Bulls lumber down dusty roads, cow-dung patties bake in the sun, and women in bright saris pluck grapes from manicured fields, their bangles jangling with every toss. Welcome to India's wine country. This sleepy town in western India, long famous for its grapes, has become the subcontinent's Sonoma Valley, the heart of a $100 million industry that has seen annual growth of more than 25 percent annually since 2003. Read the CNN/Associated Press article for more statistics.

In the latest issue of Sommelier India, Chardonnay makes a comeback, Reveilo reveals some secrets, Waiheke Island wines are discussed in awe and we learn that wine tastings are governed by an unwritten etiquette. Pick up the latest issue of Sommelier India for these original articles and more designed to be of interest to Indians across the globe who enjoy drinking wine. Its our largest issue yet. Don't miss this issue with original contributions from some of the best wine writers in India and around the world!

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The Indo-Italian Chamber in collaboration with The Gourmet magazine is introducing India's first sommelier course targeted at students and professionals in the hospitality industry.

The course will be held over three weeks - two of which will be in Mumbai and one in Italy. Upon completion of the course, students will receive an International Sommelier diploma. That's the certification handed out by the Federation of Italian Sommeliers and Restaurateurs and is recognized by the European Union. Topics covered will include wine-processing, organoleptic wine-tasting techniques and wine-serving. Each course will have a maximum of 30 students. Download the course brochure or contact Maneesha Pereira at the Indo-Italian Chamber for more information.

Champagne Indage Ltd (CIL) acquired Australian Vintage Loxton winery for $60 million (Rs. 2.4 billion) in an all cash transaction. The acquisition will increase the production capacity of CIL from 32 million litres (3.5 million cases) to 122 million litres (13.5 million cases) per year. Loxton is situated in Riverland, South Australia and is the fifth largest winery in the country.

It has an annual crushing capacity of over 80,000 tons and an annual capacity of 90 million litres. It is also configured to handle smaller batches of more premium fruit, sourced predominantly from the Riverland vineyards.

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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.

Robert Joseph, chairman and organizer of the India Wine Challenge was recently in India to launch the second edition of the Challenge. Joseph, who is the former Chairman of the International Wine Challenge London, also runs Wine Challenges in other Asian wine producing countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.

“I've been running wine competitions for 25 years and place huge importance on the trust we have earned and maintain across the globe,” he commented last year in an interview with Sommelier India. Sommelier India supported the India Wine Challenge and were the first publication to announce the results.

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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.

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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."

For the full article, visit The Independent

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.

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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.

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