The Sommelier India Wine Competition gets even more press attention. The latest coverage was in the Sunday Hindustan Times Brunch special where Vir Sanghvi discussed the competition and how context should or should not matter when tasting wines. He wondered whether wine ratings should be absolute measures irrespective of their category, region or price point. In his opinion, the Indian wines aren't up to snuff as yet though he did find a few that he liked very much. The Hindustan Times also announced the results in its main paper.

At the recently held Sommelier India Wine Competition, over 400 wines were entered of which only 18 received Gold medals. This constituted a mere 4.3% of the wines tasted. However, the number of wines receiving some recognition (many got commended) was 55% of the total. Does this mean too many medals were awarded? Quite the opposite. At the Decanter World Wine Awards this year 67% of the wines received recognition and at the Japan Wine Challenge nearly 70%, with the percentage of award winning wines going up every year. This shows that wine is being better made now and therefore more wines earn recognition with each passing year.

The Sommelier India Wine Competition Gala Dinner was held on November 20th, 2009. The attendees, judges, producers and importers who participated all felt it was a resounding success. Over 400 wines were entered with approximately 55% receiving some kind of recognition. 18 of the wines were awarded Gold medals. Among these were three Indian wines - Four Seasons Viognier, Nine Hills Shiraz 2008 and York Reserve Shiraz 2008. View the complete results on the Sommelier India Wine Competition website. Watch for more information about the winners, the gala dinner and the charity auction and view photographs of the judging yesterday.

With Indage Vintners in serious financial trouble (employee salaries haven't been paid in nearly a year), Sula Vineyards hopes to take advantage of the gap in the market by expanding aggressively. Sula's strategy has three parts - increase acreage under contract farming, increase capacity at its facilities and introduce mid-priced range to attract wine lovers.

Don't miss the latest issue of Sommelier India. As a test case and special preview for our subscribers and readers around the world we are publishing the last edition of the year online. Tell us what you think of this new publishing format. With articles like The Changing Styles of Wine (Jancis Robinson), Going Sweet on Asia (Harshal Shah), What's a Medal Worth? (David Cobbold) and Gourmets of India, Rejoice! (Ruma Singh), this is an issue you won't want to miss. You can also subscribe to the print edition and receive it in the post.

The flavour last week at Bangalore's fine dining restaurant and tapas bar, Caperberry, was distinctly Spanish - even more than usual. No wonder, as the evening of Thursday, 29th October saw the launch of week-long food and wine festivities in the form of the Spanish Food Festival in association with Torres Wines at the restaurant, reports Ruma Singh from Bangalore.

The Tulleeho Wine Academy is hosting regular training classes in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. This is the WSET® Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Wines and the WSET® Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits. The WSET is the educational affiliate of the Institute of Masters of Wine (MW). These courses are ideal for people interested in joining the wine industry though serious enthusiasts may value the courses too.

This was a night of elegance and style: A Bangalore Wine Club sit-down dinner entitled, Reserves at the Palace on Saturday, October 24, 2009, which featured the first tasting of the Four Seasons Barrique Reserve wines by UB. This was something that those who follow Indian wine trends closely were looking forward to eagerly, writes Ruma Singh. Left: Abhay Kewadkar and Sanjay Roy of the UB Group

Over the last couple of years Sommelier India - The Wine Magazine, has had the privilege of meeting some of the world's most renowned sommeliers and wine makers. The other night, however, it was different. Susanne Hecht, a beer sommelier was in New Delhi presenting Bavarian and Belgian beers to a gathering of afficionados at Seville, the Mediterranean restaurant at the Claridges Hotel. Rahoul Singh reports. Pictured is visiting Beer Sommelier Susanne Hecht and Importer, Ankur Jain.

Jacinta Allen, the minister for Regional and Rural development of the State of Victoria, Australia, was recently in Bangalore to unveil the Victorian Food and Wine Festival. The minister came to town with some good news for all lovers of good food, and especially, wine, writes Ruma Singh.
Left: Jacinta Allen, minister for Regional and Rural development of the State of Victoria, Australia

Aspri, one of India's leading importers and distributors of premium wines and spirits, recently introduced us the Wine Masters Reserve range from Nederburg, South Africa. Nederburg, one of the best known and oldest South African wineries has been producing fine wines for over 200 years. It is part of the Distell group and has won many wine awards, in fact, more than any other winery in South Africa, reports Suneeta Sodhi Kanga from Mumbai
Left:Masters Reserve Pinotage 2007

Formerly part of the Bordeaux wine trade and now a full-time poster artist and illustrator, Jean-Pierre Got's art is imbued with the charm of a by-gone era. Got speaks to Reva K Singh about his work and the special poster she commissioned for the Sommelier India Wine Competition in the interview below. The next edition of the magazine, which will be out soon, has a full page image of the limited edition poster, plus other interesting features. Subscribe today to ensure you receive a copy.
(Right: The SIWC poster, first commission from India by SI - The Wine Magazine)

If you're a consumer wondering which wines to buy for a party or what to drink when you're at a fine dining establishment, help is on the way. The Sommelier India Wine Competition will tell you which are the best wines to drink. As a home grown competition with the top Indian palates tasting the wines, you will finally know which wines are most suitable for every occasion and setting.

And if you're a domestic or international producer or an importer, it is not too late to participate. Do not miss this opportunity. Entry is available to all wines being sold or imported into India whether they are high end wines served at the top hotels or everyday drinking labels. Each wine will be judged against its peers based on the category in which it falls.

If trade reports are to be believed, consumers may find wine being sold in departmental stores and other locations across Delhi. The Wine & Beer shops and the private wine outlets (some of which are very good) won't be the only ones carrying wines in the future.

The latest issue of Sommelier India has just hit the newsstands and this is one you definitely don't want to miss. The Sommelier India Tasting Panel tastes a selection of Rosé wines available in India and chooses their favorites. A judge at many international wine competitions, Rosemary George believes they serve a purpose. Chad Arnold answers your questions about Sherry, Rex Weiner explains how a family from South India is involved in launching a Californian wine while Sonal Holland shares her impressions of Californian wines. Alok Chandra comments on the taxation saga, Ruma Singh interviews Lucio Matricardi of Château de Banyan and Neethu Sheth talks to Naina Hiranandani about her love for South African wine.

With 66 pages packed with stories on wine and the wine lifestyle, this is our largest issue yet! If you're not a subscriber, visit the subscriptions page to subscribe today. You'll receive this latest issue in no time