It looks like Champagne Indage's purchase of Loxton Winery in Australia is being put on hold according to press reports in Australia. Loxton is owned by Australian Vintage Limited which is Australia's third largest winemaker. The company has said that Champagne Indage had failed to get the financing in place to complete the deal that was first announced back in March. According to press reports, Indage is seeking to raise 1.2 billion rupees ($37.5 million) in new shares to make the purchase.

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The Wine Society of India kicked off its Delhi Launch with a grand reception at the Imperial Hotel. Avininder Singh was there to record the event. Date: Friday 10th October 2008. Venue: The Grand Ballroom, Imperial Hotel. Time: 7.33pm. Location of self: Corner seat, 2nd row from back, in a section of the hall seating about 120.

Status of self: Shock & awe!! Nobody but nobody, in Delhi, reaches anywhere in time but what do we have here – three minutes past the designated start and the place is already overflowing. Read more...

Sujan Mukherjee, executive chef of the Taj Bengal, Kolkata, was the first Indian chef to be selected to participate at the 2008 Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Workshop, an annual celebration of wine and food, hosted by the acclaimed Cakebread Cellars in its vineyards, cellar and kitchen. It took place this year from 6 - 10 September.

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Dr Ariff Jamal was formerly associated with the Bichot family as Export Director living in Beaune, Burgundy. Soon after Maison Albert Bichot, an eminent Burgundy wine producer, received the Pinot Noir Best Red Wine Maker award in 2004, he took a break and then decided to become a consultant, leaving for California to work in the wine industry there. Dr Jamal (who is also a long time contributor and advisor to Sommelier India) subsequently joined Brindco Sales Limited in Delhi.

With the rumour mill working overtime about his departure, we decided to find out the facts. Shivani Dogra spoke to Dr Jamal and discovered that far from leaving the country, he has chosen to devote more of his experience and time to India.

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The Nashik based Sommelier Group has planned to open five wine bars in Pune, Nashik, Bangalore and Jaipur over the next two years. The new formed group will invest around 6 crore to setup these multi-brand wine bars. Already one Sommelier wine bar is operational in Nashik with the next coming up in Pune. The group with Vinod Deokar as CEO has tied up with a number of producers to source wine. Business Standard has the story. Business Standard has the story.

Old world wines are looking with hope for new markets in India. The latest to scout around is Lombard, one of the distinctive brands of vintage wines from Champagne, writes Suneeta Sodhi Kanga. When I heard that Paul-Henri, Lombard’s emissary from Epernay, was visiting Mumbai, I made it a point to meet him.

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As many expected, the Karnataka government has notified a new excise rule on wines imported from other states. The new duty applies to all wines made outside of Karnataka and is seen by wine companies as a direct response to Maharashtra's seven-year-old wine policy that exempts locally made wines from a 150% duty that all other wines have to pay. The new duty is Rs. 300 a bulk litre up from Rs. 10.

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Port has always been a favourite with me, writes Reva K. Singh. In the days when wine imports were virtually non existent in India, family and friends returned from trips abroad bearing a bottle of Scotch for the house and, for me, a bottle of sherry or port. However, wine lovers in India no longer have to rely on frequent travellers to keep them supplied with their favourite tipple.

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The India-EU Wine spat came to life once again in the last week with the European Union launching new dispute proceedings against India at the World Trade Organization on Monday over taxes and restrictions on European wine and spirits imposed by Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. For some of the best coverage on the topic, read this Financial Times article, the Wall Street Journal coverage and India's response covered in Business Standard.

For some historical context, visit the Indian Wine Industry section of the blog, and read Additional Custom Duties Scrapped. Who will benefit? post and the accompanying reader comments.

According to Assocham more Indians will consume wine in the next two years. The industry association projects that the country's wine consumption will nearly double to 9 million litres, from the current 5 million litres by 2010. Assocham has estimated that the Indian wine market is approximately 5 million litres in terms of volume and Rs 500 crore in terms of value.

Wine sales in India were 8,20,000 cases in 2007-08. Major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad account for 80% of the demand for wine, the chamber said.

When the management team led by F&B Manager Suman Sharma was given the task of revamping the old favourite Jockey Club at the Taj Residency hotel in Bangalore, their brief to the designers was simple, writes Alok Chandra. Create the best contemporary fine-dining restaurant in the city, with the largest wine list.

The outcome was a radical change and Graze opened to a lot of incredulity from the old-timers. The management must have had some anxious moments as their traditional customers deserted the place. Read more...

“Drink healthy, eat wise,” says the line outside the Ivy Wine Café, Pune, one of the six such cafés opened in Mumbai and Pune, inviting diners to step in and enjoy a food and wine pairing. The café serves reasonably priced light meals and beverages along with a selection of about 40 wines that are either produced by Champagne Indage Ltd or imported by them, writes Brinda Gill

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In the world of fine wine, few names are held in as high regard as Steven Spurrier. He is the British wine authority who organized the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, which unexpectedly shattered the myth of French wine superiority and promoted the expansion of wine production in the new world. He is also the founder of the Academie du Vin and Christie's Wine Course in addition to authoring and co-authoring over a dozen wine books.

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The International Women’s Association in Chennai was founded by seven women in 1986, and Reva Singh, publisher and editor of Sommelier, The Wine Magazine was one of the founders. Having lost touch with the organization all these years, she flew out to Chennai a few weeks ago to attend the Founders’ Day celebrations, and was delighted to discover that the club was not only alive and thriving but had grown to 300 members!

Reva Singh addressing members of the IWA at its Founders celebrations

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The Festive Season is just around the corner and, as always, we are all on the lookout for suitable gifts. In an attempt to move away from those tired old presentation packs and hampers and move, instead, into the exciting and exquisite World of Wine, Vinner Enoteca Wines Pvt. Ltd. – VIN OPERA has come up with some super gift ideas. VIN OPERA’s fine Italian wines can be presented in leather Wine Cases or Wine Boxes with Accessories.

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