• Present Scenario of wine industry in India

Present Scenario of wine industry in India

G.S.Karibasappa , P.G.Adsule , S.D.Sawant and K.Banerjee

N.R.C. for grapes, Manjri Farm, Pune – 412 307.

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews the nascent Indian wine industry in terms of the area, production and marketing
of wines in the country. Approximately 38 wineries are presently operating in the country with a
total production of 6.2 million liters annually. Maharashtra is leading among the states with 36
wineries and 5.4 million liter production. Apart from this, 72,000 wine cases are imported mainly by
ITDC, Sansula, Brindco, E & J Gallo and other private companies. At present 7,62,000 wine cases
are sold every year, which includes 46,000 cases of sparkling wines. Which is in contrast to the
much higher figures of other drinks such as whisky, brandy and rum sold in the country. Eighty
percent of wine consumption in the country is confined in major cities such as Mumbai (39%), Delhi
(23%), Bangalore (9%) and Goa (9%). There is growing awareness about the wine as a product in the
domestic market.

Poor storage and transport facilities inspite of tropical climate are the main problems of wine
marketing in the country. Other constraints are the lack of promotional activities for wine
consumption in the country and unfavorable rules for domestic marketing of wines except in few
states. These and other factors contributed to India’s low wine consumption which is hardly 0.07 L
per capita. Certain promotional strategies, such as easing of tariff barriers for the wines, developing
awareness on health benefits of wine and to supply good quality wines in reasonable prices in the
domestic market are emphasized.

Contributions made by major wineries such as, Champagne Indage (CI), Grover Vineyards and Sula
Vineyards for indigenous production of quality wines in the country are highlighted. CI at
Narayangaon is a pioneer of French style wines in India, produces exquisite qualities in both still and
sparkling wines. The company has the capacity of producing over 3 million bottles annually. Some of
their wines are exported to many European and Asian countries. The company has a good collection
of European wine varieties. The Grovers Vineyards located in southern Karnataka state also exports
wines worth $ 4,35,000 every year. This company has 200 hectares of vineyards under wine grapes
of 35 varieties. Sula vineyards at Nashik has new welcome additions to India’s smarter wine list. In
Nashik region ‘Chenin Blanc’ is quite predominantly grown but emphasis should be given to red
wine varieties. Sangli is another region but here farmers are advised to choose appropriate varieties
depending upon soil and microclimate. In all these regions, yield regulations are required to achieve
quality wines and for their good storage life.

Grape growing is a highly capital intensive project, concerted efforts are required by the Financial
agencies to reduce the rate of interest to 6-7% from the present 10-13%. Viticultural and wine
making aspects influencing the quality of wines have been emphasized on. Wine grape cultivation
practices are given in detail along with the prominent European varieties which are commercially
grown in the country. The performance in terms of fruit yield, juice yield, TSS, acidity and pH
measurements of major wine varieties are presented. The discussions highlighted in this paper will
be of immense value to the grape growers, wineries, policy makers, financial institutions and
government agencies dealing with the production, marketing, processing and certification of wines in
the country.

1. Introduction

Historically, grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is grown mostly for wine making in the world over. In India
on the contrary remarkable success has been achieved in table grape production and yield levels of
fresh grapes are among the highest in the world. At present in India grape is grown over an area of
60,000 ha with an annual production of 1.6 million tonnes ( FAO, 2005).

Wine has been made in India for as many as 5,000 years. It was the early European travellers to the
courts of the Mughal emperors Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries A.D. who reported tasting wines from the royal vineyards. Both red (Kandhari) and
white wines (Bhokri, Fakdi, Sahebi etc.) were produced. Under British influence in the nineteenth
century, vineyards were established in Kashmir and at Baramati in Maharashtra and a number of
Indian wines were exhibited and favourably received by visitors to the Great Calcutta Exhibition of
1884. However, Indian vineyards were totally destroyed by unknown reasons in the 1890s.
Due to limited domestic consumption of wine and non availability of standard wine varieties to
produce good quality wines of international standards, much emphasis was not given for research
during previous decades in India. Commercial wine grape production, however in India has begun
only since 1980’s. Although exact figures are not available regarding the current area and production
of wine grapes in India it is estimated around 1000 hectares in Maharashtra and about 200
hectares near Bangalore in Karnataka. Among these vineyards 70 per cent are yielding another 30
per cent are in establishment stage. In Maharashtra, wine grapes are grown in 3 regions, such as
Pune-Narayangaon, Nashik and Sangli-Solapur areas. It is expected when all these vineyards start
yielding in about 2-3 years, around 15,000 tons of wine grapes will be ready for crushing each year
yielding on an average of 90 lakh litres of wine annually. There is a steep annual growth rate of
about 20% in the present turn over of around Rs. 200 crores. Besides demand for imported wine is
increasing day by day in India. About 38 private wineries have come up in the country 36 exist in
Maharashtra and one each in Karnataka and Goa. The total investment on wineries of Maharashtra
was Rs. 77.75 crores in 2004 and raised to Rs. 109.17 crores in 2005.

These private wineries were initially established under joint set-up with European collaborations,
preparing wine from standard varieties. The most popular red varieties in cultivation are Shiraz,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot and for Rosae still wines, Zinfandel is used. The most
popular white wine grapes are Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay
and Riesling.

To meet the domestic demand and for exporting wines from India, good quality wines comparable to
standard wines of Europe and USA has to be produced. To give impetus to the grape processing and
wine industry in Maharashtra and for the benefit of farmers, the state announced a comprehensive
‘Wine Policy’ in 2001 and recently in September, 2005 it has

established ‘Maharashtra Grape Board’ especially to develop marketing channels for grape
products in our country. This Government policy aims at sustaining grape cultivation and wine
industry in India in general and Maharashtra in particular. Hence, interest of table grape grower is
gradually switching over to wine varieties.

As a promotional activity for Indian wines, the MIDC on their website, www.indianwine.com selects
wine of the month for the brands of quality wine that is available in the market to give a publicity
to the wine consumers. A list of selected ‘Indian wine of the month’, during the previous year is
given Table 1.

Table 1. Selected Indian wine of the month during the last year

November 2004Sula Vineyards – 2004 Chenin Blanc

December 2004 Grover Vineyards- 2002 La Reserve
January 2005 Grover Vineyards - Viognier
February 2005 Chateau Indage Estate Vineyards - 2002 Chardonnay
March 2005 Rajdheer Wines – Le Vine
April 2005 Flemingo Wines -Cabernet Sauvignon – Shiraz
May 2005 Chateau Indage Estate Vineyards- Omar Khayyam
June 2005 ND Wines - 2003 Sauvignon Blanc
July 2005 Chateau Indage Estate Vineyards – 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
August 2005 Sailo Wines 2002 Red wine
September 2005Flemingo Wines – 2004 Sauvignon Blanc – Chenin Blanc(A blend)
October 2005 Chateau Indage Estate Vineyards – 2005 Shiraz
November 2005Grover Vineyards- 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon – Shiraz ( A blend)
January 2006 Mountain View-2005 Chenin Blanc (A Dessert Wine)

2. Role of Wine Parks

The Government of Maharashtra has nominated Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation

(MIDC) as a nodal agency for establishment of grape wine parks in the state and would coordinate
efforts of various organizations from central and state agencies and the stake holders such as
farmers, processors, service providers etc. Under this policy two wine parks have been established
by MIDC, one Godawari Wine Park at Vinchur, Nashik District and Krishna Wine Park at Palus,
Sangli district. In addition a Grape Processing and Research Institute(GPRI) at Palus under the
Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University has also been established. The objectives of GPRI are;

1. To give formal training to the farmers through various courses. The successful candidates will be
awarded certificates, diplomas and degree in wine grape cultivation, manufacturing of standard quality wines
and marketing of wines.
2. To set up grape vine nurseries to provide authentic plant material to growers.
3. To manufacture standard wines on pilot scale through demonstrations.
4. To set up quality control laboratory for wines.
5. To impart wine blending techniques.
6. To explore domestic and international markets and
7. To help farmers by setting up of a ‘Mother Unit’ for manufacture of wines.

Two mother wines one at Vinchur near Nashik and another at Palus near Sangli have been
established. The concept of mother unit is to set up common facilities such as equipment for
processing like pneumatic press, crusher, destemmer, filtration unit, bottling unit, quality control lab,
cold storage (celler), packaging house and the services of the wine master and wine tester, which are
costly and required for short period of 2-3 days in a season.

3. Domestic Wine Market

Both the Indian wine market and the indigenous wine industry are in their nascent stages, but
growing by leaps and bounds (Table 2). Fifteen years ago there was no locally made wine that was
drinkable. Now there are three significant wine makers, all family-owned businesses, the Chougules,
the Grovers and the Samants. There is also great interest in wine makers from France, Italy,
Australia, South Africa, America, and Chile to enter the Indian market.

Adam Strum the owner-***-editor of widely circulated magazine ‘Wine Enthusiast’ on his visit to
the Indian wineries, has said ‘The one thing that struck me in general was that the varietals are true
to their taste. Sauvignon Blanc from Grover and Sula were crisp, herbaceous, and fresh- very similar
to New Zealand wines. Chenin was particularly impressive, it was fruit driven and like in Loire
Valley. The sparkling Ivy from Indage was full of bubbles, crispy and light on the palate. I think it
will go very well with the spicy Indian food,’ he felt. What amused and pleasantly surprised him was
the Zinfandel from Vinsura. Wondering how they got the clones from California he was impressed
by it being so fruity and light in comparison with some Californian Zins which tend to be too
powerful, big and tannic. The market position of wines in 2003 and 2004 is reported in Table 2.

