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October 2011 - Posts
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UB is planning to launch new brands in the next 3-4 months.
"The wine market in the country is growing at 40 per cent per annum, while UB Wines sales in the last six months of the current fiscal have grown by 72-80 per cent. The company is mainly focusing on Four Seasons brand," UB Wines Director Abhay Kewadkar told media.
"We are aiming to take the second position by the end of the current fiscal. UB Wines has entry level wines to premium wines," he added.
Two other prominent wine companies in the country are Sula Vineyards and Grover Vineyards.
Kewadkar said increase in wine sales in the country will benefit grape farmers because wine firms will get into 15 years contracts with farmers, helping them having a regular stream of income.
More: Economic Times
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Statistics show that wine sales have grown by a staggering 40 per cent in the last six months as compared to last year. The state government's revenue from excise has shot up by over 20% in the current financial year.
The department says that wine sales have witnessed a major boost this year.
Last year, excise duty was collected on the sale of 16694 cases of wine between April to September. During the same period this year 22668 cases have been sold. Each case contains 12 bottles of wine with 750 ml each.
There are over 60 brands of wine available to choose from at restaurants, bars and authorized liquor shops. The zoom in the sale of wine reflects a shift from the "Patiala peg culture". Now, consumers are developing a taste for the best vineyards," said an official.
The new excise rules for 2011 introduced a slew of measures including a hike in liquor prices by over 10%, an opportunity to expand the range of fine wine in the market and increase in the license fee slabs for restaurants and five stars serving liquor.
More: Timesofindia
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Although wine is not obviously associated with Indian culture, there is a history of consumption which is a very important aspect in understanding the future of wine in India. As Sanjay Menon explained: “Wine is a cultural pursuit and we are a cultural people.”
There are records of wine in India, a then unknown ‘madeira’, 300-500 years ago. Menon related a story that soon after he entered the wine business many years ago, he was talking to a reputed name in Bordeaux telling him how, as a wine drinking country, India is still very young and this gentleman turned to him and said that in fact this wasn’t entirely the case. In the early 19th century, 90% of the Cos d’Estournel wines were being shipped to India. This gentleman was Bruno Prats, President of Cos d’Estournel.
India has one very large factor in its favour for the further spread of wine education: the language of wine is English. Even though wine is made in countries of varied languages, it is not French, Italian or Spanish the world speaks to discuss wine. The most influential wine personalities including Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson; the most respected magazines, Decanter and the Wine Spectator; the hub of auction action in New York and London, all communicate in English. India already has a longstanding history with the language unlike China that has to learn an entirely new vocabulary for their growing interest in wine.
Three years ago Myles Mayall was working on a project regarding European wine visited a number of restaurants in Mumbai and only seven of them had wine glasses pre-set on the tables. Just a few weeks ago he redid the experiment and visited as many places as he could and this time found 52 restaurants sported wine glasses. While not a huge increase by any means, it is starting from a very small base and will take time to build momentum. It seems that wine is becoming a more regular request.
More: Wine Yields
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Jonty Rhodes, the former South African cricketer who is widely accepted as one of greatest fielders ever, has a new hat: that of an entrepreneur. Evolution Sports Network, the company of which he is a director, will hit the Indian markets in about a week’s time with its brand of “dope-free” certified nutritional supplements catering to the health, wellness, lifestyle and sports categories.
Flashback
Says Rhodes, sitting in the café bar of a Mumbai hotel. “I tried a few business ventures from South Africa like exporting wine into India which didn’t work out too well.”
More: Business Standard
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You can go for Grover Vineyard’s La Reserve, which is getting a thumbs up from wine lovers across the world. Priced at a surprising R670, it’s a nice blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, a good buddy for all your spicy curries and biryanis. Another option is She Rose by Nirvana Biosys, a zingy, pink bubbly for the ladies that comes for R470 a bottle. It comes with a screw cap, so you don’t have to fuss around looking for an opener.
