The word wine comes from the Old English word win, which derives from the Proto-Germanic *winam, an early borrowing from the Latin vinum, "wine" or "(grape) vine" — itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *win-o. The fact that all branches of Semitic have a nearly identical term for grape suggests a prehistoric loan into Indo-European from that family.

The earliest signs of wine date back to 6000 BC. Wine residue has been found in ceramic jars from the Neolithic sites at Shulaveri, of present-day Georgia. Hajji Firuz Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of present-day Iran (5400-5000 BC) and from Late Uruk (3500-3100 BC) occupation at the site of Uruk, in Mesopotamia.

Need help in understanding the different roles in the wine profession? Here are the most important roles.

Cooper: Maker of wooden barrels, casks, and other similar wooden objects.

Négociant: A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers, and sells them under his own name.

Vintner: A wine merchant or producer.

Sommelier: A person in a restaurant who specializes in wine. They are usually in charge of assembling the wine list, staff education and making wine suggestions to customers.

Winemaker: A person who makes wine.

Oenologist: A wine scientist. Often referred to as a winemaker.

Viticulturist: A person who specializes in the science of the grapevines themselves. Can also be someone who manages a vineyard.

Last month I had the pleasure of meeting Ferdinando Frescobaldi, vice president of the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Group and senior member of an old and distinguished Florentine family, that has been producing Tuscan wines for generations, including one of Italy’s most important red wines, Chianti. Note, this article was first published as Reva Singh's wine column in Outlook Magazine.

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Here at Sommelier India, we wish all our readers, friends and supporters a Happy Diwali. Diwali is called the festival of lights, marks the victory of good over evil and is considered India's new year. If you're looking to do something different for Diwali this year, instead of sending friends sweets and fruits try sending them a bottle of wine. Maybe some champagne or a special red.

To really impress your friends (or bosses!), send them a first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion or a Château Mouton-Rothschild. Nor will you go wrong if you send them a Krug Grand Cuvee, a Dom Perignon or a Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial. The only downside is that these gifts may just hurt your bank account.

Diwali is a major Hindu festival. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. The festival of Diwali is rooted in the mythological epic Ramayana, and is a celebration of the return of Lord Ram after killing Ravan the demon during his exile for 14 years.

Since 1996 Good Earth has been a style-driven retail pioneer in India, a trend-setter of sorts. Luxury here means an ensured purity of products and a range where shelf space is shared equally by a L’Occitane and a Forest Essentials as well as home made spa creations. Good Earth is today considered as a trend setting design house and an ideal place to buy fabric. Interestingly, some of the stores thoughtfully include wine and snack bars for those who are able to think about curtains only after having sipped some wine.

Is this going to be a retail trend? Will we see more wine bars in high end stores? As oenophiles we hope for such heavenly times. In our opinion, it will certainly making shopping easier.

One of our favourite wine blogs is The Pour written by Eric Asimov of the New York Times. Every few days he pens his experiences in the world of wine. You hear about his wine holidays, his wine adventures (and misadventures!) and how the world of wine is evolving through his personal experiences in it.

The other day he wrote about Michel Rolland whom he considers the world's most famous (or only famous) wine consultant. Some of you may remember as Asimov points out that Michel Rolland advises Grover Vineyards along with a hundred other winemakers. But Rolland was also depicted as a "villian" in Jonathan Nossiter’s documentary “Mondovino” last year. His crime? He advises his clients to make wines that sell which are invariably rich, full bodied and with high alcohol levels. Do you think there's good for the wine industry? Take a look at the interview and tell us what you think..

On a side note, when we met Michel Rolland last year, he told us that there was enough material for 1,000 issues of Sommelier India! Like him or hate him, you certainly cannot question his passion for wine.

Francisco Javier Leon de la Riva, the Mayor of Valladolid — the former Spanish imperial capital that is home to Cervantes’ only surviving house — recently visited New Delhi and serenaded Indians, not with the legend of Don Quixote, but eno tourism says Sushmita Bose in the Hindustan Times.

Indians are increasingly traveling abroad to countries like France and Australia but to the Indian vineyards as well. So when you next plan a holiday whether it is India or abroad, include a visit to a winery as well.

In a Financial Times article two days ago, Rajiv Singhal of Sopexa talked about how he first got into wine while in college at Yale. Since he wasn't a good cook, he made a deal with his friends living off campus. They would provide food and he would take care of the wine. He then got lucky when he made friends with a New Haven store keeper who taught him the basics of wine.

We all have different introductions to wine - some while in college, others at business dinners or even on foreign holidays. Each one's experience is unique and for the true wine lovers, the first experience is never forgotten. What's your first wine drinking experience?

Along with his numerous other involvements and professional commitments, Mr Dhruv Sawhney of Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd has agreed to join the Advisory Council of Sommelier India, India’s first and only publication dedicated to wine.

At a time when the wine industry is growing by leaps and bounds and the consumption of Indian and imported wines is increasing, we are privileged, indeed, to have Mr Sawhney, who is a wine aficionado in the truest sense of the word, join our Advisory Council. Read more...

Copies of Sommelier India are available at select retail stores in Delhi and Mumbai. You'll find copies in Khan Market at the two major magazine stalls outside Bahri Sons and the music shop opposite the main entrance. The magazine is also for sale in Jor Bagh market at the Steakhouse. Copies can be bought at the Indigo Deli in Mumbai too. Email us if you are a retailer outlet who would like to stock Sommelier India copies.

Did you know that even though India is in the northern hemisphere grapes are harvested in the February/March time frame? The rest of the northern hemisphere harvests its grapes by October. Why is it so late in India? It's because of our wonderfully warm winters that farmers realized that grapes ripen the best in the winter months.

Learn more about harvesting and the difficulties in starting up a winery in Alok Chandra's "The grapes of wrath" column for Business Standard. Alok is a regular contributor to Sommelier India.

According to a new study by economists Orley Ashenfelter of Princeton University and Karl Storchmann of Whitman College, vineyards are getting warmer due to solar radiation and global warming. Vineyards to the north (at the top end of the latitude wine belt (50 degrees) such as those in Germany, England and Sweden are set to produce better wines while the ones in the south as in Southern France, Italy and Spain will suffer. Read more about the scientific study at Slate and the commentary over at Vinography.

How does this affect India? The warmer climates will probably negatively affect grape production given our latitude. Indian farmers maybe forced to find new, cooler locations in other parts of India as the world gets warmer.

Devesh Agarwal has published a pdf book that attempts to demystify the world of wine. As a labor of love, he is offering it for free to all wine enthusiasts and Sommelier India readers. The pdf can be downloaded here(2.5mb). Devesh is a Sommelier India subscriber and a Bangalore Wine Club member,

Roy Moorfield, the wine director of Chinkara Wines was in Delhi for a tasting earlier this week. Chinkara Wines belong to Natasha Oberoi of the Oberoi Hotels family. She established the company in 2002 to blend fine wines from grapes grown in Australia and export them to India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malayasia and other countries of Southeast Asia.

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Do your children drink too much? Are they at risk of becoming binge drinkers? Have you seen your teenager return home from a party smelling of alcohol? This is a serious problem in the UK and experts recommend that parents adopt a "Mediterranean approach" where youngsters drink in moderation.

Lead author of a study, Professor Mark Bellis says that parents should encourage children to enjoy a glass of wine during family meals. Thay way parents will slowly influence their children's drinking habits and the children in turn will not drink to be rebellious. Will this work in India? Read the full article about drinking in the UK here.