Wines from the branded wine producers some of whom are members of the Wine Growers Association of India (WineGAI)- Sula, Fratelli, Grover Vineyards, Good Drop Wine Cellars, Virgin Hills Winery, Reveilo, Soma Vine Village, fruit wines from Hill Zill Winery and Meads (honey wine) from Moonshine Winery and Cerana will be featured, according to the Hony Secretary of the Association, Ashwin Rodrigues.

A total of twenty wineries have already confirmed to participate with 2-3 expected to confirm in the next couple of days. With 6-10 wines showcased by each winery, one can expect to taste over 150 wines in this unique event.

The aim of this event is for the invitees of the trade and media to be able to savour the finest of Indian wines, including the latest 2023 vintage and exciting new releases.  One can also discover the latest trends and developments in modern Indian winemaking, engage with the leading Indian producers who will proudly present their exceptional wines. Each of these diverse wines has a story to tell and one can relish these stories, besides networking with the industry peers. They might even be able to entice some of the existing importers to look at the Indian wines to be added to their portfolios.

A special feature will be two Masterclasses conducted by Peter Csizmadia-Honigh DipWSET, who authored a book on Indian wines a few years ago and owns the website www.thewinesofindia.com. The two sessions will be at 6:30 pm for media and 7.30 pm for trade. He will highlight the best wines from each participating winery.

Peter is a wine writer living in North Somerset, the UK and with a country-home also in Hungary’s Somló wine region. His articles have also appeared in the columns of Hungarian, Indian, US and UK wine magazines. As the author of The Wines of India, a Concise Guide, the OIV award-winning title of The Press Publishing, he has been featured on BBC World News and in The Hindustan Times. He has come to India especially to conduct these Masterclasses, besides tasting the latest vintages and of course touching base with the industry and savouring the changes in the last few years.

‘The event purports to give the trade and media an opportunity to connect with the industry’s key players and explore new opportunities in the wine business for the invitees, staying at the forefront of the evolving wine landscape in India’, says Ashwin.

When Arora asked Ashwin in a lighter vein, why the Association could not wait for a couple of weeks and host the evening on Indian Wine Day on or around 16 November, he said that the objective of the evening is the same as the Indian Wine Day but is directed more at the business people and not at the consumers. The restaurants bring out new lists in October and in fact we are slightly late already but due to the logistics issues we could not organize it earlier.

WineGAI is India’s young but premier organization representing Indian wine producers. It has a cache of reputable producers like Sula, Fratelli, Grover, Good Drop, Reveilo, Moonshine and Virgin Hills (KLC) as the founding members. The Association is dedicated to fostering the sustainable development of the Indian wine industry across various facets such as technical, marketing, policy advocacy and social responsibility. The fruit wine producers are equally welcome as members, provided they meet the basic criterion of making branded wines.

Ashwin Rodrigues, stresses, ‘this is a unique event as for the first time the Industry has organised its own event to engage exclusively with trade and media. Working together on it has given us a renewed sense of unity and collaboration. At the same time we would be in dialogue with our audience in a distinctive voice, and that’s why it’s a landmark for us.’

‘At WineGAI, the managing committee meets online every month (it’s mandatory, otherwise I’ll be kicked out as secretary as defined in the by-laws!). One of our key discussion areas is the need to create a space for Indian wine in the post-Covid era of renewed product categories like craft Gin and Rum and the trend towards premiumisation. Our efforts are now directed towards making wine more approachable and relevant to a younger audience as well as improving our quality game vis-a-vis imported wines.’

For details and official invites please write to nadima@gooddropwine.com with your professional qualifications and background and if you believe you should be invited for this special event.

Also Read: WineGAI: Wine Growers Association of India formed by Producers

Subhash Arora