Table 2 . Segment wise Indian wine market during 2003 and 2004

Domestic production Retail Value

Imports Total
(‘000 cases*) (Rs. Million)
Sl.No
(‘000 cases)(‘000 cases)
Segment
2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004
1. Sparkling wines 35 35 5 11 40 46 258 297
2. Still wines -premium 117 143 53 63 170 206 779 944
3. Still wines -cheap 234 240 -- --- 234 240 281 288
4. Fortified wines/Others 4 5 1 1 5 6 13 16
Total 390 423 59 75 449 498 1331 1545

*Note ; A case is a unit of 9 litre capacity or equivalent to 12 bottles

During the year 2005, the total annual production of wine in India was 6.214 million litres, out of
this 5.4 million litres is produced in Maharashtra alone that comprises 2.54 million litres of red
wines, 2.69 million litres of white wines, 0.15 million litres of sparkling and 0.036 million litres of
rosae wines. This is a very small fraction as compared to world’s annual production of 32,000 million
litres. The country also imports 72,000 wine cases (9 litres/case) in a year where 32,000 cases are
bottled in origin and remaining 0.36 m litres are imported in bulk flexi bags and subsequently
bottled by Indian wineries. Besides this, about 12,000 –15,000 wine cases are sold through gray
market.

The biggest consumption up to 80% is however confined to major cities like Mumbai (39%),
Delhi(23%), Bangalore (9%) and the foreign tourist dominated state of Goa (9%), where as Rest of
India has only 20% consumption. Some Indian wine makers have also started importing foreign made
wine and bottling and selling it here in India. Among the importers ; ITDC (Indian Tourism
Development Corporation), Sansula, Brindco and E&J Gallo predominate. The Indian market is way
behind major wine drinking countries. The per capita consumption in India is only 0.07
litre/person/year as against 60-70 litres in France and Italy, 25 litres in US and 20 litres in Australia
and even China has 0.4 litre.

4. Growth and Promotional activities for Indian wines

With the government planning to showcase “Wines of India” across the globe. The Agricultural and
Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) are working out the strategy and
the campaign will be finalized soon. India has recently received its first order for wine exports to the
US and Indian wines were also being served in restaurants - both Indian and Western. Approximately
0.1 million litre of wine is exporting to France, Italy, Germany, USA, NewYork, U.K. and Singapore
from Maharashtra state.

Stating that the promotion strategy would include analyzing the internal support mechanisms
including easing tariff barriers for the liquor, the sources added, “the promotion campaign will target
the US, the European Union, South Africa and Southeast Asia in a major way. There is more and
more awareness about wine as a product in Indian market. Changing life styles, frequent travels
abroad, more and more women employment. Increase in per capita income, international research on
health benefits of wines; all have combined together to create wine awareness in India; apart from the
fact that good quality wines are now available in the market.
5. Constraints in Wine marketing and consumption in India

Vintage Wine; Table Wines, Sparkling Wine, Dessert Wines, Fortified Wines (port, Sherry,
Marsala, Madeira, etc or aromatic wines like Vermouth, Dubonnet, Lillet, Cynar, etc.) are the major
types of Indian wine.

Table wines account for 85 per cent of the market and expensive varieties of vintage wines account
for the remaining 15 per cent. However, as compared to other wine-producing nations, the domestic
wine consumption is very low. Indian wines have to go a long way to gain recognizable positions in
the world.

The flip side of the industry is that of the 762,440 cases sold every year, only 46,000 cases of
sparkling wine and champagne are consumed in India. In contrast the figures of other drinks are: 37
million cases of whisky, 11 million cases of brandy and nine million cases of rum. Industry officials
believe that the market will grow rapidly once the government drops import duties on bulk (currently
at 108 per cent) and on bottled wines (currently 264-420 per cent).

One of the other reasons why wine drinking has not caught on is that quality wines are priced
relatively high. Since the volumes are low, production costs are high, as are taxes. In all hot
countries relatively new to wine, both local and imported wines are clearly extremely vulnerable to
poor storage and transport conditions. The main constraint in achieving the quality goal is the fact
that the quality compliance is very poor among the wine manufacturers.

Thus the real challenge for winemakers in India is to develop a domestic market, and that is where
the problem arises. First, people believe wine and curry do not go well. "It is a myth," says Thomas
Abraham, F & B Manager of Delhi's Hyatt Regency hotel. " The truth is most Indians prefer beer,
whiskey or rum over wine and champagne. That's why the per capita consumption of wine in India is
very low." In exports, says Aman Dhal, one of India's leading wine importers and distributors, Indian
winemakers face a peculiar problem. " Traditionally wine lovers around the world have some kind of
a mental block against Indian wines. They are just not comfortable with the Made in India tag."

However, Oz Clarke, one of the presenters of the BBC's Food and Drink programme, refutes that. "
Western wine drinkers are some of the most imaginative aficionados in the world. I think when they
see Made in India, they won't say: "What a weird idea." They'll say: "Fantastic! I haven't tried it.
Give me some." In fact, one of Chateau Indage's most popular wine, Omar Khayyam, is in the British
market for a decade now! A spokesman of spirit major McDowell that also distributes imported wine
in the Indian market, says that wine imports, both bulk and bottled have gathered momentum in the
last three years. Growth rates, he claims, have touched 25 percent per annum in the last few years."
Volumes are driven mainly by Indian wines that are priced below Rs 150 per bottle," he adds.
McDowell's, in fact, has an agreement with Concha Y Toro, the largest producer of wine in Chile for
importing wine. The company is represented in the Indian market by two premium brands, Bosca
Riesling and Red & Rose. Shaw Wallace too was a pioneer wine manufacturer. Though Shaw
Wallace's Golconda has a 25 per cent market share, the leader is Chateau Indage, a diversified Indian
Private company with interests in viticulture and wine distribution.

6. Indigenous Wine Production

6.1 Chateau Indage

Chateau Indage (CI), Narayangaon nested in the high Sahyadri Valley of western Maharashtra
pioneered by Sham Chougule was established in 1984, with the technical collaboration of
Champagne's Piper Heidsieck. The company owns vineyards spread over 600 acres located 230 km
from Mumbai. The company kick-started the Indian wine revolution in the 1980s with a surprisingly
appettizing methode traditionelle fizz sold on the local market as Marquise- de- Pompadour but
exported with considerable success as Omar Khayyam. It manufactures 18 types of wine and the
main varieties used by the winery are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ugni Blanc, Pinot Noir,
Gamay, Riesling, Muscat of Alexandria, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel,
Viognier, Shiraz, Malbec and Grenache. The ultra-modern winery in Narayangaon, produces a wide
range of high-quality wines under the watchful eye of French and Californian winemakers. Chateau
Indage also sells a range of still wines on the domestic market under the names Riviera, Figueira, Ivy
and Chantilli. The Riviera red based on Pinot Noir is well made and attractively dry; it takes chilling
well. Pioneer of French-style wines in India, CI produces a variety of exquisite still and sparkling
wines. The company's wineries have a capacity to produce over three million bottles of wine per
year. In the Indian market Indage holds 75 % share of the premium still wine category and the virtual
monopoly in Sparkling wines. Chateau Indage's Riviera label includes a fruity, well-balanced white
blend of chardonnay and Ugni blanc and a soft fresh red made from pinot noir. The Chantilly label
wines; a white (chardonnay) and a red (cabernet sauvignon) are aged in French oak and show their
varietal characteristics. Omar Khayyam is a top-quality chardonnay-based sparkling wine, made by
the methode traditionelle, that compares favorably with champagne. The company also distills a fine
oak-aged grape brandy. Their wines are also exported to U.K., Sweden, Switzerland, Germany,
Canada, Bhutan, Nepal, Srilanka, Mauritius, New Zealand, Japan and U.S.A.

Over the years the company has introduced 84 accessions of wine varieties ; 52 from France, 24
from Germany, 4 from Italy, 1 each from South Africa, Korea, Chile and California, USA. It has
also 28 accessions of rootstocks introduced mostly from France and Germany.

6.2 Grover Vineyards

Grover Vineyards, in Dodballapur, 40 km north of Bangalore at the foot of the Nandi hills, on the
other hand, uses French grapes Vitis vinifera in its vineyards in Bangalore. It exports wine worth
$435,000 every year. "The Grover range produced from high-altitude vineyards north of Bangalore,
with help from the ubiquitous Michel Rolland of Pomerol, is extremely respectable. The reds,
particularly the Reserve red, are a distinct notch above the slightly dull Clairette-based white.

Fifteen years ago, the Grovers took on the task of reviving wine drinking in India. The company,
together with Mr. George Vesselle accepted the immense challenge of growing for the first time
French varieties of grapes, suitable for wine production in India. Grover Vineyards is jointly owned
by Kanwal Grover and Veuve Cliquot. Kanwal Grover is advised by two top French winemakers,
Michel Rolland and Georges Vesselle. The vineyards are planted at 2,000 feet above sea level and
some varieties can produce two crops a year. Still white and red wines from Bangalore Purple,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Thompson seedless grapes are made under the supervision of
winemaker Bruno Yvon. The white is medium-dry and fairly bland; the red is cabernet-style with
good depth of fruit.

