The last Christie’s hammer was slammed down at 20.15 on Sunday 19th November marking the closure of the 146th edition of the Hospices de Beaune wine auction which resulted in an overall value growth of 16% over last year. However, this year was splotched by the race for the white Burgundies with a price increase of 64%. Read more about this Burgundy wine auction.

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The Chicago Tribune ran a story on the Indian wine scene on November 14th which mentions Sommelier India. The article talks of how wine used to be as foreign an idea as snow and how wine was thought to be wimpy because it did not pack the punch of whisky. Fortunately, India has moved on. Wine is becoming increasingly popular and is considered an acquired taste by those who want to project an air of sophistication.

It's invading the drawing rooms of the upper middle classes and hopefully one day the dhabas too. In countries like Spain and Italy, wine gained popularity as the common man's drink of choice after all.

In a column for Business Standard, Sommelier India contributor Alok Chandra discusses his recent visit to Wine for Asia. He covers who attended from India, some of the wines presented and what the wine exhibition was like.

The Valdivieso wines which you find in hotels and restaurants across India were recently included in the “Guia Descorchados 2007" Chilean wine guide. The wines that scored high were the Single Vineyard Reserva Merlot 2004, Maule Valley, Single Vineyard Reserva Malbec 2005, Maule Valley, and the Caballo Loco Nº 8 Premium Red Blend, Central Valley.)

The wines are imported by Sovereign Impex.

If you're looking to get hold of some very rare wines, you may wish to get in touch with either the World Wine Consultants or the Antique Wine Company. They both have rare wines from France and Italy dating back to the 1940s.

Recently, Antique Wine Company purchased most of Chirac's historic wine cellar which included more than 5,000 rare wines. A Romanee Conti 1986 went for €5,000.

Wine Enthusiast announced its 2006 Wine Stars winners. The American Winery of the Year is Harlan Estate while the European Winery is Torres. The New World Winery of the Year is Clarendon Hills, Australia, the Wine Region of the Year is Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California and the Importer of the Year is Moet Hennessy USA.

India doesn't feature anywhere but the truth is we're still a very young country in the world of wine. However, it is a good sign that both Moet Hennessy and Torres bottles are available in India. We believe that it is is only a matter of time before one of our vineyards win an award. After all, Wine Enthusiast considers India important enough to put it on its magazine cover.

Pope Benedict XVI has been awarded the title of honorary sommelier by the Italian Sommelier Association of Rome according to Decanter magazine. This honor was conferred on the spiritual leader of the Catholic world after he described himself as the "humble servant in the vineyard of the Lord" and attended a ceremony for the aforementioned society of sommeliers.

Fellow wine lovers, you are definitely in good company when you drink wine!

The Cabernet Sauvignon Selecti vintage 2000 of Moletto recently was given 92 points by Wine Enthusiast magazine. The Moletto Italian wines are imported into India and are available at hotels and restaurants in the major Indian cities.

Wines of Italy is a comprehensive pocket guide for lovers of Italian wine or anyone planning a wine tour of Italy. Updated and revised this pocket guide features over 700 producers and their top wines from the classics of Barolo and Brunello to the latest wines from Sicily. The book covers all the wine producing regions and appellations, the many grape varieties and in depth knowledge of emerging, well established and historic producers. The author, Michelle Shah is a regular contributor to Sommelier India. Her most recent article in the print publication covered the future of fortified and dessert wines.

A resident of the tourist town Pokhara in western Nepal, Jhalak Thapa has made wine with local ingredients namely herbs along with curd, ginger and honey. So far nearly 1.5 million bottles of his wine "Hill Hot" have been made available in four flavours. We haven't tried these wines but are certain they will have a unique taste!

Can you imagine a world in which a little robot tells you what wines you like, where to find them and whether a specific bottle will satisfy you even before you have opened it? Well that world may not be that far off. Researchers in Japan have built a robot that uses laser sensor to fire infrared light through a bottle and determine the varietal, type and quality of wine.

Currently, the wine-bot can only differentiate between just a few dozen varieties however the inventors believe that in the future the robot can be personalised to alert a customer to the wines they prefer, and to recommend new varieties that they might like to try. Read about Robo-Sommeliers' on the BBC website.

Last week at a special event organized by the Culinary Institute of America, Miljenko "Mike" Grgich was celebrated for his contributions to Californian wine. The success of the California wine industry can be traced to "our unique and varied bouquet of cultures," said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the event. After working at a number of wineries in the Napa Valley -- including Souverain, Christian Brothers Cellars, Beaulieu Vineyard (working alongside André Tchelistcheff), and Robert Mondavi -- Grgich became the winemaker and limited partner at Chateau Montelena.

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Security measures banning liquids from carry-on luggage has hurt Californian vinters. Each year, hundreds of thousands of cases of wine travel across the country as carry-on luggage. Now with the ban, these passengers are forced to pack their wines with their booked baggage. The ban on liquids is affecting wine related duty free shopping around the world.

Len Evans, AO OBE, one of the best known and much loved characters of the Australian wine industry, has passed away at the age of 75. Mr Evans died suddenly on Thursday the 17th August 2006 of a suspected heart attack at Newcastle, New South Wales.

He had suffered from heart problems in recent years but continued to live and enjoy life in his typically passionate way.

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The 2004 vintage of the Moletto Rosa Frizzante was awarded the "Seal of Approval" at the International Wine Challenge 2006 held in London. Taking part in the competition were 9,080 wines from around the world. The wines are distributed by Sovereign Impex in India.