Finding a decent glass of wine in India is enough to drive a person to drink. While wine is increasingly popular - consumption is expected to increase between 25 per cent and 30 per cent a year between 2009 and 2012 - polite drinkers would probably describe many of the over-sweet offerings from the nation's vineyards as "passable". Others would be able to come up with some much pithier descriptions says Jason Staines of Monocle, the well-regarded global briefining magazine.

Château Ste. Michelle Wine Estates dominates in the Pacific Northwest of the US and can be numbered among the big international liquor companies such as Constellation, Diageo, Pernod Ricard and others in its own distinctive way. Al Portney, Vice President, International Sales, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates was in India this January.

We are pleased to note the growth of wine culture in the capital marked by the proliferation of wine clubs. To cater to a different demographic than that served by the established clubs in the city Isheeta Gupta has launched Saturday Wine Club at Ai which sounds like a fun place to be.

The Sommelier India Panel tastes Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand

(Right: Zesty, aromatic and dry: New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs tasted by the SI Panel)

Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been invited to keynote the annual convention of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America which 330 member companies through whom 70% of the wines in America are distributed. This is the first time that the convention has chosen someone outside of the wine industry to keynote. Could you imagine Narendra Modi keynoting one of our Indian wine conferences?

There's a secret about wine lists at high end restaurants that you really should know. The cheaper wines aren't necessarily bad wines. In many cases, they're not only the best value for money but sometimes even among the better wines on the list. Why's this the case?

UB's formal launch of the Four Seasons Reserve range of wines took place in great style in Bangalore on 11 January 2010, writes Ruma Singh.
Left:Guests raising a toast to SIWC award winner Four Seasons Viognier

The members of Terrior One, Delhi Wine Club - Mumbai chapter, were floored by a visit from the king of wine-making from Spain at the JW Marriot Hotel, Juhu. Suneeta Sodhi Kanga from Sommelier India WINE magazine was a special invitee.
Right: Miguel Torres with Suneeta Kanga

VDP or Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, the German association of premium wine producers, saw an expansion of its membership with the start of the New Year. The VDP membership has increased to 196 with three new members.

It seems good wine and Andrew Steele, GM of Shangri-La's Tanjung-Aru Resort in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo (former General Manager of the Shangri-La, New Delhi and founder member of the SI Tasting Panel) go hand in hand. And it is hard not to end up drinking great wines when you visit him. Which is exactly what happened over New Year in Borneo, writes Harshal Shah.

The Bangalore Wine Club crowned a year full of wine events with a glittering Christmas Gala on the Prince of Wales lawns at the Taj West End, Bangalore, in December, writes Ruma Singh. The lawns looked magical, lit up with fairy lights, Christmas wreaths, white damask and gold. Left: Bangalore Wine Club members enjoying the Christmas Gala

Parent company Constellation Brands Inc. reported Monday, January 4, the passing away of Jose Fernandez, CEO of Constellation Wines North America. Fernandez was 54 years old and suffering from brain cancer. He died on New Year's Day.

DISCOVER THE WINNING WINES.The January/February issue of Sommelier India is hitting the newsstands as we speak. Subscribers should expect their copies any day now. This is our largest issue yet (yes, we keep getting bigger and bigger!). With a 16-page special section on the Sommelier India Wine Competition including tasting notes of the Gold winners, this issue has much to offer. From an analysis of the competition, photographs of the tastings and the gala dinner, and a piece on wine clubs in India to informative and entertaining writing by prestigious columnists like Jancis Robinson, Steven Spurrier and Jug Suraiya, this issue is both enjoyable and essential reading if you want to know the best wines in India as judged by the country's top experts. Don't miss it. If you're not a subscriber, you can subscribe here and view the table of contents.

Not by a long chalk. Although they may be from the same region, Chianti and Chianti Classico are two completely different Italian wines, as different, for instance, as Bordeaux wines are from Saint Emilion or Pomerol wines, notes Sandro Caramelli of Fattoria La Ripa.

Here in India few of us drink, let alone think of, ice wine. In fact, relatively small amounts of ice wine are produced in the world each year. But on January 5, the Canadian Embassy hosted an ice wine tasting led by Professor Ramesh Srinivasan of Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning giving us an excuse to talk about these fascinating but not so well known wines.

Adelaide Hills is a region of the Mount Lofty Ranges 'zone' in South Australia, less than 30 minutes drive from the centre of Adelaide city. The region is classified as a 'cool' climate area (the cool-ness is a result of the altitude) although, as one moves further north, the later ripening varietals like Cabernet Sauvign...on and Shiraz are grown. Harshal Shah explains.

Buy the Sommelier India Wine Competition poster commemorating the inaugural event for only Rs. 250 plus delivery charges. Limited quantities available so purchase your poster quickly. Email ao@indianwinemagazine.com or call (11) 24331013 to place your order. Click on the image to view a larger version of it.