Bangalore, with the ideal combination of rich, well drained soil, warm sunny days, cool nights and
temperate climate, was finally selected over six other places as the most suitable site. Thirty-five
important varieties used in France for making wine were planted. In the next five years there was an
emissary of French oenologists to study their adaptability to Indian conditions, as well as to assess
the quality of wine they would ultimately produce. Finally, in 1988 Grover Vineyards was
established on 40 acres of land at the foot of the Nandi Hills. Here nine varieties which had
responded well to Indian conditions were planted on an industrial scale. Today, Grover Vineyards
has over 200 hectares under plantation. Unlike other wine makers in India, Grover Vineyards is the
only company which shuns ordinary table grapes, while exclusively using French wine grapes,
selected from the original thirty five varieties of the Vitis vinifera species. The company has export
target of 25% of its production for the current year i.e. 1.5 lakh bottles. Exports are mainly to
France, US and UK. APEDA has chosen Grover Vineyards for bronze medal for the excellence in
export for the year 2003-04. “ So began in earnest Grover's quest to produce India's wines made
exclusively from French grapes and to world standards - and to persuade the great whisky drinking
Indian dinnerati to drink wine. Neither quest has been easy." - Mark Nicholson, Financial Times,
London, September 14, 1997.

6.3 Sula Vineyards

The most recent entrant into the Indian wine market is Sula, complete with labels of almost
California sophistication. This winery was started in 1998 and setup about seven years ago near the
town of Nashik, 200 km north-east of Mumbai, at an altitude of 600 metres, by Mr. Rajiv Samant, a
Stanford trained software engineer and a returnee from Silicon Valley, USA. Initially, he was trying
to plant Alphonso mango trees, but he found that his land near Gangapur Lake is similar to Napa
valley in the USA. He, then, turned to viticulture and wine making. He built a winery with the help of
Mr. Kerry Damskey, a wine maker from Sonama county in California and planted Chenin Blanc and
other wine varieties. The winery was designed by Mr. Rahul Mehrotra, Mumbai’s leading architect.

The Sula winery is growing rapidly during the last few years, which actually indicates the potential
of Indian wine industry. The annual turnover has increased from Rs 55 million in 2002-03 to Rs 180
million in 2004-05. The sales have increased from 20,000 cases in 2002-03 to 70,000 cases in 2004-
05, out of which 4700 cases were exported. The company plans to sale over 1 million bottles abroad,
during 2005-06, for which they have doubled their annual capacity from 0.75 million litres to 1.5
million litres.

Sula Brut, Sula Seco and Sauvignon Blanc will be some welcome additions to India’s smarter wine
list. Sula wines are available in finest hotels and restaurants in India, which includes premier hotel
chains like J.W. Marriott, Grand Hyatt and Taj Hotels. The company feel proud to mention that their
wines are available at ‘Lavinia’ the France’s largest wine shop and are imported by ‘M/s Gaja
Distribuzione’ of Italy, who also produces Italy’s most famous eponymous wines. Sula wines have
been exported to US, UK, France, Italy, Canada and Ireland.

7. Major Wine markets of the World

Out of world’s total annual production of 32 billion litres, the following are among the top countries and MNC’s have
their major share in the world wine market.

France : 5.6 billion ltrs

Italy : 5.3 “

Spain : 3.5 “

US : 2.2 “

Argentina : 1.4 “

Germany : 1.0 “

South Africa : 770 million ltrs

Australia : 750 “

China : 690 “

Gallo (MNC) : 675 “

Portugal : 611 “

In case of Australia, that exports 230 million litres annually worth more than 1 billion dollars and
UK is its major market worth $489 million.

a. Prospects for Indian Wine Market

At the moment India produces only 8.35 million bottles per year. There is a huge potential in Indian
market itself. For export market, the increasing popularity of Indian cuisine is an automatic opening.
With more and more professionals visiting India on regular basis, and the fact that Indian wine
exports are going up every year, word is getting spread very fast creating awareness of Indian wines
in International market. What the country needs now is set of rules and norms to monitor quality
compliance so that credibility of Indian wines as a product or brand is established.

The Govt. of Maharashtra is giving lot of support to wine manufacturers in the state but wine needs
to be encouraged as a product. Wine culture is not going to develop by wines manufactured only in
Maharashtra, it will be short sighted to discriminate manufacturers from other States by imposing
higher taxes and registration fees. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu also should frame Wine
Policy based on Maharashtra state. There should be uniform law in all the states, to be controlled by
the Central Govt., to develop wine industry as agro based product. Govt. should also encourage
participation of Indian wineries in trade fares/exhibitions at national and international level.

In Nashik region, Chenin Blanc is quite predominantly planted but there is need to work more on Red wine varieties.
Sangli is another promising area. But farmers should choose appropriate varieties depending on soil, micro-climate etc.
Also, there should be influence of yields, both for quality and life of wines.

There is a school of thought that old world regulations made the wine industry very complicated in
terms of approach to consumer and only after 1970’s that wine culture really started after New world
started to be more and more aggressive. With a result that Australian wines have taken over French
wines as No. 1 sellers in UK market, both quantity and value wise, apart from the more obvious fact
that they are more value for money. If Australia, Chile and US can become leaders in wine exports
over just 10 years of operation, there is no reason why Indian wines cannot achieve such status.
There is a vast potential to be tapped provided meticulous planning is done. In order to understand
export potential for Indian wines, it is of utmost importance to address quality related issues. The
wine industry in India is in its nascent stages now, to follow quality parameters will go a long way in
making wines from India as a brand in international market, the same way Australians and Chileans
have achieved.

Grape growing is a highly capital intensive project, concerted efforts are required to reduce the rate
of interest to 6 or 7% from the present 10-13%. This will initiate farmers to grow wine varieties of
grapes, which is the only way to achieve exports. The embassies and consulates of India all over the
world should make a point to serve only Indian wines in their official functions, which will help in
creating awareness. We have already made the beginning and wines were exported to Beijing,
Islamabad and Paris.

Last but not the least, there must be constant financial backing and support from government
authorities. The subsidies for wine projects should not take 2-3 years for release. We are very happy
that Maharashtra Grape Board is looking into this problem with utmost sincerity. The Govt. of
India is also actively considering setting up of Indian Wine Board under the Ministry of Food
Processing Industries at the Central level for promoting the domestic wine industry.

8. Factors affecting wine quality

Wine grape plant prefers warm bright days, dry cold night temperature and mild winters under
tropical regions. “Terroire” can be defined as basic identity of the wine owing to soil, climate and the
wine making practices. There is bound to be variation in weather during the ripening of grapes from
year to year bringing in variation in quality of must. The vinification practices have to be modified in
accordance with the climatic changes.

Based on climatic conditions, vine growing areas are classified into cold, cool, warm and hot
regions. However, yearly climatic variation may shift the positioning of a vineyard within this
classification eg. Cool vineyard either cool to cold /cool to warm. These variations are more likely
to occur in cool to cold vine growing regions than in warm to hot vine growing regions which show
less vintage variation since climatic conditions during ripening are more or less consistent from year
to year. However, blending of wines with different varieties, vineyards and years helps overcome
vintage variation. One must use European wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
Franc, Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, to make
quality wine but unfortunately most of the wine manufacturers either use table grape varieties or
blend with wine varieties. For varietal wines there must be minimum of 75-85% of particular
variety. A model can be chosen with the best from old world and new world countries. There is a
long way to go still, and there must be some set of rules governing wine industry to create credibility
on a long run.

9. Classification of Wine

Wines are categorized using a number of different methods. Sometimes they are grouped into
different categories by grape variety, region of origin, by color, by the name of the wine maker or
viticulturalist, or by production technique. Three basic groups of wines are most easily
distinguishable for the consumer: table wines, sparkling wines and fortified wines. Table wines, also
known as still or natural wines, are produced in many different styles and make up the majority of
wines on the market. Traditionally consumed as part of a meal, table wines contain between 10 and
14 percent alcohol and are further classified by their color, sugar content, and the variety and origin
of the grapes that were used. Depending on the grape variety and wine-making technique, wines can
be white, red, or pink in color. Most table wines are fermented until they are dry i.e, all the grape
sugar has been turned to alcohol by the yeast. Slightly sweet or off-dry wines are made by stopping
the fermentation before all the sugar is gone or by adding grape juice back to the wine afterwards.

10. How Wine Is Made ?

Wine is the product of the fermentation by yeast of grape juice or grape must, grape juice that still
contains the fruit's skins and seeds. Once the grape sugar has been completely consumed,
fermentation is complete, and wine has been produced. The science that deals with wine making is
known as Enology.

While the basic production elements of wine are simple, manipulation of the grapes, juice or must,
and wine to produce the desired combination of flavors and aromas is very difficult, and many
recognize this process as an art form. Wine makers try to optimize production of specific aromas and
flavors described with terms like cherry, chocolate, vanilla etc and minimize the formation of
negative flavors and aromas described as wet dog, plastic and rotten egg. It is also important that the
wine acids and alcohol are balanced. If the wine is too acidic, the wine may taste sour. If the ethanol
level is too high, the wine will have a strong taste of alcohol.

The single most important factor that contributes to a wine's character is the grapes that are used.
Grapes influence the wine's flavor, alcohol content, acidity, and even its color. White wine, which is
actually straw to golden-yellow in color, is produced from white grapes, and red wine is produced
from red grapes. Red and white wine production is basically the same except for one primary
difference: the presence of the grape skins during fermentation. White grapes are crushed and the
juice separated from the skins prior to fermentation. Red wine is fermented with the grape skins. Red
pigments called anthocyanins and other compounds in the grape skins are extracted during the
fermentation process to impart the characteristic red color of the wine as well as other features. A
blush or rosé wine is light pink in color and is produced from red grapes not fermented with the
skins. A little pigment is released when the red grapes are crushed, but not to the same extent as
during fermentation.