Drink and food expert Sandeep Arora suggests Four Seasons Blush and Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Shiraz (priced at R470 and R850 respectively) for the festive season. Chef Marut Sikka’s recommendation for Diwali is Sula Vineyards Dindori Reserve Shiraz 2008, priced at R750.
If you insist on imported stuff, choose from New World wines.
Countries such as Chile, New Zealand and Australia offer some okayish wines that are affordable for multiple purchases. Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet from Australia (R875), and San Medin Cabernet Sauvignon (R1000) from Chile are decent options. Even the Californian Bel Arbor Merlot brought to India by Brown Forman, priced at R1,000, is a good option. And if you can loosen your purse strings a little, beverage expert Kamalaksh M’s pick is Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, priced at R1,500. Fresita, a dessert wine that’s a blend of strawberry pulp and Chilean sparkling wine, priced at R1,820 is also a nice festive choice.
More: Hindustan Times
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Sula’s latest imported wine is claimed to be the only imported sparkling wine of this quality and made of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It has been priced at Rs 1450.
Sula has launched a new variety of sparkling wine in the Indian market. The wine was unveiled at Pali Village Cafe in Bandra, Mumbai and was hosted by Rajeev Samant, CEO and Founder, Sula and Bill Hardy, Australian wine doyen and fifth generation wine maker of McLaren Vale Hardy's wine. The wine will initially be available in Maharashtra, Delhi and Bengaluru.
More: Hospitalitybizindia
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During the the Formula 1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix in India, just wine, champagne and beer will be served, and that too only in the corporate boxes.
More: The Times of India
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Only last month, two Indian wines flying off the shelves at Waitrose, UK’s leading wine and food retailer, made global newsprint. The two wines were the Zampa Syrah 2008 from a Nashik winery, Vallée de Vin; and the Viognier 2010 by Ritu (the export label of Four Seasons, owned by Vijay Mallya’s UB Group), which has the “intense perfume of blossom, with delicate hints of dried apricots and peaches”. The run was in part sparked by BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, which recommended the Ritu Viognier to partner a curry dish. Sales exceeded expectations, and Waitrose is now looking at adding them permanently to its wine range.
As the wine atlas expands for European and American consumers, other home-grown brands are beginning to be reviewed favourably too: Labels like York, Reveilo, Good Earth, Mercury, Deccan Plateau and Big Banyan, among others, are heard of often enough.
The road ahead
Despite the lingering production hurdles, consumption has picked up again since 2009. The market for wines in India is growing at 25-30% annually according to several projections and is likely to remain so. The wine business is among the fastest growing segments of the Indian alcohol market. While in 2001, there were 20 labels; now there are close to 500 labels registered with AIWPA.
Sula’s Rajeev Samant believes it will take three or four wine producers in India to consistently bring out great quality over the next few years before Indian wine can have its own rack in an international supermarket. He is working towards that.
More: Livemint
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In an effort to simplify the Indian approach to French wines, Luxe Corp has selected four French regions to present a new range of wine in the Indian market:
- Languedoc-Roussillon: Mas des Tourelles
- Bordeaux: Château Marquis de Bern
- Sud-Ouest: Daguet de Berticot, Côte de Duras
- Vallée du Rhône: Domaine de la Pigeades, Beaumes de Venise
They are retailing in Karnataka for:
- Mas des Tourelles 2009: Rs. 867
- Château Marquis de Bern 2009: Rs. 988
- Daguet de Berticot, Côte de Duras 2010: Rs. 1280
- Domaine de la Pigeade, Beaumes de Venise 2010: Rs. 1997
Luxe Corp is importing from France and Europe in the Indian market. Parvati, founder of the Group stated, "We are pleased to bring a new range of French wines to India. We have selected very exciting wines which reflect wonderful terroir with elegance, concentration with supple, a style that has won them many followers around the world and, the toughest of all, within the local region."
More: Indiaprwire
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