Our last opinion poll asked whether wine competitions were good for India or not. 64% of the respondents believed that they were good and improved competition. 21% said maybe but only if the wine competitions were organized well. 7% weren't sure given how young the Indian wine market is and another 7% felt it was too early to judge Indian wines.
These are interesting results in the context of the 2008 launch of the India Wine Challenge. Participate in our new poll - Which country's wines do you like the most? We want to hear from you. Take the Poll.
At a Vinexpo curtain raiser at the Imperial Hotel yesterday at which Sommelier India was present this was announced. Major Indian newspapers like The Hindu and The Financial Express are reporting it too via PTI. The wine consumption in India is set to treble by 2011 to touch 17 million litres per annum. This is according to a study conducted by UK-based International Wines and Spirits Records (IWSR).
"Contrary to popular belief that only imported wines are mainly consumed, most wines consumed in the country is locally produced, accounting for 75 per cent of the total volume," wine exhibitor VinExpo Chairman Dominique Heriard Dubreuil told PTI.
Pictured above are Mrs. Dominique Hériard Dubreuil, Chairman, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific & Mr. Robert Beynat, Chief Executive, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific who introduced the report.
Grai Import and Export and signed a deal with India's United Breweries for exclusive supply of South African wines to India. Jonty Rhodes, one of Australia's former cricketers is a director of the company. South Africa believes that it can sell 10 million cases to India over the next decade. Abhay Kewadkar was first quoted in Sommelier India as saying that his company wanted to sell six million bottles of wine over the next five years and wanted to capture a third of the market in India. This partnership is part of that plan.
Rhodes shot to fame when he got Imran Khan run out in the 1993 World Cup. It still considered one of the more spectacular feats of that World Cup. He's popular in India because he took a world record of five catches, to achieve the most dismissals by a fielder against the West Indies at Brabourne Stadium, Bombay. For more in this Indian Wine story visit Sify.
"Ten years into its economic boom, India has transformed itself: Though poverty is still widespread, millionaires abound. Their new drink of choice? Wine."
Forbes writer Pascale Le Draoulec draws attention to some of the country's best wine spots and also mentions Sommelier India saying, " Those new to the grape can read all about sniffing and swirling in the glossy India Sommelier magazine.
It's drawing such reputable contributors as Jancis Robinson, editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine and the wine correspondent for The Financial Times."
The restaurants that get mentioned include -
Olive Bar & Kitchen (Mumbai), Travertino, The Oberoi (New Delhi), Diva (New Delhi), The Spice Route, The Imperial Hotel, (New Delhi), Indigo (Mumbai), The Zodiac Grill, The Taj Mahal (Mumbai) and Pure, Taj Lands End (Mumbai) and Masala Art, Taj Palace Hotel (New Delhi) and Orient Express, Taj Palace Hotel, (New Delhi). Interestingly, all the restaurants mentioned are either based in Mumbai or Delhi.
Rabobank International suggests that the Indian wine market will grow by 25 to 30 percent to 1.7 million cases by 2010. The market is currently valued at $62 million.
The Financial Express is reporting that the UB Group is planning to expand its product basking by launching 80 wine brands including imported brands this year. The company is learnt to be launching about 10-12 own labels under its subsidiary, Four Seasons Wines Ltd, while another subsidiary, United Vintners Ltd, will import about 70 labels from France, US, South Africa, Italy and Chile, by the end of this year. Read the full article for more information.
The Independent out of London ran a major story on the Indian wine scene. Reva Singh of Sommelier India was quoted discussing the growth of wine in India. Excerpted is the Sommelier India reference.
Three years ago, publisher Reva Singh started a wine newsletter that was sent out to a small group of subscribers. Now Sommelier India, the country's only magazine devoted to wine, is a grown-up, bi-monthly glossy on sale at selected stores. Subscriptions for the magazine, which contains news and features on both Indian and imported wine, she says, are up by 25 per cent on last year.
"Things are changing. People are becoming increasingly sophisticated with wine and want to learn more about it. When we started, people perceived drinking wine as being trendy. Many men preferred to drink Scotch. Now it has got to where people are asking questions."
