Steven Spurrier and two associates are starting a wine club in Mumbai to help consumers get access to good wines. His team will choose six wines from the stock of wine importers Sansula, who the club has tied up with, which he will suggest to members to try as a combined package at a certain price. Payment and delivery will be done via existing retailers in Mumbai so that no laws are broken.

According to the Economic Times, the first case consistent of two French (Laroche Chardonnay 2005, Laroche Merlot 2004), one Italian (Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio DOC Alto Adige 2005), one Australian (Oxford Landing Cabernet-Shiraz 2004), one Chilean (Paso de Luz Cabernet Sauvignon 2003), and even one Indian wine (Aambe Bahula Chenin Blanc 2005), will be priced between Rs 5,500-6,000 and should be available in July.

If you're wondering who Stephen Spurrier is, he is the person who organized the infamous 1976 Judment of Paris Wine Tasting that pittied Californian wines against the best of the French. Since then Spurrier has founded the Academie du Vin and Christie's Wine Course in addition to authoring and co-authoring over a dozen books on wine.

'The Chancery Pavilion' is a new five star business hotel that's opened in Banglore. It is positioned as a contemporary, chic, five star tech-savvy business hotel where guests can recharge, repose and reflect according to an article in the Hindustan Times. But most interestingly, the hotel includes a Wine and Cheese Lounge.

If you're looking for a place in Bombay (Mumbai) to buy wine, surf over to Bombay Cakes. You can now buy your wine online and have it delivered directly to your doorstop or to a friend's if it is a gift. You can also reach them by calling +91.22.24942116.

The tasting room looks out over rows of vines stretching out toward the mountains. Cool breezes waft across the balcony as the winemaker pours a glass of his reserve Shiraz. A sip reveals a mellow wine with lots of red fruit and just enough tannin to allow it to continue developing for several years. After buying a case of the wine and stashing it in the car boot, it's off to the next winery down the road. Read The Wall Street Journal's recent coverage of the Indian wine scene.

“We’re targeting the 25-to-35 year old young executive for our Chenin and Shiraz. The Cabernet Classic is aimed at mature drinkers who’ve drunk over 200 bottles of wine, because it is a more complex wine,” says Shailendra Pai of Renaissance wines which is attempting to compete directly with three major Indian wine producers Grovers, Sula and Indage.

Subhash Arora of the Indian Wine Academy was invited to be a Juror at Vinitaly as one of 40 journalists. He served on the international jury for the International Wine Competition, Verona. Congratulations!

Everyone wants to grow grapes and crush them these days. Granted, Indian wine consumption is expected to grow at annual rate of 25% but still, is there enough business opportunity here for entreprenuers? There are more than 35 wineries in Maharashtra alone now, most of which came up in the last few years.

According to estimates, per capita consumption of wine in India is about 4.5 ml per year. In comparison, France consumes 42 litre per person per year, and China 375 ml. Maybe that's why the industry is excited about the potential of wine.

A Deccan Herald reporter certainly believes so. During her visit to Grovers Vineyards at their 15th harvest celebration. According to Abhay Kewadkar, winemaker of Gover Vineyards, "The 2006 harvest is good because of lower temperatures after a good monsoon last year. This has resulted in cooler nights and a humidity of 50% which is good for the grapes. In 2002 to 2004 the monsoons were poor and this caused a higher alcohol percentage which is higher than desired for a good wine. This year the balance will be perfect and the maturing too is being achieved slowly ensuring good character in our wines." Read the article on one of India's wine success stories.

In a recent article for the Deccan Herald, Alok Chandra discusses the challenges in buying good wine that hasn't gotten "cooked" due to bad storage. One city that he singles out as an exception to the rule is Bangalore, with its well laid-out, asthetically pleasing designs. Sommelier India is mentioned in the article.

While Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa continue to be the largest markets in India, wine demand is catching on in other cities and towns like like Nagpur, Nasik, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Chennai and Hyderabad. A good example is Amritsar and Punjab. In 2005 Sula Wines doubled its sales in Punjab. Analysts believe that the tipping point will be when annual consumption crosses a million cases. Needless to say, the future growth of grape plantation is imperative for Indian wines to grow at 20%-30%.

Champagne Indage, the largest domestic wine marketer is one company that has bet heavily on the mass market by selling wines below the Rs.250 per bottle category. Vino which is priced at Rs.99 is Indage's most serious attempt to tap the mass market according to the Economic Times.

Summer is undoubtedly a challenging season for a wine drinker in India. As the unbearable heat of May and June gives way to clammy humidity of the monsoons, the range of wines one would drink gets limited. Arun Batra of the Financial Times, tells us what's best to drink during these hot summer months.

His recommendations include Sauvignon Blanc especially the clean, crisp un-oaked versions New Zealand produces that are available in India. In addition to that, he recommends Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, Beaujolais, Merlot and Valpolicella. Batra also recommends Cabernet-Merlot or Cabernet -Shiraz bottled by Grover and Sula and priced competitively at Rs. 500.

The boom in the wine business in India is causing an unsual problem - a lack of adequate grapes. According to DNA India, with companies rushing to set up wineries in the Nasik areas, which are the most suitable for growing grapes, existing firms are finding it difficult to come across the fruit. Some wine companies are evening thinking of importing grapes to meet the demand. Also, as farmers switch to growing wine grapes, table grapes are getting scarce.

The Indian government has proposed in its federal budget a 4% ‘special additional duty’ on imported spirits and wines over and above existing tariffs. While this is not good news for wine importers and consumers alike, domestic producers are happy with the news.