A delegation of 57 French musicians, from nine to 50 years of age, is presently in Nashik for an Indo-French music workshop and festival. This has been organised by the Indo-French Cultural Association (IFCA), Nashik. First came the wine, and then came the music. The world is certainly a small place.

Did you know that the Champagne in the Maldives is as popular as it is in India? The Maldives has a population of just 350,000 compared to India's 1.2 Billion but as Ashwin Deo mentioned in a recent Economic Times article, " In spite of a reduction of tax and duties (155-240%), the Maldives size of the champagne market is equal in size to the Indian one at around 10,000 cases." The tourists who visit the Maldives mostly drink Moet & Hennessey, Moet & Chandon Krug, Dom Perignon and Veuve Cliquot.

Ajay Gothwal who is a wine connoisseur and a manager at an a major Indian wine producer sent us this interesting note on Punting Champagne.

" In my years of travel across the globe I have seen 90 percent of waiters in the world pour Champagne by holding the bottles with thumbs inserted in the punts, or the small indentations in the bottom of the bottles. I don’t know how, when and where it started."

If you're having difficulty choosing which to drink, coffee or wine, then this snippet on red wine from the Times in the UK may help you. Want to know the key takeaway - neither is really bad for you - two cups of coffee a day won't hurt and red wine in moderation can help

Forty members of The Wine Society and their guests attended a wine dinner at "Tonino" on March 14, 2006. Here is a report from The Wine Society.

"We had a great time at Tonino on the night before Holi. The evening was planned for the terrace as it was to be a full moon night but the weather gods played spoilsport and the sky remained overcast for most of the evening so the dinner was moved indoors, but the aperitifs were served outside. Tonino lends itself to such get-togethers beautifully and contributed greatly to the convivial atmoshere in conjunction with the wine.

Only two wines were served throughout the evening a St.Julia 'Fuzion' white (a blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay) and the St. Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Argentina. These went down very well and were provideded by Gurpreetesh Maini, who imports them through his company Rhine & Raavi. Gurpreetesh is a Wine Society member. An excellent meal was produced by the restaurant, which belongs to member, Parmeet Sawhney."

Sonoma winery Ray's Station Vineyards is launching a wine specifically aimed at men. Taking a page out of the Malboro Man ad campaign, it aims to appeal specifically to alpha males who traditionally avoided wine as being too feminine. With wines in India still being considered a lady's drink in some circles, do you think an Indian wine maker should introduce a wine specifically targeting men?

Singapore Airlines has one of the most intense training program for its flight attendants. Only 10% of the candidates survive the training program in which they must endure four months of classes including wine appreciation courses. The flight attendants are trained to advise passengers on which wines to match their meals with and how to choose a wine. The next time you're flying Singapore Airlines ask the flight attendant about wine. She'll probably impress you with her knowledge of all things wine.

The tariff battle over wine imports continued with the Chilean Ambassador Jorge Heine and Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath entering the fray. Kamal Nath explained that India could only reduce the tariffs on wine once Europe accepts Indian whisky. Currently, The EU doesn't treat Indian whisky as whisky because it is made from molasses. Jorge Heine urged India to reduce the tariffs as Kamal Nath asked for his help in battling Europe on the whisky issue. India is on the verge of signing a preferential trade agreement with Chile.

Keep to promote Chilean wines in India, the Chilean Embassy had organized a Chile Wine Fest in February this year. Brindco, Sonarys , Global, Sovereign Impex, Moet Hennessy India , Ace Beverages and Rhine & Raavi were the wine importers that participated. The highly successful event was organized in partnership with the Indian Wine Academy.

Grover Vineyards has a new target market in the common man. After having spent several years producing premium wines, Kapil Grover has decided that it is important to offer something to the rest of the market as well. Grover Vineyards will soon be selling low end wines that cost Rs.250 each only. According to Kapil Grover, these wines will not be made with table grapes but with economically priced grapes from Nashik.

In a recent Indian Express article about Grover Vineyards, Sanjay Menon, MD of Sansula Wines said, " There are a lot of companies in it just for the money. But wine doesn’t lie and to me there’s an honesty about the Grover business. Their business will get its first expert when Kapil’s daughter Karishma returns from her viticulture degree at UC Davis, California."

Here at Sommelier India, we want the Indian wine market to grow quickly. So expect us to be watching the Grover initiative closely.

The 1976 Judgement of Paris is to be recreated with two panels working simultaneaously through video as one will be in England and the other in California. The event will commerate the 30th anniversary of the "tasting that changed the world" in which the surprising showing of the American wines shocked the world of wine. The 1976 blind tasting showed that American wines could compete with the best Bordeaux wines when it came to quality and style. The 1973 Stag Leap Cabernet Sauvignon stood first in the original tasting which was judged by a panel of mostly French wine experts. Read more about the original tasting. Maybe sometime in the future, there will bea "Judgement of India tasting".

If you're a serious wine enthusiast, check out Nat Decants Free Wine Newsletter: Wine picks, articles and humor from Natalie MacLean, recently named the World's Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia. There are no ads and all e-mail addresses are kept confidential. To sign up, visit www.nataliemaclean.com.

In his latest column for Business Standard, Sommelier India contributor Alok Chandra discusses the need for policy changes in the Indian wine industry. Quite simply speaking Indian and foreign wines are far too expensive in India largely because of State and Central government taxes. As a result, individuals are reluctant to invest in the wine industry.