The business media is reporting that the Planning Commission is recommending that alcohol prices be standardized across the country. They are recommending that the liquor taxes be streamlined with duties being levied only on the value of the liquor (or ad valorem) in contrast to the current structure which levies a mix of ad valorem and specific duties.
In its third collection as a part of the inspirational series, Satya Paul in association with Chateau Indage uncorked the Pop Art collection at the ITC Grand Central recently. This collection is an explosion of all rules associated with saris - it reduces the age of a sari by a whole generation.
This is another example of Indian wineries being more imaginative in how they connect with consumers and build awareness for their brands.
It follows Chateau d'Ori's use of Simone Singh at its launch. Earlier N.D. Wines used Salsa dancers to add flair to their Delhi wine introduction. Expect to see a lot more of this in 2008.
This is a video story discussing foreign wines entering India and the changing drinking patterns of the Indian consumer. Source Asia News International.
When Pernod Ricard India’s “Seagram’s Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2007” was adjudged the Finest Red Indian wine at the first India Wine Challenge, a delighted Param Uberoi, Chairman and CEO, Pernod Ricard India Ltd stated, “When we launched our domestic range of Nine Hills wines in Nov 2006 to a limited market, we hardly expected that in a year we would win a definitive accolade for our wine.
There's no doubt that Nine Hills has come a long way in a very short amount of time. Seagram's launched Nine Hills pricing the wines between Rs. 450 and Rs.550 and expecting to sell 10,000 cases a year. The winemaker is Jean-Manuel Jacquinot.
Hot off the press are the India Wine Challenge results. 350 wines participated of which 140 won medals. According to Robert Joseph, this is standard and not overly generous in comparison to other competitions.
But only 35 Indian wines from 10 wineries participated in the competition. As Mr. Joseph mentioned to us in an earlier interview, this was a very small number. Most of these wines faired poorly but Indus Winery and Vin & Vouloir showed promise as newcomers. Sula stood out for its Sauvignon Blanc. Grover which had submitted its 2005s did not do well.
The Indian winners included Sula Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Silver Medal), Vin & Vouloir Rose 2007 (Bronze Medal), Sula Dindori Shiraz Reserve 2006 (Bronze Medal), Sula Blush Zinfandel 2007 (Bronze Medal), Seagrams Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Bronze Medal) and Reveilo Chenin Blanc 2005 (Bronze Medal).
The Top Indian Red was Seagrams Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. The Top Pink was Sula's Blush Zinfandel 2007 and the Marquise de Pompadour was the top fizz.
Friday the 16th of November, ’07 saw the launch of the Bouvet-Ladubay bouquet of wines from the Loire valley in Delhi. The event was hosted by the suave French Ambassador to India, Jerome Bonnafont at his residence. Guests included diplomats, the city’s socialites, wine aficionados, and representatives of the hospitality and wine industry.
Vijay Rekhi, the Managing Director of United Spirits Ltd, a part of the UB Group that owns Bouvet-Ladubay specially flew in from Bangalore for the evening.
Pictured above: French Ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont toasts Bouvet-Ladubay with Sommelier India publisher, Reva SinghRead more...
The Times of India is reporting that the government may let airlines serve local wine on their domestic sectors. Haryana MP Tarlochan Singh said it was the practice globally. He said that the government should allow small bottles of Indian brands, and restrict it to maybe one per passenger.
What's driving this sudden support for the local wine industry? Apparently, the MPs have the "farmer interest" in mind.
The vineyard virus scare story originally reported by the Indian Express and picked up by NDTV seems to result in more questions than answers. The facts are few and far between. What we do know for certain is that the Pune-based National Research Center for Grapes has confirmed the story. Not surprisingly, most of the wine producers and grape growers are downplaying the significance of the threat. The truth is it is probably too early to tell.
According to various sources, the viruses detected are rugose wood complex and leafroll and have infected varieties imported from France and Italy. The leafroll virus is well known in the wine industry and a few years ago caused major problems in the Stellenbosch wine region of South Africa resulting in reduced vineyard yields and grapes unripened. For more information on both viruses visit Wine Business.com. Please let us know if you have substantive information on the subject.
