Battling It Out With Barrels

"Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age." - Pope John XXIII

 Investing in mutual funds, life insurances and other such sectors is like an easy-chair experience. This could soon become redundant for there are a million-and-a-half innovative resources to invest in, harvest, and taste your savings in a festivity. Wondering what to do with just a stretch of land? Plant a vineyard, consider manufacturing wine and investing in them. The wine business is thriving more than it ever was. Today, wine is one of the top orders at restaurants and social gatherings. I'm talking about India.

India is not just about tea, spices, temples, or kings and queens who lived in their mystique palaces with strange desires of seeing stars throughout the day and listening to the rain pattering 365 days an year. Progressive minds and innovative business prospects have promoted the wine industry to such great heights that there is no stopping the overflowing wine barrels.

India has 46 wineries, of which, 43 are in Maharashtra alone, Nasik being the leading district in wine production and manufacture. The Government has nominated Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) as the hub to promote wineries in India. The Nasik Wine Park is contains 97 plots for vinification or winemaking. Vinification is the process of wine production, right from the selection of grapes to the bottling of finished wine. In the international market, France, Italy, Spain, Germany are the leading wine producing countries in the world. The 1787 Chateau Lafite being the world's most expensive bottle of wine.

India is getting there. Soon. For starters, there is Sommelier India, which is the one and only Indian magazine that talks about wine and wine culture. The magazine is owned by Consolidated Media Int. and published by Reva K. Singh and Shiv B. Singh. 

 The middle class sector comprises of the major population in India. With time, this sect of people are developing a taste for this appetizer. A prime reason could be the health benefits. In the 1970s, the National Institute of Health concluded from a study that drinking red wine in moderate measures lead to 50 per cent fewer deaths from coronary disease than non-drinkers. It could also prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other forms of dementia.

Another reason being the escalating lifestyles. What you wear, where you go, with whom you go, could define your style statement. Wine is chic and no more just a "ladies’ drink". People would rather be seen with a glass of wine than a glass of fresh fruit juice or alcohol. There is no fat, cholesterol, or dietary fiber in any wine. Perhaps this could be a reason to indulge oneself in wine. Tourists in India have also been a catalyst in promoting the wine culture. Tourists come, tourists go but leave parts and parcels of their lifestyle. And this lifestyle is here to stay or so it seems. The western culture does have quite an impact, doesn't it?

Wine never goes without winetasting. Such trends were unheard of a few years back. However, India has made a head start to promote the wine industry globally. Delhi and Mumbai can give you an experience in winetasting for a price of Rs. 1,250. You get to sample at least 10 varieties of Indian and imported wines. The venue is usually a restaurant in the city where you are briefed about winetasting, then get started with the whole tasting experience. A certificate in the same completes your eventful day.

India is doing well for itself; she's exporting wine now. Champagne Vineyards Limited started in 1987 and is the only wine exporting company in India. The wines are exported to USA, Japan, UK, Switzerland, Germany and other European countries. The marketing unit is centralized at Mumbai. They operate through seven branch offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Pune, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Ajmer.  Champagne Vineyards Limited has even won awards at the International Wine and Spirit Competition held in London, annually and won acclaim from connoisseurs. They hold a 75 per cent market share in the Red, White, and Sparkling Wine categories. They happen to be the owners of the first ever wine bar in India.

Hollering out to Job seekers... If you are hunting down a career in some bitter-sweet temptation, think about wine. It's contemporary, it's chic.