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‘‘Everything was very unusual—the monsoons, grapes, grape-growing culture,’’ says the Australian who is setting up Terroir India Wineries. ‘‘I had tasted some not so good Indian wine in London, but one trip here and my opinion on everything just changed. India is reiterating the stand of New World wines—that good wine does not just come from France," says John Robert Worontschak in an Indian Express article about three foreigners making their home in India's wine business. It is fair to say that India is certainly becoming a popular home for wine production and consumption.

Ashwin Deo, Managing Director, Moet Hennessy India Pvt Ltd told Business Line that though the consumer base for premium wines was growing, market accessibility was still a constraint. He believes that high import duties are limiting growth and consumption at homes - the place where 80% of the spirits are consumed. Read the full article.

Champagne Indage, is in talks to acquire a wine trading company in the UK. According to Ranjit Chougule, executive director of Champagne Indage, " The target company has a turnover in the vicinity of £7-8m and a bottomline of about £0.7m." The move will ensure better accessibility for Indage's wine brands and provide them with a ready list of clients in the UK market. Read the full article at The Economic Times.

Did you know that Maharashtra has four wine bars? Well, the good news is that you're not going to have to go hunting across the state in search of them. Champagne Indage is supporting 50 entreprenuers who want to start wine bars. The wine bar licences will be available at rates between Rs 5,000 and Rs 37,500 a year depending on the location. The state government wants to do everything to support the local wine industry so it will be granting the licenses quickly. Visit The Hindu Business Line to learn more.

According to Businessline, India will soon cultivate organic grapes and export them, a top official of International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) has said.

The Indian wine story continues to get a lot of attention. Reuters in the UK recently ran a nice article about the Indian wine industry. As the article explains, " Rising incomes and easier regulations mean a chicken tikka is now more likely to be washed down with a glass of local red, prompting a rush of local entrepreneurs and foreign firms to tap both the domestic market and global interest in New World wines."

The Associated Press has covered Wine for Asia with this complimentary article. It is nice to see Asia and India in particular getting attention on the global stage. Santosh Verma, Champagne Indage's head of business development is quoted in the article.

Chateau Indage and Sula Vineyards have both decided to exit the locally-bottled imported wine business as they're finding that bulk imports aren't viable on many counts anymore.

Sula is cutting its dependence on the Chilean Merlot which goes into its Sartori brand. Likewise, Indage is going to drop local bottling of bulk imports by converting some its brands into "bottle at source" businesses. Surging freight costs and increases in excise duty are prompting these moves. Read more at The Economic Times.

India's largest wine exporter, Grover Vineyards, expects to raise Rs 15 crore from a 35 per cent stake sale and has mandated Ambit to shortlist potential investors to sell the stake.

Spirits major United Breweries (UB) is planning to beef up its wine business. Baramati Grape Industries, which runs the wine business of the group, will expand its production base by introducing new variety of grapes and rope in more contract farmers.

The fourth issue of Sommelier India is being mailed to subscribers this week. Expect to find it filled with articles covering Chilean wines, Mumbai waterholes and the virtues of Sherry among others. Let us know what you think of the issue and subscribe now to get your own copy.

The grape wine industry in Maharashtra has increased dramatically. In 2005, the state recorded 81.25 per cent rise in wine production compared with last year. Of this, Nashik district's share is at 32 per cent. Read the Rediff article which discusses this further.

Sula Vineyards announced that private equity fund GEM India Advisors (GIA) has invested an amount of Rs 15 crore ($3.5 million) for a minority stake in the company. The Samant family will continue to retain majority control. Read more at Sify.com

Dr Raghu Sawkar who is the only Indian to own a vineyard and make wines in the Nppa Valley in California is planning to make wines in India as well. He is planning to bring Sawkar Family wines into the country with a local partner and is investing Rs. 6.7 crores. Ready more at Sify.com