In modern wine production, the grapes are harvested from the vineyards and taken to a winery where
they are passed through a machine called a destemmer-crusher that separates the fruit from the stems
and cracks the berries open to release the juice. To make white wine, the must is transferred to a press
where pressure is applied to separate the juice from the skins. The amount of pressure used influences
what flavor compounds are extracted from the skins. After pressing, the white juice without the skins
is transported to a fermentation tank. In red wine production, the must from the crusher is transferred
directly to a tank for fermentation.

The containers used for fermentation are mostly stainless steel or wood. The type of container used
and the temperature of fermentation influence the characters of the wine. Many of the aroma
components of wine are volatile that is, they leave the wine by evaporation. This evaporation occurs
faster at higher temperatures, so to retain fruity characters in the wine the temperature of
fermentation must be controlled, usually by direct cooling of the fermentation tanks. Stainless steel is
much easier to cool than wood and is preferred for temperature-crucial fermentation.

The wine maker may allow fermentation to proceed relying only on the yeast naturally present on the
grape skins and in the winery equipment, or the wine maker may add extra yeast in a process known
as inoculation. Two yeast species are used in fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or
Saccharomyces bayanus. Yeast is responsible for the presence of positive but also negative aroma
characters in wine. For example, when yeast is under stress it produces a compound called hydrogen
sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. To avoid this undesirable quality, a wine maker may add
nutrients to the fermentation tank. The duration of fermentation also influences wine character.

Other naturally occurring microorganisms may grow in the must or juice, affecting the flavors and
aromas of the finished wine. For example, lactic acid bacteria use the acids in wine as a source of
energy, reducing the wine's acidity. These bacteria also produce other aromas and are responsible for
the buttery smells that can be found in wine. Sometimes the wine maker restricts the growth of lactic
acid bacteria, especially if the wine is already low in acidity or if the buttery character would clash
with other aromas of the wine. Acetobacter, another type of bacteria, can spoil the wine by
converting ethanol to acetic acid to make vinegar.

When fermentation is complete, red wine is separated from the stems and grape skins by passing it
through a press. Both red and white wines appear cloudy after fermentation, and the wine maker must
wait for the yeast and other solids to settle to the bottom of the fermentation tank, forming a sediment
called the lees. The clear wine is racked or drawn off the lees and stored in a clean cask. In a process
called fining, the wine maker may further clarify the wine by adding ingredients that attract unwanted
particles, such as proteins that can cause cloudiness. These added ingredients settle to the bottom and
can be easily collected and removed.

After fermentation, the wine maker has to decide how the wine will be aged. Aging of wine
significantly affects the flavors and aromas present, and several different techniques are used. For
example, wine aged in oak barrels picks up some flavor and aroma characters from the oak wood, a
very desirable quality in some wines. A wine may be aged under conditions encouraging the loss of
some of the fruity, volatile compounds, producing a wine rich in other characters, such as spicy or
toasted flavors. Air exposure during aging can cause the phenolic wine compounds, extracted from
grape skins and seeds, to combine with each other, producing large chemical compounds called
tannins. Over time the tannins become so large that they form reddish-brown sediment in the bottle.
This reduces wine bitterness and astringency. The length of time a wine is aged before it is bottled
determines the extent to which these reactions occur. Once the wine has been aged, it is ready to be
put into bottles, where it may continue to slowly age for many years.

11. Machineries and Accessories and other inputs for wineries

The quality of the wine is decided in vineyards. But making appropriate and good quality wine out of
good grapes is more of a skill of a wine-maker than pure science. Such skill can be better executed by
the wine maker consistently and hygienically, if the winery has good machineries, like destemmer,
crusher, pneumatic/ hydraulic press, screw pumps, fermentation tanks with cooling jackets/ cooling
system; filters & insulated tanks for cold stabilization of the wine, vacuumized bottling plants and
water softeners are the major machineries required in wine Industry. Most of these machineries in
large old wineries, were imported from European countries especially Italy. Makes of Della Toffola,
Velo, Grotto Derfanceschi etc are commonly seen in Indian wineries (Photo). However, Maharashtra
is the only state in the country given impetus to develop wine industry and leads in winery machine
manufacturers in India. Many of them have developed prototypes of full range machineries suited to
variable sizes of wineries. Companies like M/s Winetech Engineers and Datacone Wine machineries
Pvt. Ltd. have displayed their prototypes with specifications on their websites. Destemmer, crusher,
press and screw pump are the machineries which handle grapes when arrive at winery and prepare
must for fermentation. These machineries play very important role in deciding wine quality and
involve lots of sophistication. Most wineries in India, have not opted to go for Indian machineries for
preparing must for fermentation and use imported units where destemmer, crusher, press and screw
pumps are integrated and the unit works on digitally programmed & sophisticated software. Krishna
wine park at Palus in Sangli district lends out such units to the smaller wineries on hire.
Fermentation tanks with cooling jackets and cooling system in most new wineries are made in India.
The tanks are normally made by using medical grade stainless steel (SS-316L/304) and have mirror
finish from inside surface. Even old wineries are now opting for Indian made fermentation tanks and
cooling systems, which are of international standards. It is also hoped that other Indian made
machineries like filtering units and bottling plants will be used especially by small & newly
established Indian wineries.

Oak wood vats and barrels are required to mature good wines. This is a very expensive input for any
winery since such material can only be imported from European continent and other countries. Use of
large vats is difficult due to high temperatures in tropical region. Hence small barrels are used by
some big wineries in temperature controlled rooms to mature high value wines (Photo). Sparkling
wines are prepared by only big wineries so far. Special kind of bottles sustaining high pressure of
trapped gas and special device to gradually tilt the bottles during secondary fermentation are
imported. Wine bottles, corks, labels and silver foils are also imported from outside India.

12. Wine yeast culture formulations

This is one of the most important input required for wine making. Even small winery spends about
Rs. 3 to 5 lakhs to purchase these culture formulations. Normally yeasts are imported in the form of
dry active yeast granules. ‘Red star’ and ‘Lalvin’ are two major brands of wine yeasts. The different
strains sold by them are from old wine making countries in Europe but they are available in old and
new wine making countries all over the world. Dry active yeast formulations need to be activated in
warm water along with malt extract for 24 hours before to be used to start fermentation in must.
Wine yeasts strains available are highly specialized. Most of the available yeast cultures are
Saccharomyces cerevisiae or S. bayanus. But each strain is selected for specific characters, such as
tolerance to high alchohol ( up to 18 %) and SO2 (100-500 ppm), high temperature tolerance (Up to
35 oC), low temperature tolerance ( 5-7oC) to have slow fermentations in white wines, ability to start
stuck fermentation, low foaming etc. Recently, some strains are available which are known to
enhance the body and aroma of a wine made from specific grape varieties such as Shiraz,
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc etc. By and large the decision on selection of wine yeast is done by wine
maker. More than specialized characters previous experience with the culture plays dominant role in
the selection. Tropical viticulture receives relatively higher fungicides applications for control of air
borne diseases. Hence, native yeasts on the grapes will not be sufficient in case of Indian wine grapes
to go for natural fermentation. However, Saccharomyces yeasts have potential to control powdery
mildew on bunches in vineyards. Application of good wine yeast cultures on grape bunches in
vineyards may help in control of diseases and to suppress less efficient wild yeasts.

13. Viticulture Aspects affecting wine production

Natural factors make wine from a particular region unique, known in the wine industry as terroir,
these factors include local climate (temperature, rainfall, and sunlight), location of grapevines
(altitude and slope) and soil (structure, composition, and water drainage). In general, a grapevine
produces the best fruit when the moderate climate provides much sunshine and cool nights without
frost or hailstorms and the soil is well drained. Grapevines grow best in sandy, chalky, or rocky soils.

A wine's character is strongly affected by vine growing, or viticultural practices such as training,
trellising, harvesting, and pruning. Training and trellising enable the viticulturalist to control the sun
exposure to ensure the grapes ripen evenly. Grapes harvested when they are not ripe may be low in
sugar and may not ferment properly. Overly ripe grapes have very high sugar content and produce
wine high in alcohol. Tropical vines do not show high dormant, the viticulturalist prunes the vines
twice a year. First pruning is carried out during first fortnight of April every year to induce
vegetative growth and in this phase fruit bud formations occur in mature canes. The second pruning
of matured canes is done during late September or early October to obtain fruits. As most of the
wine varieties have basal fruitfulness of the canes, pruning level is normally kept low between 4-7
buds from the base depending upon varieties. Pruning enables the grower to control the size and
shape of the vines, as well as the number of buds that will develop the next year. Too many buds on a
vine may stress nutrient availability, reducing the quality of the future harvest.

Grapevines have many natural enemies: insects, molds, bacteria, fungi, viruses and animals such as
birds that eat the sweet grapes. Certain soil-borne pests, such as nematodes, phylloxera(wasp),
phytophthora (fungus) etc may destroy the roots of grapevines. To counter this problem, vineyards
use the rootstocks from resistant American vines .(Vitis champini, V.riparia, V.berlandieri,
V.rupestris and their interspecific hybrids etc.) and the scion cultivars from European species (V.
vinifera).

