|
January 2012 - Posts
-
It’s been over a decade since Shamita Singha won the title of Femina Miss Earth, India 2001, post which she got into modelling, VJ-ing, and also hosted a television show.
And now, she is also a Four Seasons evangelist --- promoting wine drinking as a safe option to consume alcohol, clearing myths about wine drinking, talking about different types of wine, wine etiquettes, among other things.
“I started studying wine as a hobby around five-six years ago simply because I was curious.
I went to the UK for the same. Never thought I would take it up professionally.
But, now it feels great that I have been given a platform to promote wine,” shares Shamita, who was in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Vegetarianism and Yoga: Shamita’s mantra for life
I support organisations like PETA and some other Mumbai based small organisations that works towards the protection of animals. Infact, I had a campaign with PETA to support vegetarianism. Health Mantra Being a vegetarian is the best way to stay healthy. It brings a glow to your face. Apart from that, yoga really works wonders. I believe that it has to be a perfect balance of eating right and having appropriate amounts of physical activity.
More: IBN Live
|
-
York Winery plans to build 25 rooms at its winery to promote wine tourism in its premises in Nashik, Maharashtra. York Winery just concluded the second edition of a day-long wine and music event, York Live, which featured musicians across a variety of new age genres and registered an attendance of around 600. Ravi Gurnani, Owner, York Wines, conceptualised York Live as an event that would make Indians more aware about wine in general and also serve as an important vehicle of promotion for the estate.
More: Hospitality Biz
|
-
Wine tasting events are no longer just cater to the rich. Moreover, there are wines available in different price ranges as per your budget,” says Nikhil.
The added attraction with wine tasting and wine festivals — like good music and shopping stalls — is also a huge draw.
HR professional Mitika Vohra, says, “Wine festivals these days offer a lot of other activities like performances by bands, grape stomping, food stalls, hopping stalls etc. Since it takes place outside city limits, it makes for a perfect weekend activity/getaway,” she says.
“The York festival proved that wine tasting goes beyond the wines. And there have been many other events where people can enjoy a wholesome experience of food and wine. But this is just the beginning as we have a long way to go,” adds Nikhil.
More: Deccan Chronicle
|
-
A series of environmental best practices adopted by Sula Vineyards, one of India's largest wine producers, has enabled it do away with diesel gensets for generating power, meet 60-70 percent of its water requirement from water harvesting and 40 percent of its fertiliser needs through vermiculture.
To move away from coal- and diesel-based power, the winery has installed enough solar water heaters to heat 5,000 litres of water a day to 70°C.
"We are now meeting 60-70 percent of the winery's annual water needs through water harvesting," he added.
Noting that pomace -- grape skins, seeds, and stems that remain after the crush -- can constitute up to 30-40 percent of the original harvest yield Samant said instead of being thrown away, it is used for vermiculture.
The winery has a bottle collection programme that sees 800,000 bottles reused each year. This has also created jobs for 30 local women as bottle washers, who clean 3,000 bottles per day.
More: ManoramaOnline
|
-
APEDA proposes to conduct an evening, for Wine tasting campaign to promote Indian wine in the 1st/2nd week of February 2012.
Only experienced event management companies are invited to submit their concept notes and major contours of the events to be organized by APEDA for promotion of Indian wines in the global markets.
More: Tender Details
|
-
Indian Ocean island countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, import more wine than India, a country of 1.2bn people.
Total wine consumption per adult is 0.01 litre a year – basically two teaspoons, and a fraction of the 4.5 litres quaffed by those in China (to say nothing of the annual 27.7 litres knocked back in the UK).
The same goes for beer. Indians consume barely one litre of beer per person a year. The average Chinese, by comparison, consumes 23 litres a year, a little over the world average of 22 litres.
Yet on paper, a growing number of wealthy individuals in India and a rising, more receptive middle class hold the ingredients for greater demand for quality wines.
Some view India as a future source of demand to offset drops in other markets and as a pool of wine investment.
But, after a brief rally, the country has failed to deliver. Wine volumes fell 15.7 per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to data from International Wine and Spirit Research.
More: Investors’ Fresh News
|
-
Shamita Singha, former Miss India Earth, is now an acclaimed wine connoisseur, who travels all over the country training professionals from the hospitality industry in wine etiquettes.
