil Advisory Board is Nick Blair, wine director at Pernod Ricard UK. "As the world's leading wine industry event, it is vital that the London International Wine Fair continues to meet the high standards expected from its broad international audience and it is the Advisory Board that challenges the organisers to ensure that these standards are met or exceeded.

2007 Fattoria Sovestro, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Siena, Rs. 1800. Vintage, winery, grape, sub region, price - This is how the wines appear on my wine list, says Stephane Soret, Head Sommelier at The Imperial, New Delhi.

A bottle of Kingfisher beer costs Rs. 250 at the hotel. Your average Indian guest can add only Rs. 150 more and get instead a fantastic wine by the glass such as an Italian wine imported directly. Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a unique white wine from Tuscany that I bought to promote our Italian restaurant, San Gimignano, because the name of the wine and the restaurant is the same.

Here are four important reasons to drink wine from Newsweek magazine. Firstly, it can help you keep fit especially if you are a senior citizen. Research has shown that it helps prevent physical disabilities. Secondly, it may help you fight alzheimer's thanks to the polyphenols. Next it can help increase your heart healthy omega 3 levels also thanks to the polyphenols. And lastly, it may lower your lung cancer risk if you drink red wine. Remember though that you must drink in moderation to avail yourself of these benefits.

Rumor has it that Vikram Seth of A Suitable Boy fame, landed himself in a spot of trouble for drinking wine while on stage at the Jaipur Literature Festival this weekend. Local Hindi newspapers fumed at his "sinful" behaviour and misreported him as being drunk. "He should not drink alchol in front of an audience at a public function. It's disapproved of here," said Nikhil Gupta, a duvet seller in the bustling old market near Diggi Palace. Our opinion - its much ado about nothing. Literature and wine have a historic and symbiotic relationship lets not make it political.

One aspect of the growing interest in wine in India is the number of wine clubs that have cropped up. Nearly every city has at least one. From the small and select Sommelier India Women's Wine Circle to the rapidly expanding Wine Society of India, these clubs and societies are very different from each other - except for one goal which is common to all, ie, to foster a wine drinking culture in India.

Mahawine 2009, Confederation of Indian Industry's 3rd International Conference & Expo on Grapes & Wines, was held at Yashada, Pune, on 16th and 17th January, reports Brinda Gill our correspondent in Pune. According to Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Maharashtra leads in the cultivation, production and export of grapes.

The total production of wine in India is 2.25 crore litres of which 2.11 crore litres are produced in Maharashtra; there are 62 wineries in India, of which 58 are in Maharashtra.

The 16th International Grape and Wine Film Festival is taking place on May 8-10, 2009 in Nuit-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, France. Oenovideo is the world's oldest and only festival dedicated to the valorization of the image of grape and wine through documentary films and cinema.

Grapes are an amazing powerhouse of nutrients that not only benefit our health, but taste great also. A glass of red wine is said to have tremendous health benefits. So why not give it to our kids for breakfast? Sounds absurd? Well, now we can, thanks to "DeVine", the brainchild of an Australian Winemaker - Robert Thumm, says Suneeta Sodhi Kanga. Right: Robert Thumm - Winemaker and developer of DeVine

The news on the ground is that the adverse events of the past year have caused wine sales to drop drastically in Delhi and other metros, but the sale of spirits is higher than ever before! Now, what could account for this turn of affairs? Is wine, bottle for bottle, more costly to drink? At which end of the market is whisky selling better than wine?

The Wine Society of India recently held its first formal Masterclass at the Sharad Room of the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai on the 11th of December, 2008. At the helm of the event was Mark Walford (co-founder of the prestigious négociant house Richards Walford) and at its heart, nine of Bordeaux's finer reds. Piyush Gadkari reports.

Why has natural cork become discredited and why are so many wine producers opting for alternative stoppers such as screwcaps? Says Jamie Goode, "For the last decade the closures debate has been one of the most controversial areas of the world of wine, and although many words have been written on the topic, it’s still not any closer to being settled."

Jamie Goode discusses the subject in detail in his excellent article, "The Closures Debate". An extract follows –

What has 2008 taught the Indian wine industry and what does 2009 have to offer? As we talk to Indian wine consumers everyday and exchange notes with peers in the industry a few themes have bubbled to the surface. This look may be hard but is, we believe, a necessary one for the industry to grow and provide better wine, value and service to Indian consumers. Share your opinions as well. Your voice counts. Shiv Singh reports.