13.1 Climate & Soil

Overall performance in terms of growth, yield and quality of grapes for wine making is greatly
influenced by climate & soils.

I . Climate –

It is the summation of weather conditions throughout the year.

Factors : i) Temperature
 ii) Solar radiation, sunshine hours

iii) Rainfall, Relative humidity

iv) Wind, Evaporation etc.

Vitis vinifera grape varieties grow under wide range of climatic conditions.

i) Temperature : Diurnal variation with cool nights (15-18o C) and warm days (28-32oC) is essential
for successful wine grape production .Degree days that are available during September to March
2200-2750 (Nashik), 2750-3000 (Pune, Narayangaon) 3000-4000 (Sangli, Solapur) normally
influences which wine variety to grow and the type of wine to produce. Table wine grapes are
grown at 2200-2750 degree days. Dry table wines require mild ripening period with average
temperatures of 22-28oC and low diurnal variations. Growing season length should be sufficiently
long to mature moderate to heavy crops of grapes. In areas where there is sudden temperature drop
and onset of wet weather, there are ripening problems and crop losses. Each variety requires certain
heat summation to bring its fruit from full bloom to maturity or a given brix reading. Cool, mild
temperatures increase the production of acid (malic and tartaric )in the berries, increase the sugar
acid balance and enhances the colour in the red varieties. By contrast hot conditions during ripening
period increases the sugar level, hastens maturity, lowers the acid level of grapes and inhibits
pigment formation in red varieties. The organic constituents of wine such as alcohol, acids, esters,
colour, tannins and aldehydes do have direct bearing on the bouquet, taste and other qualities of
individual wines. The level and balance of these constituents in the musts and wines in turn are
largely determined by climate (heat summation). High temperatures cause yield loss due to poor fruit
set, moisture stress and reduces the rate of photosynthesis. Optimum temperature for photosynthesis
25-30o C and declines rapidly above and falling to zero at 45-50oC and also decreases rapidly below
15oC.

ii) Solar Radiation : Optimum light intensity for photosynthesis varies between 700-1100 micro
molar units (30,000-50,000 lux) depending upon the location, topography, variety and training
systems.

Both light intensity and temperature are involved in the formation of fruitful buds during May-
August. The number of bunch primordia increase with higher light intensity and the fruitfulness of
new buds depends on the daily duration of high light intensity falling on the bud itself rather than on
whole plant.

High light intensity with high temperature(>36oC) are not conducive for berry colour development,
whereas with moderate temperature (28-32o C) and high light intensity there will be good colour
development between veraison and ripening.
 iii) Rain fall & relative humidity: Generally for economical wine production a reasonable rainfall
amount of 55-65 cm annually is desirable between June- October for recharging the subsoil with
moisture.

For maximum yield, vines need at least 75 cm water with good distribution throughout fruiting
season. Avoid water stress during flowering and early berry growth period till veraison, whereas
slight moisture stress during veraison to ripening enhances the quality of berries.

iv) Evaporation : Evaporation is based on various climatic factors such as temperature, day length,
wind, vapour pressure and solar radiation which affects plant growth. The actual and potential
evapotranspiration is based on the amount of available water in the root zone and the evaporative
power of the air.

II . Soil requirements of vines

Grapes can adapt to a wide variety of soil types ranging from coarse gravelly sands to heavy clays,
shallow to very deep soils and soils of low to high fertility. Best performance is however obtained in
deep medium textured soils (loams and sandy loams) which are low in salts and are well drained.
Wine Grapes are successfully grown under irrigation on soils that Provide 45-60 cm of root zone.
However most V.vinifera varieties are deep rooted and fully explore the soil to a depth of 6-10 feet
or more if the aeration is satisfactory and there is no obstruction to root zone.

Soil physical features such as soil colour affects the absorbance of radiant heat. Soil texture
influences water holding capacity, the nutrient status, infiltration rate, permeability and aeration. Soil
chemical properties such as pH is a measure of degree of acidity or alkalinity where vines are tolerant
to wide range of pH conditions. The pH gives an indication of nutritional status as it is related to
cation exchange capacity(CEC). In broad terms acid soils have low CEC broadly dominated by
hydrogen, whereas alkaline soils are dominated by calcium, magnesium and potassium. Optimum
pH range is 6-6.5 for wine grapes. The quality of wine is related to grape variety, followed by
climatic area and by soil type.

13.2 Cultivation Aspects

i). Soil prepartion ; All types of soil require deep trench spaced 1.8 M-3.0 M apart and
oriented towards north-south direction. Apply 2.5 tons /ha Superphosphate along with 50
tons /ha of FYM. Copius watering of the trench to get weathering & decay of the organic matter at
least 15 days in advance before planting.

ii). Planting : Only Vitis vinifera varieties shall be used for new plantations. These varieties should
be grafted on the recommended rootstocks for wine varieties such as Salt creek, 110 R, 1103 P, 140
Ru, 99R, SO-4, DogRidge, etc which are salt tolerant, drought and nematode tolerant. Plant the
rootstocks in the month of Feb-March in enriched soil along the trenches. Graft the desirable scion
variety in situ on rootstock during September and October. Normally recommended spacing for
most wine varieties is 2.0 M between rows and 1.25 M between plants accommodating 4000 plants
per hectare.

iii).Training of young grafts/plants : Frame work establishment with single main stem, primary
arms and cordons require proper training system. For this recuts, topping , pinching and tipping
are followed. Training systems such as Kniffin, double cordon and trellis system are mainly
followed. Pendal system which is common for table grape is not recommended for wine varieties.
Drip irrigation / fertigation facilities will compliment quick establishment of the vineyard.

iv). Manuring & fertilizer application : For one hectare vineyard 250 kg sulphate of ammonia,
250 kg superphospate and 250 kg sulphate of potash , 75 kg magnesium sulphate should be
given in 3 doses after foundation pruning. The first half doses should be mixed with 40 tons FYM
just prior to pruning, second quarter dose should be given 30 days after pruning and next
quarter dose after 60 days of pruning. Subsequent nutrient doses should be guided by soil and
petiole analysis. Optimum petiole concentrations of yielding wine grape varieties in general,
should have for N-0.632 %, P-0.25% and K-0.981%, Ca - 0.6 %, Mg – 0.4 %, S-0.1%, Zn-20
ppm,Cu-8 ppm, Mn – 25 ppm, Fe- 75 ppm and B- 30 ppm.

v). Fore pruning : Early September is ideal for most of the wine varieties as they take longer
period for maturity and harvest. Most of the wine varieties have basal fruitfulness hence the level of
pruning is normally kept low; either spur pruning or short cane pruning are adopted.

vi).Training systems for wine grape:

Fig.1 Different training systems for wine grape varieties

It is desirable to have trellis system among the various training systems for most of the wine varieties
grown in tropical climate with bright sunlight that may get sun damaged on kniffin. Whereas bower
system tends to delay the ripening process and often fruits become highly acidic with poor colour
development.
 14. Important Wine varieties

14.1 Red Wine Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon

Most of the great red wines of Bordeaux and some of the finest wines of the New World are based on
Cabernet Sauvignon. It is often blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlot and its flavor is reminiscent
of blackcurrants or cedarwood. It demands aging in small oak barrels, and the best wines require
several years of bottle age to reach their peak.

Merlot

This variety takes second place to Cabernet Sauvignon in most premium red wine blends. Merlot is
fragrant and usually softer than Cabernet Sauvignon. It also shows best with oak maturation, but
usually requires less bottle maturation before it is ready to drink. Merlot bottled as a varietal is
becoming popular in India.

Shiraz

This grape is also known as Syrah. It makes a soft and rich wine often characterized by smoky and
chocolaty aromas. It matures faster than cabernet and is sometimes blended with it to speed
accessibility.

Zinfandel

This variety probably originated in Southern Italy as the Primitivo grape. It is planted by only a few
Indian wineries. The quality of wines have been very good, especially when they receive enough
oak maturation.

Pinot Noir

The grape from which complex and elegant wines are made in Burgundy. There are several clones
in pinot noir that show great promise. The Pinot Noir wines in are clean and lively with the flavor
of ripe cherries.
Cabernet Franc

This variety possesses qualities similar to those of Cabernet Sauvignon, although they are a little less
pronounced in Cabernet Franc. It is an important part of blends and is often blended with Cabernet
Sauvignon.

Cinsaut (Cinsault)

Formerly known as Hermitage in the Western Cape of South Africa, it produces light wines and is
most often used as a blending wine to increase accessibility at an early age. Cinsaut is one of the
parents of Pinotage.

Pinotage

It is a unique South African grape made from a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. It was developed
locally in 1926. It is hardy in the vineyard and generally produces a wine that is full bodied with
good fruit flavors and a distinctive spiciness, but often referred to as possessing a "sweetish acetone"
flavor. Previously thought to be early maturing, it is now believed that Pinotage benefits from
extended maturation.

14.2. White Wine Grapes

Chardonnay

It is currently one of the most popular if not the most popular dry white wine variety in the world. It
is planted in almost every wine producing country and is one of the easiest varieties to grow.
Chardonnay generally benefits from oak and is especially complex when it is barrel fermented as
well as barrel aged. However, over- oaking has been a common fault of some the first Chardonnays.

