Wine Day: 10 amazing facts about wine market in India

Age-old technique
Grape growing and winemaking in India trace back to the Bronze Age, when Persian traders brought the beverage to the region. Winemaking was widespread under British rule during the 19th century. However, phylloxera, a pest in grapes, at the beginning of the 20th century, along with government disapproval, nearly wiped out the industry.

Nashik, the hotspot
The production restarted in the 1980s, along with a growing middle class taking more interest in luxury goods and dining out.
Nashik, widely touted as India's wine capital, is home to 29 wineries at present. Other main winegrowing region is Nandi Hills, in Karnataka, near Bangalore. These wineries are tourist hotspots too, Sula, Vallonne and Chandon India.

Grapes grind
There are over 10,000 varieties of wine grapes in the world. Various types of red grapes, the key ingredient, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir are used for making wines. White varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.

Indian wines go global
The majority of wine consumed in India is domestic, as the tax on imported is about 150 per cent. There are around 70 producers and they manufacture around 24 million bottles per year. A little more than 10 per cent of that total is exported.
The Indian wines found in the US are Sula, Grover Zampa and KRSMA. Sula is distributed in 20 states and mainly sold in Indian restaurants.

Mumbai leads in wine consumption
With a CAGR of about 20 per cent, wine consumption in India is likely to reach about 37 million litres by 2018 from 18 million litres as of 2014.
Mumbai tops India's largest wine consumption market, while Delhi has started showing interest with higher share consumption of international wines over domestic wines.

Pricing of wine
Pricing of wine is a major disruption in the popularity of wine. Wines are largely sold in the range of Rs 600 and Rs 2,000 for a bottle. However, restaurants sell wines for not less than Rs 300 and Rs 350 a glass. At luxury restaurants, the prices are much more higher.

High on demand
Jacobs Creek is the most imported brand of wine in India. During Q2 of 2017, Jacobs Creek brand wine worth $9,62,419 was imported. In the case of wine imports in India, Jacobs Creek is followed by Moet & Chandon, Sauvignon, Dom Perignon and Carlo Rossi.

Adding sparkles
The non-champagne sparkling wine category has seen a growth of 30% in the last few years. Sparkling wines are now becoming popular and are not limited for special occasions only. Studies say millennials are going to be important in driving the growth of wines.

Challenges in growth
Poor storage and refrigeration, lack of transport facilities, dearth of wine promotional activities, prohibitively high prices of foreign wines, heavy taxes on domestic produce are other key challenges faced by the wine industry in the country.

Good for health
Red Wine has polyphenols and about 5,000 plant compounds. The benefits of red wine comes from tannin, which is also present in dark chocolates and green tea. Tannin inhibits the cholesterol which blocks the blood vessels, this promotes good heart health.