In November SI was mentioned in Condé Nast Traveller magazine in a spacial feature on India. The Hindustan Times asked Sommelier India publisher, Reva Singh to recommend affordable wines for the winter season. The story appeared in November. And in late December, Reva Singh was also asked to recommend wines for Indian Express readers in Chennai. Based in New York, co-publisher Shiv Singh was in India last month catching up on the wine scene here while keeping the SI flag flying in the Big Apple. Needless to say, for our growing readership some of the best coverage and guidance on the world of wine and the culture surrounding it can be found in the packed pages of Sommelier India!

Four Seasons Wines Ltd. (FSWL) from the UB Group has started production and distribution of five varieties of wines from the Baramati Vineyard. The annual production target is 7 lakh cases. The company also produces Zinzi which was launched last year and has sold 10,000 cases to date. The wine will now enter Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala in the next few months.

We're continuously looking for ways to make the magazine a more informative and pleasurable read for our subscribers. This also means looking at different formats of the magazine. With that in mind, we'd like your feedback. Read on for free limited access to all 56 pages of the November/December 2008 print issue.

In a move to abide by the intellectual property rights of the Champagne region, Champagne Indage has changed its name to Indage Vintners.

Over 40 product brands fall under Indage Vintners with the two main brand cateogories being Indage Vineyards and Chateau Indage. “The new logo for Indage Vintners is synonymous with insignia of quality indicating our exclusivity, uniqueness and customisation,” Indage Vintners Managing Director, Ranjit S Chougule, said. Their wines can also be bought online.

It is a common perception that Indian wines have 'come a long way, baby' but they still have some way to go before they measure up to international winemaking. Rajeev Samant invited seven leading international winemakers and wine experts for the first and biggest-ever international tasting of Indian wines in early November at his Sula Vineyards.

He was seeking an international perspective on what Indian wines are really like. Alok Chandra joined them for the tastings.

Keep that wine flowing! Here's yet more good news on the health front. Marinading meat in red wine before grilling or frying it could reduce the risk of cancer say Scientists from the University of Porto in Portugal. Chemicals produced when you fry or grill meat have been thought to cause cancer.The ill effects of this can be avoided however, by marinading raw meat for six hours in red wine and then proceeding to cook it. Happy feasting.

You may call me an ardent traveller. My travels in Europe and Africa have imprinted images of how quickly the appearance of places and people can change. Just book a window seat on a daylight flight on a plane and see how dramatically the panoramas of Mother Earth change within an hour. Well, I find the same variations in places and faces in wine.

Travelling around Europe, Stefan Gerber discovers afresh how diverse the world of wine is – and India is no exception.

With the hospitality sector still reeling under the sudden drop in hotel bookings and the inevitable repercussions on trade and social life because of the terrorist attacks, Vinitaly India has been postponed. VeronaFiere decided on the postponement of the Vinitaly World Tour stage which was scheduled to take place on January 14th-15th leading up to IFOWS. IFOWS is still going ahead as planned.

In a recent article in London's Financial Times, Nick Landor asked eminent chefs which single ingredient was essential to their cooking. I read the article on JancisRobinson.com and among the comments that followed the article was one on wine. A tidbit that I thought would interest SI readers. Here it is as it appeared on Jancis’ blog. Reva Singh

Sommelier India - The Wine Magazine, January/February 2009, has just hit the news stands. With a special winemaker section for those with a more serious interest in wine including articles such as the Closure debate on corks and screwcaps by Jamie Goode, Indian Wines - the Road Ahead where Alok Chandra reports on a wine tasting in Nasik organised by Sula, and Where Viticulture is a Labour of Love by Michele Shah, this issue reflects the level of wine information that our readers now expect. Elsewhere in the issue, Jancis Robinson explains why it's not all doom and gloom for wine lovers during this economic meltdown and Steven Spurrier discusses the role of wine competitions.

And there's still more, Harshal Shah encourages us to look at fortified wines and Ruma Singh discovers Burgundy. Don't miss the issue! Subscribe now if you aren't a subscriber already.