Chenin Blanc

This grape is the Cape's most popular white variety with about thirty percent of her vineyards
producing Chenin Blanc. It produces a wide range of wines from sweet to dry, including sparkling
and still wines. Its dry wines are fresh and fruity and Chenin Blanc's sweet wines and botrytis dessert
wines are becoming more fashionable.
Sauvignon Blanc

India now can produce international quality wines of Sauvignon Blanc as evidenced at few
wineries located in Nashik and Pune district. These microclimates in Maharashtra are suited to the
growing of this variety. The Sauvignon Blancs tend to be dry and grassy. Its plantings have
increased though it is a moderate yielder

Performance of some prominent European wine varieties at NRC for Grapes , Pune is given in Table
3.

Table 3. Performance of Prominent European wine varieties at NRCG, Pune.

Juice yield hectoliter TSS AcidityJuice

-1
Sr. Variety *Average Fruit Yield tons ha .
ha-1 °Brix g. l-1 pH
A.Red Wines
20.6
1. Shiraz 17.87 1.197 5.40 3.35
0
22.2
2. Cabernet Sauvignon 13.65 0.951 5.70 3.54
0
23.1
3. Merlot 15.85 1.022 5.30 3.41
0
21.2
4. Zinfandel 14.87 1.007 5.37 3.42
0
19.6
5. Saperavi 11.38 0.696 6.40 3.34
0
19.8
6. Carignan 16.52 1.113 5.48 3.00
0
19.7
7. Grenache 18.87 1.169 5.62 3.18
0
19.0
8. Convent Large Black 18.47 1.035 4.80 3.67
0
24.8
9. Pinot Noir 7.80 0.413 4.25 3.57
0
B. White wines
10 18.0
Chardonnay 6.64 0.408 3.65 3.52
. 0
11 18.5
Chenin Blanc 20.75 1.411 4.72 3.55
. 0
12 20.8
Sauvignon Blanc 12.19 0.780 5.10 3.63
. 0
13 Ugni 19.8
22.63 1.448 3.75 3.33
. Blanc(Trebbiano) 0
14 17.8
Clairette 15.26 0.931 3.52 3.58
. 0
15 20.6
Vermantino 16.28 1.043 3.77 3.37
. 0
16 19.6
Garganega 15.84 0.926 5.48 3.07
. 0

* Average of 2 years on 4th & 5th year-old vineyard.

Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Pinot Noir Chenin Blanc Sauvignon Blanc

 Chardonnay
B>Indian Standard specification for wines(IS 7058)

As per the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act 1954, Standards of weights and Measures
(packaged commodities) Rule,1977 and State Excise Duty Rules, following specifications have been
recommended for Indian Wines. However these are subject to the restrictions imposed under these
Acts and Rules there under, wherever applicable.

For the purpose of deciding whether a particular requirement of this standard is compiled with the
final value, observed or calculated, expressing the result of a test or analysis, shall be rounded off in
accordance with 2: 1960 ‘Rules for rounding off numerical values (revised).The number of
significant places retained in the rounded off value should be the same as that of specified value in
this standard.

15.1. Scope

This standard prescribes the requirements and the methods of sampling and test for Table Wines.

15.2. Types

15.2.1 Table Wines : Shall be the products obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of fresh grape
juice/ must, grape juice concentrate (obtained by reverse osmosis), or frozen grapes. It shall possess
the varietal character derived from the grapes or the constituents formed during fermentation.

This standard covers the following types of table wines:

(a) Dry white,

(b) Sweet white,

(c) Rose dry and sweet,

(d) Dry red,

(e) Sweet red,

(f) Sparkling wine,

15.2.1a & b. Dry and Sweet White Table Wines:

These wines shall be the products obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice/must. Their colour shall be
colourless to golden pale.

15.2.1.c. Rose Table Wines

The Table wines having light red to pink colour can be designated as “Rose Table wines”. It
can be a combination of red and white Table wines; or produced by shorter maceration of red wines.
Dry and Sweet Rose(Blush wine); blending of Red and White wines(Rose Table) shall be termed, as
‘Blush Wine’ and it must be stipulated clearly on the label.

15.2.1.d & e. Dry and Sweet Red Table Wines

These wines shall be the products obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of red, purple, pink
or black grapes. The wine shall possess distinct colour, which shall come from natural pigments,
mainly anthocyanins present in the grapes.
15.3 Sparkling Wine

These wines shall be the wines that have retained the carbon dioxide, which naturally evolves from alcoholic
fermentation ; or the wines that are carbonated externally with carbon dioxide.

a) The wine that will undergo second fermentation in the bottle itself and that has retained the
CO2, which naturally evolves form natural alcoholic fermentation shall be termed as Sparkling Wine
“ Methode Traditionelle”

b) The wine that has undergone second fermentation in the pressure tank and has

retained CO2, which has naturally evolved form natural alcoholic fermentaion and

bottled by counter pressure filling shall be termed as Sparkling wine

“ Bulk Methode”.

c) If the CO2 retains in the wine is by carbonation method ( external addition of CO2 in wine) it
can also be termed as Sparkling wine. However, it should be properly mentioned on the front label in
suitable Font so that it is easily recognised by the consumer.

15.4. Wine Quality Requirements

Table wines shall comply with the requirements given in Table-4.

Table 4 Requirements for Table Wines(Clause 6.11)

Sr White Wine with residual Sparkling Desert

Characteristic Red
. Rose sugar of 5 g/l or more Wine Wine
Less Less More
More than More than More than
than than than
1 Reducing residual sugar. g/l
5 g/l 5 g/l 10 g/l
5 g/l 5 g/l 10 g/l
2.9-
2 pH 2.9-4.2 3.0-4.2 3.0-4.2 3.0-4.2
4.2
3 Total acid (as tartaric acid) g/l. Max 10 10 10 10 10
4 Volatile acidity expressed as acetic acid .g/l Max 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Esters as ethyl acetate (expressed in terms of g. per
5 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
liter absolute alcohol)Max
6 Higher alcohols as amyl alcohol (expressed in 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
 terms of g. per liter of absolute alcohol ) Max
Aldehydes as

acetaldehydes (expressed in terms of g. per litre of

7 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
absolute alcohol)

Max.
8 Total sulphure dioxide, mg/l. Max 160 210 210 260 300
9 Free sulphur dioxide, mg/l .Max 100 100 100 100 100
10 Copper (as Cu), Mg./l Max 5 5 5 5 5
11 Iron (Fe), mg./l Max 15 15 15 15 15
12 Extract, g/l Max 50 50 50 50 50
13 Tannins, g/l Max 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Methyl alcohol (expressed in terms of g. per liter of
14 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
absolute alcohol ) Max

15.4.1 Ethyl Alcohol Content

The ethyl alcohol content in Table Wines shall be in the range of 8% to 15.5% volume by volume at
20° / 20° C or any other strength subject to approval by State Excise Authority, when determined
according to the method prescribed in 4 of IS 3752:1988. The tolerance limits for ethyl alcohol
content shall be ± 1.5 percent of the declared strength. However, the ethyl alcohol content, its
tolerance and method of measurement may vary according to the rules and regulations prescribed by
the State Excise Authority .

15.4.2 Taste and aroma : Table wines shall be free from any unpleasant aroma , unpleasant taste,
cloudiness, sediments or suspended matters, mould and bacterial growth.

15.4.3 Freedom from Mould and Bacterial Growth

Table Wines shall be free from mould, bacterial or any other growth.

15.4.4 Freedom from Harmful Ingredients

Table Wines shall be free from any ingredients injurious to health.

15.4.5 Colour & Additives

Table Wines may contain permitted food additives as defined by PFA /CODEX /JECFA. The limits will be in
accordance with EU guidelines. Uses of Colour and additives are not permitted in the Table wine unless specifically
allowed by State Excise Department and needs to be clearly mentioned on the label.
15.4.6 Taste & Aroma

Table Wines shall have the characteristic taste and aroma of whisky. To enhance the characteristic flavour of the product
natural extracts and / or natural / nature identical / artificial flavour permitted under PFA/FEMA GRAS may be used.
When a varietal is specified on the label the taste should respect the property and the characteristics of the particular
variety of grape and the style of wine. The addition of any artificial or external aromas to enhance the palate and the
flavours in the wine should completely be prohibited. The natural flavour and taste of the wine should only come from
the fermentation process, and characteristics of grape variety.

15.4.7 In case of sparkling wine, it shall be carbonated with carbon dioxide conforming to Grade 2 of IS 307:1996 to
pressure in accordance with its character. However, the sparkling wines shall have minimum of one volume of carbon
dioxide.

15.4.8 Freedom from Sedimentation

Wines shall be free from sediments or suspended matters.

15.4.9 Net Volume

Tolerance on net volume shall be as per the Second Schedule of the Standards of Weights and Measures (Package
Commodities) Rules, 1976. The net volume shall be measured at a temperature of 27°C.

15.5 Packing

15.5.1 Table Wines may be filled in glass bottles conforming to IS 1662:1974 or plastic bottles made of PET
conforming to IS 14537:1998 or any other suitable neutral or non-reactive containers. The bottles or containers shall be
properly sealed. Used bottles shall be permitted if sanitized and cleaned in a hygienic way by the manufacturer as per the
clause 5.6.1.1 of IS 14348:1996. Used bottles are generally not permitted for bottling the wines. However, the State
Excise Department may permit if the bottles are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized in a hygienic manner by the producer.
Containers, both before and after filling, shall pass for inspection before a brightly illuminated background and be
viewed, if necessary, under magnification. Automatic inspection by specially designed units may also be employed.
Defective containers or products shall be rejected.