She is here in Goa as the brand ambassador for Four Season wines at the ongoing Grape Escapade, wine festival organised by GTDC. “You can also have a cocktail of wine with either coconut or cashew feni. One can even make sangria cocktail with feni. It is my personal favourite one can have wine (either white or red) with spirits and some fruit juices,” says Shamita.
More: Navhind Times
|
-
Viticulture in India has a long history, dating back to the time of the Indus Valley civilisation when grapevines were believed to have been introduced from Persia. Winemaking has existed throughout most of India’s history, but was particularly encouraged during the time of the Portuguese and British colonisation of the subcontinent.
In the 16th century, Portuguese colonists in Goa introduced port-style wine and the production of fortified wines soon spread to other regions. Under the British rule during the Victorian era, viticulture and winemaking were strongly encouraged as a domestic source for the British colonists.
Vineyards were planted extensively through the Baramati, Kashmir and Surat regions. In 1883, at the Calcutta International Exhibition, Indian wines were showcased to a favourable reception. The Indian wine industry was reaching its peak by the time the Phylloxera epidemic made its way to country and devastated its vineyards. It was a long road for the Indian wine industry to recover from the devastation at the end of the 19th century.
In the early 1980s with the founding of Chateau Indage in Maharashtra and the assistance of French winemakers, Chateau Indage began to import Vitis vinifera grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot noir and Ugni blanc and started making still and sparkling wines.
Within the Maharashtra region, vineyards are found on the Deccan Plateau and around Baramati, Nashik, Pune, Sangli and Sholapur. In Karnataka, vineyards are found in the outskirts of Bangalore, Chikkaballapur, Bagalkot and Bijapur.
More: Deccan Herald
|
-
The best time to visit is between November and March, though wine enthusiasts may want to plan their jaunt to coincide with Sula Vineyard's wine stomping. Regardless of the season, Sula Vineyards offers wine tasting in The Tasting Room, where guests can sample a variety of wines while looking out onto the picturesque vineyard. There are two restaurants on the property, one Italian and the other Indian, ideal for those who want to spend more time at the vineyard or simply want a good meal. (A tip: Buying by the case here beats Mumbai's by-the-bottle prices.)
Though Nashik is best known for the Indian winery Sula Vineyards, it's also home to a few noteworthy temples, a lovely sprawling garden, 2,000-year-old caves and even a brand-new water park.
More: Huffington Post
|
-
CholaNad, a Chapel Hill, (North Carolina, USA), restaurant and bar arms its wait staff with iPods and iPads to take food orders. CholaNad servers traditional Tamil cuisine from South India.
Guests who need help deciding what to eat can browse photos of the dishes on the device to supplement the waiters' descriptions. When they're ready to order, the iPod's point-of-sale system application wirelessly sends the customer' order to the kitchen - free of illegible handwriting.
Subash Panneerseluam, CholaNad's chef, said the system not only reduces the chances of wrong orders but also makes the restaurant greener through reduced paper and food waste. He paid the retail price for his two iPads and 10 iPod Touches, plus $2,000 for the software license. He expects to recover the cost through reduced expenses on pens and paper.
Hospitality Social creates applications for restaurants looking to go high-tech with their presentation. The company has created interactive wine and cocktail lists and pairings and is expanding its menu application. About 25 restaurants and chains use the technology.
More: News Observer
|
-
In order to secure a market share among food retailers or the food service industry, it may be worthwhile for wine producers to examine closely the various cost factors. One important “dial” affecting prices is the type of bottling. “The lower the weight and volume of product, the cheaper it is to transport it. The savings can be passed on to consumers in the form of attractive pricing,” explains Christian Machers, an expert in beverage marketing at the point of sale.
However, according to him, the future of the wine bottling – particularly for the export to boom countries like China and India – will be dominated by bag-in-box filling. Instead of transporting a pallet that holds 450 litres of bottled wine, 720 litres of bag-in-box wine fit on a single pallet. This amounts to a volume increase of 60 percent. Simply put, more wine can be transported for the same price.
Many wines are filled bag-in-box, especially in the regions of Scandinavia and the Baltic States, southern Europe and Australia/New Zealand, South Africa and North America for domestic consumption as well as for the food service industry. The global share in 2009 was already more than ten percent.
