Wine seems to be the buzzword in India at the moment in beverage industry. Everybody is bullish about it, and why not when the growing economy is fuelling energy into it. If we go by the reports of a magazine recently (Times Magazine) then importing wines to India is one of the most rewarding business to get into. You can see a beeline of the exporters during IFE India and IFOWS India the two biggest food & drinks exhibitions in the country.
India, a country with one billion people, can make everyone look at it with hopeful eyes. There are couples of factors, which are making wine pundits to believe that India is THE country.
ECONOMY
India is having a dream run on sensex. There has been an inflow of foreign exchange. Call centers have given a new face to Indian Gen X giving them high disposable income and other incentives. The GenX man (and woman) is not afraid of experimenting and trying new things. He wants to be in the thick of the action - be it fashion, partying, having fun etc. Wine is the in thing now, a fashion statement. Everyday Page3 will have one or the other celebrity holding a wine glass in their hand. The average income of a household is increasing. The spending power has increased tremendously over the past couple of years.
DEMOGRAPHY
Indian population in the age bracket of 18-35 is staggering 55% so I must say this is the group, which will drive the ensuing trends in India. So any product, which is coming in Market, has to target them, especially the alcoholic beverage companies, as they will be trendsetters. These are the people who will dictate terms for the companies with their purchasing habits.
GROWTH IN WINE MARKET
For the past couple of year’s wine market has been witnessing a growth of 25-30% annually. As the world trade is opening up more and more people are traveling abroad and seeing various range of wines. He has tasted good wines when abroad and expects the same when he comes back. There are numerous wineries coming up in India. The Leader of the Indian pack is Chateau Indage Such is the need felt that International liquor majors like Seagram is also setting up It’s winery here in India. Domestic wineries are also mushrooming, thanks to the wine friendly attitude of the government in the state of Maharashtra. The per capita consumption per person in India is half a teaspoon. If we can convert that half-teaspoon to a full one we will be clocking a good growth says Wine educator Ajay Kumar Gothwal.
CHALLENGES
Inspite of this rosy picture there are some challenges for the wine industry, some of which seriously needs to be addressed for the benefit of the industry.
WINE EDUCATION
When we talk of wine education it includes both consumer as well as the industry people. This is actually quite ironic. India is the only country, which has shops screaming ‘Wine Shop’ in bold letters and yet disheartens every consumer who goes for a bottle of Wine! On top of that the staff might not have an iota of idea about the wine concept. We need to seriously look into wine training of staff that is dealing with customers in Institutions as well as retail shops. Because unless and until the sales staff is not aware and confident about what they are selling, this industry doesn’t hold a great future. If somebody is smart he will cash this opportunity. Sensing this, Champagne Indage Ltd is coming up with the first of its kind in Asia - an “INTERNATIONAL VINE AND WINE INSTITUTE.” The company has signed an MoU with Adelaide University of Australia. Understanding of wine also helps a consumer enjoy this wonderful beverage called wine. Just making a product is not enough. We have to make people understand it.
SIMPLICITY KEY TO SUCCESS
We have to realize that wine industry is in a very nascent stage in India and like a newborn baby, we have to nurture it carefully. It is our duty as wine educators to make information simple so as to spread this culture. But we often see some people using terms, which might, instead of bring wine closer to the people, further, alienate them from the entire idea. That way, we are doing more harm than good. It’s a very simple logic. When we teach a child we start from simple steps and then progress slowly. It holds true for the wine beginners also. If we start talking too much of technical lingo just to show off then it will deter people from enjoying wine. He just might be pulling his hairs, trying to cram those terms and remember those food and wine pairings rather then just enjoy and say cheers. In order to make it enjoyable we need to keep it as simple as possible.
INDIAN ROBERT PARKERS
Taste, according to me, is very subjective. I would never let anyone tell what to drink. May guide but never dictate. I guess it will become too much mechanical and at the end it will lose its charm. One should experiment and learn and decide for him what just tastes right to him. More so because India is a country of diverse culture, and eating habits of people vary from north to south and east to west. According to me Indian palate is not that developed yet to enjoy a Grand Cru and first of all how many can afford it and how many times. For beginner’s I will suggest an easy to drink wine like “IVY WHITE ZINFANDEL” Ultimately what move a market are the mediocre wines.
WHICH IS THE BEST WINE
“Free wine is the best wine” pat comes the reply from Ajay Gothwal. Jokes apart, but if I say “CHATEAU PETRUS”, how many people will actually enjoy that wine without knowing its name and price. So wine for an individual is a matter of personal choice, which he needs to keep on trying as there are new varietals and labels in the market.
LOGISTICS
The storage related problems in India remains a matter of grave concern for winemakers. How many shops do you walk in and see a proper storage of wines. None. Shop owners just don’t realize the amount of hard work and passion, which has gone into the making of this great beverage. Even good wines, if not kept properly, may taste bad, giving a wrong impression to the consumer about the wine. Things are improving in some metros but at snails pace. Even some good hotels also don’t have an ideal storage space. The mode of transportation is also not refrigerated. In India temperature is so high that it can lead to problem of “cooking” of wine in Indian conditions.
CONCLUSION
All I can say is that the only way of seeing growth in this sector is we popularize wine by various means. We try to make wines of more affordable pricing so that more and more people taste it. We come with products like bag in box wines, pet bottles, tetra packs, shuttle, etc. Because if we don’t target mass its sales will just be limited to that 3% population which can afford wines. So we have a great future. We also need to clear those clouds of arrogance, snob appeal surrounding it, which are preventing people to take a plunge into it.
So go ahead grab your glass of bubbly or any other wine and usher in the New Year with open arms.
CHEERS!
Ajay Kumar Gothwal is a Wine Educator with experience of working abroad as well as in India. He can be reached at divineajay@yahoo.co.in for further communication.