15.5.2 In case of carbonated / sparkling wines,

a) All containers shall be cleaned and sanitized according to 4.1 of IS 5837.

b) The containers shall be filled under strict sanitary conditions as per IS 5837:1970 . After filling, the containers
shall be hermatically sealed with clean, new crown corks conforming to IS 1994 : 1987 and fixed with wire hood.
15.6 Marking

15.6.1 The following particulars shall be marked legibly and indelibly on the label / crown / body of the container.

a) Name and type of the material;

b) Ethyl alcohol contents , in percent, by volume;

c) Batch or code number;

d) Month and year of Packing;

e) Name and address of the producer;

f) Net volume in ml;

g) Geographical region from where the grapes are produced

h) Varietal name of the grape; in case of single variety wine is in excess of 85% of the volume in the bottle. If less
than 85% of single variety used which makes total volume, twin varietal names shall be stipulated. When more than two
varieties are used in the wine, it should be clearly stated as “blended”. The stipulation of “ Indian Wines” shall not appear
on the label if Indian wine is blended with foreign (imported) wine in excess of 25%.

i) Any other markings required under the standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged

Commodities) , rules 1977, and any other statutory requirement.

Note : Geographical designation /names may be used on the label solely for products originated from that geographical
region (the origin of the grapes should be proved by a way that has been determined).The mention Indian wine should be
precisely conformed to avoid the blending of a large amount of foreign wine with Indian wines. The percentage to
determine can be limited as per example at 25% or any other value.

15.6.2 Certification Marking

The product may also be marked with the BIS Standard Mark. The use of the Standard Mark is governed by the
provisions of Bureau of Indian Standards Act,1986 and the Rules and Regulations made there under. The details of
conditions under which the license for the use of Standard Mark may be granted to manufacturers or producers may be
obtained from Bureau of Indian Standards.
15.6.3 Geographical traceability of the wines

It is essential to establish the geographical traceability of the Indian wines to protect our indigenous
wines from adulteration and conflicts at international markets. The term ‘geographical traceability’
can be defined as the Signature pertaining to the geographical origin of a wine sample. The
components of a wine sample can be traced back from the grape berries out of which it was
prepared. Establishing the relationship between the characteristic chemical compositions of the
grapes with the specific features of different localities (e.g. peninsular area, hilly area, nearness to
water bodies, etc.) can help in establishing the geographical traceability.

Once the traceability is established, this will be particularly useful to identify any adulteration in a
specific wine with the wines from other localities or unspecified varieties. There are various
techniques available for this, but the techniques involving the abundance ratio of the stable isotopes
and application of NMR appears to be the most prominent. In stable isotope technique, the ratio of
the stable oxygen isotopes viz. 16O and 18O is used, which is characteristic to a particular geographic
location. Hence, just by analyzing the stable isotope pattern in a wine sample, it is possible to identify
whether there is any adulteration or not, or whether the wine is really originated from the location
declared in the label. Similarly, in NMR analysis, we find specific signature for the wines from
specific locations.

a) Appellation:

1) Geographical area to be mentioned on the labels. Specific regions /valleys /district has
be determined and published by Competent Authority and the wines produced from that particular
regions only could use that Appellation.

2) Quality region shall be determined by the Competent Authority in future depending

upon the quality of wine produced in that region, soil and climatic conditions. The wines produced
only in such quality regions shall stipulate that specific Appellation on the labels.
15.7 Sampling

Representative samples shall be drawn and conformity of the material in the lot to the requirements of this specification
shall be determined in accordance with the method prescribed in IS 3753:1984.

15.7.1 Sparkling Wine

1) To understand correctly this point we should clarify the following definitions:

· “Cuvèe” means: the grape must/ the wine/ the mixture of grape musts and or wines with
different characteristics, intended for the preparation of a specific type of sparkling wines.

· “Tirage liqueur” means: the product added to the cuvèe to provoke secondary fermentation;

· “Expedition liqueur” means: the product added to the sparkling wines to give them a special
taste qualities. The expedition liqueur may contain only: sucrose, grape must, grape must in
fermentation, concentrated grape must, rectified concentrated grape must, wine or a mixture of
thereof with the possible addition of wine distillated.

2) Any enrichment of the cuvèe shall be prohibited. Without prejudice to enrichment of Table
wines authorized above the constituents of cuvèe or any enrichment of cuvèe shall be prohibited in
case of sparkling wine. Acidification of the cuvèe may be carried out only up to a maximum of 1.5
grams per liter, expressed as tartaric acid or 20 milli equivalents per liter, provided that the natural
acidity of the products is not less than 3 g/l expressed as tartaric acid.

3) The carbon dioxide contained in the sparkling wines may be produced only as a result of the
alcoholic fermentation of the cuvèe from which such wine is prepared. Such fermentation, unless it is
intended for processing grapes, grape must or grape must in fermentation directly into sparkling
wine, may result only from the addition of tirage liqueur. It may take place only in bottles or in
closed tanks.The use of carbon dioxide in the case of the process of transfer by counter pressure is
authorized under supervision and on condition that the pressure of the carbon dioxide contained in
the sparkling wine is not thereby increased.
4) Total alcoholic strength by volume of the cuvèe intended for their preparation should not
be less than 8.5% .

5) The tirage liqueur intended for their preparation may contain only: grape must/ grape must in
fermentation/ concentrated grape must/ rectified grape must/ sucrose wine.

6) Total sulphuric dioxide content in sparkling wine shall not be more than 150 mg./l . Maximum
sulphur dioxide content shall be raised as regards to wines with the residual sugar of not less than
50g/l to 200g/l.

15.7.2 Liqueur wine

1) For the preparation of liqueur wine, the following products shall be used : grape must in
fermentation ; or wine; or mixtures of products referred to in the preceding indents; or grape must or
a mixture with wine.

2) Further more, the following shall be added : neutral alcohol obtained from the distillation of
products of the wine sector, including dried grapes, having an alcoholic strength of not less than 96%
by volume/ wine distillate or dried grape distillate with an alcoholic strength of not less than 52%
and not more than 86% by volume. The addition of alcohol, distillate or spirits in order to
compensate for losses due to evaporation during ageing is also authorised.

3) The natural alcoholic strength by volume for the preparation of a liqueur wine may not be less
than 12 per cent. But the total sulphur dioxide content for direct human consumption may not exceed
150 mg/L when residual sugar content is below 5 g/L and not exceeding 200 mg/L when residual
sugar is more than 5 g/L.

Conclusions: Presently Indian wine industry is in a nascent stage, though it has kick started only
from Maharashtra much remains to be seen at the national level. The growers will have to reorient
themselves for wine grapes cultivation. The Indian wine makers should learn from new world’s
( Australia and Chile ) wine makers and strictly adhere to international quality standards so that
exports of wines will be their prime target. Indians will have to go generously and in celebrating
manners for wine consumptions and be able to descriminate wines with other alcoholic liqueurs.
The wine in fact is a social and health drink, its consumption has to be promoted through various
media campaigns and wine festivals. We hope, subsequently there exists a huge scope for
expansion in area and production of wine grapes in our country.
 Posted Jun 25 2006, 07:49 PM by admin with 1 comment(s)

• Hangovers and How to Deal With Them - Partybody

Ever wake up from a great night of partying and say, “This is the last time that I’m ever
drinking,”? Your head throbs, you’re nauseous, you’re tired, your body aches and you have
diarrhea. These are all symptoms of what could be considered every party goers version of
kryptonite, the hangover. But, what if there was a cure to this dreaded party foul?

Some believe that hangovers are caused by the methanol and acetone toxins which are found in
some alcohols. Others believe its simply the dehydration, being that alcohol is a diuretic (a drug
that increases urination and flushes fluids from the body). However, Mack Mitchell, M.D., vice
president of the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation in Baltimore, and assistant
professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, believes that the chief cause of hangover is
acute withdrawal from alcohol. “The cells in your brain physically change in response to the
alcohol’s presence; when the alcohol is gone, you go through withdrawal until those cells get
used to doing without the alcohol.” Couple that with the effects alcohol has on the blood vessels
in your head (they can swell significantly), and you end up wishing that you had never woke up.

Which alcohol is worse?

From worst to best: bourbon, whiskey, brandy, rum, red wine, white wine, gin and vodka. The
British Medical Journal did tests that showed drinking bourbon whiskey is twice as likely to cause
a hangover than the same amount of vodka.

Techniques to avoid a hangover:

The best and safest way to prevent hangovers is to limit yourself to 1-2 drinks.

Drink slowly. The slower you drink, the less alcohol reaches the brain (even if you end up
consuming more). The reason is simple math: Your body burns alcohol at a fixed rate—about an
ounce an hour. Give it more time to burn that alcohol, and less reaches your blood and brain.

Drink on a full stomach. “This is probably the single best thing you can do besides drinking less
to reduce the severity of a hangover,” Dr. Mitchell says. “Food slows the absorption of alcohol,
and the slower you absorb it, the less alcohol actually reaches the brain.” The kind of food you
eat doesn\'t matter much. Eating well before you go out, during alcohol consumption, and
sometimes after is important. Breads and pasta particularly slow absorption of alcohol into the
blood stream. So do milk and other dairy products.

Take some extra vitamin C before going to bed. Some even suggest taking extra vitamin C for a
few days before imbibing a lot.