More: Beverage Manager
|
-
I've often thought Indian food's unique spices and powerful flavors were a challenging genre to pair with. If this pairing experience is any indication, our friends down in South America have taken the mystery out of this pairing challenge.
I chose The Oven's (Nebraska, USA) salmon masala to pair with three malbecs I picked up in Lincoln stores. This dish is prepared with a generous portion of tender, juicy salmon served in a moderately spicy sauce and a mix of flavorful vegetables. The dish has an abundance of exotic flavors from the vegetables and spices, and made me wonder how red wines would taste with such powerful flavors.
The malbecs I tried are ideally suited to enhance the powerful flavors of the Indian food. I initially suspected the Indian spices would clash with the rich fruit flavors of the malbecs, but to my surprise, these malbecs were ideal for the spicy and flavorful salmon masala.
Read more: Journal Star
|
-
 INDIAN
GRAPE PROCESSING BOARD, (IGPB) Extra ordinary
General Body Meeting was held on 23rd Jan 2012 at Hotel Sun
N Sand, Pune. Mr. Venkateshwarlu, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing
Industries, Govt. of India was in the chair, along with Mr Awadheshkumar, CEO of
the IGPB.
Since the inception of IGPB (Also called Wine Board of India) for the
sustainable growth of Indian wine and grape processing Industry, Ministry of
Food Processing Industry (MOFPI), Govt. of India constituted the Board.
As per the provisions in the
IGPB mandate, elections were announced to elect the 8 member Board
through the IGPB members. The Board
to be elected and constituted as Chairman , 4 members from the wine producers
category , 2 from Grape Growers , 1 from Hospitality industry.
The election process commenced on 9th Jan 2012 ….
Under Mr. Randheer Patel as the Returning officer and Mr. M. V. Bhagat
being the special observer. On the last
day of the withdrawal it appeared that the Board has been unanimously elected as
under
Mr. Jagdish
Holkar
Chairman
Mr. Abhay Kewadkar
Member Grape processor Category
Mr. Prashant Sankpal
Member Grape processor Category
Mr. Yatin patil
Member Grape processor Category
Mr. Neeraj Agarwal
Member Grape processor Category
Mr. Suresh Deshmukh Member
Grape Growers Category
Mr. Subhash Deshmukh Member Grape
Grower Category
Since there was no nomination under the Hospitality Category, MOFPI will
consider and nominate appropriate member in due course. Similarly there is a
provision to appoint a member from Research and Training institutes by MOFPI.
The newly elected Board will take charge from 28th Feb 2012 for a
term of 3 years
Addressing the members, Mr. Venkateshwaralu stressed the need to have an open
approach by the IGPB by involving all India stake holders. The newly elected
Chairman Mr. Jagdish Holkar appealed
to work as a team to build a strong Indian Grape processing Industry with a view
to create “BRAND INDIA” in the Global Market, creating our own indigenous
identity. He addressed “The challenges are many but they could be easily
achieved with a systematic and dedicated approach. The support and guidance
provided by Hon Minister, Mr. Sharandchandraji Pawar and his team at MOFPI is
certainly appreciated. Participation
from all sectors and by all stake holders is essential in resolving the issues
to project India’s agricultural strength and capabilities.
Objectives of IGPB would be to establish strong standards, best
practices, develop Market Access Programs on domestic as well as International
level. At the same time IGPB would work with various Government and Financial
institutes to develop uniform practices, processes and standards for the benefit
of the Industry. One of the crucial tasks would be to work on a consensus among
States towards Uniform taxation. “
|
-
Mumbai, Jan16, 2012: Tilaknagar Industries Ltd.
[TI] (BSE: 507205; NSE: TI), a leadingand well established player in the Indian
Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) industry,announced that the Annual Report and
Accounts of the Company for year ended March 31, 2011, have been acknowledged as
the winner and awarded a GoldShield by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
India (ICAI) for Excellencein Financial Reporting.
The Gold Shieldwas awarded to the Company by Dr. M.
Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs, Government of India, at a
grand ceremony held on January 06,2012 in Chennai. Mr. Amit Dahanukar, Chairman
& Managing Director and Mr.Lalit Sethi, Chief Financial Officer of Tilaknagar
Industries received theaward on behalf of the Company.
