The inaugural SIWC, held in November 2009, was heralded by wine producers, wine importers, the Indian media and consumers, alike, as a resounding success. Over 415 wines were entered and were expertly judged by a prestigious panel of judges who combined, both, expertise and deep understanding of the Indian palate. Of the Indian and international wines judged, 18 wines were awarded Gold Medals.

The award-winning wines have been showcased in dozens of wine tasting events across the country. Many of the wines proudly display their SIWC award sticker and producers have seen an uptick in business and brand awareness through their participation in the competition.

Consumers, in turn, have used the SIWC competition as a benchmark for wines to buy and serve for all occasions. The SIWC award-winning wines are listed in the Wines to Buy section on the Sommelier India website and traffic to that page has doubled in the last nine months.

SIWC 2009 was organized by Sommelier India, the country's only wine magazine, in association with The Wine Society of India, with renowned wine expert, Steven Spurrier as Chairman and Reva K Singh, owner and publisher of Sommelier India Wine Magazine as Co-Chairman. Autohanger (Dealer for Mercedes Benz in India), Kingfisher Airlines, Cadbury Bourneville, Grape to Glass (Riedel) and Vacu Vin were sponsors of the competition.

The competition, held every two years, will allow producers and importers time to significantly improve their wines and bring new vintages into the market. Bearing in mind the economic challenges that many Indian producers and importers have faced over the last few years, the competition organizers therefore found it prudent to make the SIWC competition bi-annual.

SIWC is an Indian competition created by Indians, and judged by the best Indian palates for the benefit of the Indian consumer. The wines are judged to determine which are the best wines available to drink in the Indian sub-continent.