In 1997, an unassuming young viticulturalist and winemaker, Andrew Nugent, chanced his arm in the emerging wine region of the Adelaide Hills and planted vineyards and an olive grove on 100 acres in Woodside, Australia. Andrew dreamed of becoming a wine maker since his school days. Today "Bird in Hand" is the largest privately owned Wine group of Australia and has innumerable awards to its credit.
Right: Sumedh Singh Mandla, Jackie Mattai, Suneeta Sodhi Kanga and Justine Nugent

Interesting conversation and commendable Australian wines come together at The Tasting Room in Mumbai on 11 February 2010. De Bortoli Wines from the Yarra Valley, in the country since four years now, organized the tasting in collaboration with FineWinesnMore. Vivacious Nikki Palun, Marketing & Trade Manager for Asia Pacific from De Bortoli Wines tells Naina Hiranandani what makes her wines so special.
Pictured left: Senior VP FineWinesnMore, Craig Wedge, CEO FineWinesnMore, Dharti Desai and Nikki Palun

There's no better way to taste and judge medal-winning wine than to sit down in exclusive company over a 4-course gourmet meal paired with the wines. So when 50 wine lovers got the invitation to be present to try out the Nine Hills range of Reserve wines by Pernod-Ricard and have the first official tasting of the SIWC Gold medal winning Nine Hills Reserve Shiraz, few could refuse the offer.

UB's formal launch of the Four Seasons Reserve range of wines took place in great style in Bangalore on 11 January 2010, writes Ruma Singh.
Left:Guests raising a toast to SIWC award winner Four Seasons Viognier

Prego, the Italian restaurant at Pune's all-new luxury hotel The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, hosted an enjoyable wine dinner on 21st December 2009 to announce its presence on the city's culinary map. And what could be more apt than an offering of Italian wines to pair with authentic Italian specialities? writes Brinda Gill.

Wine clubs are popping up across the country at a frenzied pace as interest in wine grows. And as consumers deepen their appreciation for wine, the clubs are getting more specialized. The most recent club entry is W-3 - Wine, Women and Wit launched by importer Dharti Desai of FineWinesnMore and Chandni Dhall of Dhall Food and Beverages at the Rendezvous, Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai recently. Shiv Singh comments. Pictured are guests at the launch party.

Dharti Desai, CEO and founder of FineWinesnMore had the pleasure of hosting a fun-filled evening to announce the launch of MTB wines from Mendonza, Argentina at Blue Frog, Mumbai, on the 20th of October 2009. Suneeta Sodhi Kanga was there. Right: Dharti Desai, Mike Barrow, Suneeta Kanga and Craig Wedge.

Mike Barrow, the winemaker from the Costaflores Organic Vineyard in Mendoza Argentina, is the newest member of the FineWinesnMore wine family, reports Craig Wedge, adding, "I have never known a winemaker that doesn't have a story to tell, yet Mike is one of those who puts a different spin on his views of the world, and fortunately for India, a uniquely different spin on his wines."

A rare masterpiece of Mughal art - a gold and silver wine flask, studded with jade, rubies and emeralds - is one of the highlights of a breathtaking new exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum reports Sandra Westbrooke Made between 1600 and 1625, it was later presented to Robert Clive, who established British rule in India in 1757. Right:Gem studded wine flask.

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)

After France, Australia's wines make up the second largest category of wines imported into India. This category has been growing steadily over the last few years and presently represents a growth rate of just about 20% per annum. It seemed only logical then, to continue the education and awareness of the regional Australian wine.

Federico Ceretto was recently in India. Dynamic and charming and dedicated to his family wine business, Federico is a good ambassador for Ceretto Wines from Piedmont, Italy. Federico visited several cities during his trip to India to promote his wines. We met him at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi with Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO, and Arun Kumar, Director, of Aspri Spirits who are the importers of Ceretto Wines. But first some background. Reva Singh fills you in.(Left: Federico Ceretto in India)

Sopexa India is in the process of launching two city retail promotions called "Savour France" between August 29th and September 6th, 2009. The events will be focused on wine and cheese tastings with Nature's Basket conducting the promotions in Mumbai and Spar Hypermarket in Bengaluru. Sopexa will also be organizing a familiarization / sourcing trip to France for the Retail and Trade community in November 2009 (03 Nov to 06 Nov).

Rajeev Samant, CEO of Sula Vineyards,Nashik, has been passionately involved in all aspects of the wine business. Sula has grown from 30 to 1,500 acres (owned and contracted); from a production of 5000 cases to 200,000 cases; from two wine varietals to a portfolio of 18 wines since its inception in 1999. Samant shares his thoughts about his company and the Indian wine scenario with Brinda Gill