Commenting onthe achievement, Mr. Lalit Sethi, Chief
Financial Officer, TilaknagarIndustries Ltd. said, “This award isrecognition of
the Company’s internal controls and stringent efforts tomaintain compliance with
the prescribed financial framework while maintainingtransparency and
accountability through communications to our stakeholders.Winning this award is
thus a great testimony to our belief and an endorsement of TI’s commitment
towards corporate transparency. We believe it’s not only about designing a
strong governance framework, but more importantly about embracing the same to
meet our goal of long term sustainable growth, protectingthe interests of our
shareholders and presenting financial information in anopen manner that is
beneficial to current and prospective investors. This awardfurther motivates us
to continue engaging with our shareholders with regards toour business plans
through consistent and timely financial communication.”
The award has been conferred on TI, by the panel of judges,
on review of accounting practices adopted by the enterprise in the preparation
of financial statements and thepolicies adopted for disclosure and presentation
of financial statements and other information in the annual report. The key
factors for selection for theaward entailed:-
Compliance with statutory requirements
for preparation and presentation financial statements as per the Companies
Act,1956 and SEBI regulations
Quality of financial information judged
by the qualifications in the auditor’s report, notes to the accounts and
compliance withaccounting principles by ICAI
The nature and quality of financial
information presented in the annual report factored in key considerations such
as adequacy of revenues/expenses details, use and proper cross referencing of
schedules,ease of referencing, utilization of charts and graphs, clarity,
lucidity and comprehensiveness of the financial statements from an
individual/small shareholder’s view point, extent of comparative data in terms
of financial highlights & ratios and provision of additional information such as
human resource accounting, inflation adjusted accounting, social responsibility
etc
The extent, nature and quality of
non-financialinformation presented which considers the comprehensiveness and
adequacy of the Management Discussion and Analysis, employee engagement and
developmentactivities, Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainability measures,
businessphilosophy and ethics, corporate governance and its compliance
About ICAI
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) is a
statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act,1949 (Act No.
XXXVIII of 1949) for the regulation of the profession of Chartered Accountants
in India. During its 61 years of existence, ICAI has achieved recognition as a
premier accounting body not only in the country butalso globally, for its
contribution in the fields of education, professional development, maintenance
of high accounting, auditing and ethical standards.ICAI now is the second
largest accounting body in the whole world.
About Tilaknagar Industries Ltd. (TI)
Tilaknagar Industries Ltd. (BSE: 507205 / NSE:TI) is one of
the renowned Indian Made Foreign Liquor players (includingwhisky, brandy, gin,
rum and vodka) with presence across India. The Companymanufactures markets and
sells more than 40 brands across all price points. TI’s subsidiaries are
PragDistillery (P) Ltd, Vahni Distilleries Private Limited, Kesarval
SpringsDistillers Pvt. Ltd and Punjab Expo Breveries Private Limited. TheCompany
exports its products to Western Africa, the Middle East, the Far Eastand
Caribbean countries.
For further information, please visit
www.tilind.com
|
-
What export growth do you see in Nashik in the next few years?
Proximity to Mumbai and Pune, good climate and availability of adequate water and electricity are the advantages that the district has. Nashik's industrial and export growth have increased a lot in the last three-four years and will definitely be better in the next few years. Besides, Nashik is also emerging as the wine capital of India. Of the country's total 92 wineries, Maharashtra's share is 74. As many as 36 wineries are in Nashik. An international level expo on wine, 'Vinitaly 2011', was recently held in Italy. The chief guest of the expo had said during the inauguration, "Today's wine market in Europe is saturated, the present market is USA and the future wine markets are India and China."
What are the problems exporters are facing in the region?
Transportation of containers is a major problem. There are several hurdles while transporting containers to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai. The containers get caught up in traffic, particularly near Kalamboli. Moreover, the services of the Container Corporation of India (Concor) are not so good for Nashik. Containers are sent either to Manmad or Nashik Road railway stations. Hence, it's better to send containers directly to Mumbai.
Commencement of Air cargo services from Ozar had been recently launched by Halcon - a joint venture of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (Concor), but it does not have any takers. What are the reasons?
There is cut-throat competition in the export business. Goods that are highly perishable or urgent consignments are sent by air cargo, but goods that are not perishable or not urgent are sent by sea. Besides, charges for transportation by sea are 75% less than that by air.
More: The Times of India
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|