India Wines

Alok Chandra  | 2010-05-29 10:01:00   ...blame it on very high taxes and restrictive government polices.

Once upon a time, you stocked up on whisky and beer for your average weekend party, and perhaps a bottle or two of wine. No longer. These days wine is the single largest item of expense when it comes to the ‘spiritual’ needs of your guests as it accounts for at least a third of the consumption. And this holds good whether you are buying Indian or imported wines.

Wine prices have gone skywards in most markets in the past two years: what used to be about Rs 300 a bottle now costs around Rs 500. Wines have an alcoholic strength of around 13 per cent (vs. 43 per cent for spirits), which means that a half-way decent wine costs three times as much as a comparable bottle of, say, Blender’s Pride.

Full Story: Why are wines costly in India? - Sify

Barista Lavazza was established in February 2000 by Barista Coffee Company Limited, to recreate the ambience and experience of the typical Italian neighborhood Espresso Bars in India. Barista Lavazza aims to provide a comfortable place for people to relax and unwind over a cup of coffee. Barista Lavazza has also been voted ‘Super brand’ three years in succession.

At present, the Barista Coffee Company Limited has over 200 Espresso Bars and Crèmes in over 30 locations in India. Besides India, Barista Lavazza also has cafes in locations across Srilanka, Bangladesh, Oman and the UAE.

Barista Coffee Co Ltd is owned by Lavazza, Italy’s largest coffee company. Lavazza, the sixth largest coffee roasters in the world, has a 47% share in the Italian retail market (value, source: Nielsen) and operates in over 90 countries, in the Home and Away-from-Home sectors (Foodservice, Vending and Cafes). In 2008 sales exceeded USD 1.6 billion.

Full Story: Barista Lavazza at Lavelle Road, Bangalore introduces Four Seasons wines to ... - Indian Wine Portal (blog)

Once upon a time, you stocked up on whisky and beer for your average weekend party, and perhaps a bottle or two of wine. No longer. These days wine is the single largest item of expense when it comes to the ‘spiritual’ needs of your guests as it accounts for at least a third of the consumption. And this holds good whether you are buying Indian or imported wines.

Wine prices have gone skywards in most markets in the past two years: what used to be about Rs 300 a bottle now costs around Rs 500. Wines have an alcoholic strength of around 13 per cent (vs. 43 per cent for spirits), which means that a half-way decent wine costs three times as much as a comparable bottle of, say, Blender’s Pride.

That’s a pity. India’s wine market is currently between 1.5 million and 1.8 million cases, and growing at 25 per cent annually. The market should be 20 times that figure — China’s is over 70 million cases, of which 65 million cases are produced within the country. Despite this, their customs duty is only 14 per cent (nil in Hong Kong), whereas in India it’s 160 per cent, with another 200-300 per cent at the state level.

Full Story: Why are wines costly in India? - Business Standard

The Indian Grape Processing Board has handpicked eight wineries with a varied product portfolio to represent India and meet industry stake-holders for better promotion of Indian wines, said Abhay Kewadkar, chief winemaker and director of Four Seasons Ltd of the UB Group.

The UB group is part of the contingent of eight breweries from India at the India Pavilion at the London Wine Fair.

The UB group is part of the contingent of eight breweries from India at the India Pavilion at the London Wine Fair. “The Indian wine industry has developed to cater to the choice of consumers with varietals across different price points. Indian fruity wines – dry or off dry – are easy to drink though the country produces premium wines matured in oak barrels with aging potential,” the wine-maker told IANS.

Full Story: Indian wine at London Wine Fair 2010 - Daily Times India - Indian Wine Portal (blog)

While in the West people wash their food down with wine, in India we tend to have wine as an aperitif — before the food. The reason is simple: ours is largely a PPKK ( “Piye, Piye, Khaye, Khiske” ) culture where most drinking is done before dinner; dinner is invariably served late, and in a buffet style (which is not conducive to holding a glass). People tend to leave once the dinner is done.

Happily, a few organisations are trying to change this: wine importers, wine clubs, and dining clubs in the major cities have been holding sit-down dinners for a select audience for some years now — generally three or four-course affairs with two whites and two red wines, the food being matched with the wines being served. These gastronomic extravaganzas are both difficult and expensive to organise: each course (and the accompanying wine) must be served at an appropriate temperature, at an appropriate interval, and the back end (kitchen) must have perfect coordination with the serving staff. Doing this in a remote location is doubly difficult.

Which is why I was so impressed with a recent dinner organised for the Italian wine company, Allegrini, in association with the fine-dining restaurant Olive Beach at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Bangalore for about 50 of the city’s glitterati.

Full Story: Wine first, or later? - Business Standard