Indian food has long been a favourite for Britain, now it seems as if it might by joined by Indian wine. This is after a supermarket trialled it, and met with much enthusiasm.
The supermarket in question was Waitrose, who tried stocking a red and a white variety in certain of their stores. Having sold better than expected they are adding them to their permanent range. This is being heralded as an important milestone for India’s wine producers.
Wine does not have a long history in India, where the people mostly do not drink alcohol, and beverages such as beer are more popular with those that do. Grapes have however long been very successfully grown in the Maharashtra region for eating – and enterprising growers decided to branch out into wine.
The region is blessed with iron-rich soil, which is essential to successful grape growing. In addition their is the combination of hot, sunny days, with cool nights and cold winters. Add to this the Indian drive to achieve excellence and it is a recipe for success.
Whether Indian wines will ever transcend table success and gain the status of ‘alternative investments‘ is unclear – but if you find a vintage you like, there is nothing stopping you laying down a case or two of it, just in case.
