Indian Wines make their Debut at ProWein
The first thing that strikes you about Prowein is the sheer size. The 3-day show kicked off in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 27th of March with 3,600 exhibitors from 50 countries. In an exhibition of this size the main challenge for the visitor is to decide how to focus their time, reports Gaurav Anand from ProWein.
India is participating for the first time with a contingent of 7 wineries, showing over 35 wines. Part-subsidized by the Indian Grape Processing Board, the Indian contingent is competing for attention with the other new winemaking nations of Asia such as Thailand, Vietnam and even Burma - all of whom are present at the exhibition. Rajiv Samant of Sula wines commented about Sula's participation, saying, ProWein is an excellent opportunity to meet customers directly. Germany is Sula's largest export market. For the other Indian wineries as well, the show provides a chance to meet international trade buyers and hopefully find an overseas importer for their wines.
Among the visitors to the Indian stand, the main draw seems to be curiousity. Most visitors to the Indian stand have come there because they have never tried Indian wine before. However, serious trade buyers, too, from countries as diverse as Sweden and Spain are taking an interest in Indian wines.
An interesting sideshow to the exhibition is 'Düsseldorf Goes City'- which is taking the trade show outside the walls of the exhibition centre to the city as a whole. This gives locals and tourists alike the chance to enjoy a variety of wines from around the world at a number of restaurants around Düsseldorf.
The Indian Contingent: Aryaa, Four Seasons, Fratelli (maiden vintage), Nirvana Biosys (also maiden vintage), Sula, York, Zampa