Drink the right drinks. What you drink can play a major role in what your head feels like the
next morning, according to Kenneth Blum, Ph.D. The chief villains are congeners. “Congeners
are higher order alcohols. (ethanol is the one we commonly call ‘alcohol’ but there are many
others.) They are found in essentially all alcoholic beverages,” Dr. Blum says. “How they work
isn’t known, but they’re closely related to the amount of pain you experience after drinking.”
The least perilous concoction is vodka. The most perilous is bourbon. Cognac and other brandies
as well as single malt scotches are close behind. These are followed by blended scotch and other
whiskeys and champagnes of all kinds (here it’s the bubbles that are the problem). Red wine
can be a problem, but for a different reason. It contains tyramine, a histamine-like substance
that can produce a killer headache. Gin and white wine are almost as benign as vodka, but in
sufficient quantity, any form of alcohol can do you in. Avoid sweet tropical mixed drinks such as
zombies and pina coladas, Also, avoid eating sugary foods such as cookies, cakes and chocolate.
You tend to drink more than you realize, because the sugar makes it difficult to sense how much
alcohol you are consuming.

Avoid the bubbly. And that doesn’t mean just champagne. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Blum agree.
Anything with bubbles in it (rum and Coke is just as bad as champagne) is a special hazard. The
bubbles put the alcohol into your bloodstream much more quickly. Your liver can’t keep up; the
alcohol overflow pours into your bloodstream.

Be size sensitive. With few exceptions, there\'s no way a 110-pounder can go one-on-one with a
250-pound drinker and wake up the winner. So scale down your drinks. To come out even, the
110-pounder can handle about half the alcohol of the 250-pounder.

A new over-the-counter supplement called Zeo is now available. We sell it. An Initial report from
one of our employees (who shall remain nameless) is that it seems to help.

Take Alka-Seltzer at bedtime. “There\'s no hard scientific data on this, but my own clinical
experience and that of a lot of others says that water and Alka-Seltzer before going to bed can
make your hangover much less of a problem,” says John Brick, Ph.D. Others claim that two
aspirin tablets (which is really Alka-Seltzer without the fizz) can also help. However, non-
prescription pain relievers can be tough on the stomach, especially when there is alcohol in the
system. Plain water is always a good idea for rehydration. Some recommend flat ginger ale.

Hangover remedies:

Bifidus powder: Put a teaspoon of bifidus powder in a glass of water and drink before going to
bed. Bifidus is the \"friendly\" bacteria that detoxifies acetaldehyde, a digestive byproduct of
alcohol that is a major cause of hangovers.

Evening primrose oil: helps prevent hangovers. Take two teaspoons.

Eating a meal high in saturated fat causes the effects of alcohol to peak earlier and last longer
than diets high in polyunsaturated fat. Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Peanut Butter: Eating peanut butter before drinking is an African remedy.

Sports drinks: High in electrolytes, they will help replenish what the kidneys have excreted
during drinking. Take before bedtime.

Tomato juice: To help stop the urge for alcohol drink a tangy drink, such as tomato with the
juice of one lemon added.

Water: One of the best preventive measures is to drink 2-3 large glasses of water before you go
to bed. Drinking alcohol is very dehydrating and hydrating your system helps counteract the
effects of the alcohol.

Folk Remedies:
Activated charcoal Take one tablet of activated charcoal per drink while you are drinking. The
charcoal absorbs the impurities in the alcohol which are the cause of the hangover. The charcoal
also absorbs important nutrients, so if you are a heavy drinker, don't use this remedy daily as
you will end up with nutritional deficiencies.

Apples eaten on an empty stomach the day after drinking is an effective remedy.

Bananas: One of the quickest ways to cure a hangover is to make a banana milkshake
sweetened with honey. The banana helps calm the stomach, and with the honey, builds up the
depleted blood sugar levels. The milk soothes the stomach and rehydrates your system.
Bananas are also rich in the important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium, which are
severely depleted during heavy drinking.

B-vitamins: Take the vitamins before you go to bed and let them work their magic while you
sleep. If you forget, take them immediately upon arising. B-Vitamins are important in aiding the
carbohydrate (alcohol) metabolizing process and in dilating blood vessels. B-vitamins will help
restore your energy level. You will need to take a high-potency B-complex supplement for this
remedy to work (50-75 mg of B-complex twice a day, hopefully once before bed after
indulging).

Chicken soup: Grandma's old stand-by, chicken soup, seems to work as well for hangover
problems as it does for colds.

Feverfew: Use feverfew, an herb, in place of aspirin. Aspirin is very hard on the stomach, while
feverfew is not.
Ginger Take 500 mg of ginger capsules every few hours, or make a ginger tea. This will help
soothe your stomach.

Honey Take 2-6 teaspoonfuls of honey every twenty minutes upon awaking, depending on the
severity of the hangover. Continue with the honey until you start to feel better, then take four
teaspoonsful with your first meal. The potassium in the honey helps counteract the effects of the
alcohol and will decrease the cravings for it. Alcoholic drinks are acidic in reaction and satisfy
your natural desire for an acid, the same as coffee and tea do. If you have an alcohol problem,
check your body chemistry and make appropriate changes in diet and supplementation. In
addition, honey contains fructose, a type of sugar that helps your body metabolize alcohol more
quickly.

Kudzu extract(or kuzu) Studies have shown that its isoflavones, diadzin and puerarin, can help
relieve hangovers quickly!

Lemon: Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of black coffee and drink it unsweetened and
without milk.

Lime: As soon as you wake up on the \"morning after\" add two teaspoons of fresh lime juice
and a teaspoon of sugar to 8 ounces of water. Drink it slowly. This concoction will help stabilize
your blood sugar, which will be low after imbibing.

Peppermint The herb peppermint, either in tea form or chewing the leaves, will relax the
intestines. Peppermint is a carminative, which is a substance that removes accumulated gas
from the stomach and intestines. Make a tea by pouring one cup of boiling water over 1-2
teaspoons of the dried herb; cover; steep for fifteen minutes; strain. Drink 1-2 cups as soon as
you can.
Persimmon: Eat a raw persimmon for a headache.

Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) extract has been found to relieve hangover nausea and
dry mouth according to researchers at Tulane University and the University of California, San
Francisco. Prickly pear is known to reduce inflammation, and hangover symptoms are due to an
increase in inflammation. Researchers found that C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation,
was 40% higher in the group that took a placebo. The extract was taken five hours before
alcohol consumption.

Raw cabbage: Eat raw cabbage to dissipate a headache.

Sauerkraut juice Drink sauerkraut juice with some tomato juice if you don't like it straight.
These drinks replace lost nutrients.
Scalp stimulation Pull your hair in clumps so that your full scalp is stimulated. This remedy
brings blood to the scalp and relieves the headache.

Silymarin, better known as milk thistle, protects liver cells from alcohol by preventing toxins
from entering them and helps to remove existing toxins. Take two 70 mg capsules with a meal
or before or while drinking.

Thyme: Make a tea by lightly crushing five fresh or dried leaves; place in a cup and fill with
water cooled to just below boiling; cover and leave to infuse for five minutes; remove leaves
and drink.
Tomato juice In addition to being a prevention remedy, tomato juice contains fructose, a type of
sugar that helps your body metabolize alcohol more quickly. This is probably why the morning-
after Bloody Mary seems to work.

Vitamin C stimulates the liver to break down the alcohol. Take 2-10 gm per day in divided
doses. Start at 1,000 mg an hour and built up to bowel tolerance. An excess of vitamin C can
cause diarrhea, and since you probably have stomach distress already too much C may cause a
problem.

From the medical professionals:

There is no one thing that cures a hangover except time. But there are a few things you can do
to relieve the symptoms—the headache, nausea, and fatigue.

1. Drink fruit juice. “Fruit juice contains a form of sugar called fructose, which helps the body
burn alcohol faster,” explains Seymour Diamond, M.D., director of the Diamond Headache Clinic
in Chicago, Illinois. A large glass of orange juice or tomato juice, in other words, will help
accelerate removal of the alcohol still in your system the morning after.

2. Eat crackers and honey. Honey is a very concentrated source of fructose. Believe it or not,
sauerkraut juice is said by some to neutralize congeners. (More proof that sometimes the cure is
worse than the disease!)

3. Get some pain relief. A headache is invariably a part of the package that goes with a
hangover. “You can take aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen but you don’t want anything
stronger,” Dr. Diamond says. “With more potent pain relievers, you run the risk of habituation,
and you don’t want the first problem to start another problem.”

4. Willow bark is a natural, organic pain reliever, according to Kenneth Blum, Ph.D., chief of the
Addictive Diseases Division at the U. of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. “It
 contains a natural form of salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin.”.

5. Drink bouillon. Broth made from bouillon cubes or any homemade soup broth will help
replace the salt and potassium your body loses when you drink, Dr. Diamond says.

6. Replenish your water supply. “Alcohol causes dehydration of your body cells,” says John
Brick, Ph.D., chief of research at the Center of Alcohol Studies of Rutgers State University of
New Jersey. “Drinking plenty of water before you go to bed and again when you get up the
morning after may help relieve discomfort caused by dehydration.”

7. Take B-complex vitamins. Drinking drains the body of these valuable vitamins. Research
shows your system turns to B vitamins when it is under stress—and overtaxing the body with
too much booze, beer, or wine definitely qualifies as stress, says Dr. Blum. Replenishing your
body with a B-complex vitamin capsule can help shorten the duration of your hangover.

8. Eat amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Like vitamins and minerals,
they can also be depleted by use of alcohol. Dr. Blum says that replenishing amino acids plays a
role in repairing the ravages of a hangover. Amino acids are also available in capsule form at
most health food stores.

9. Have two cups of coffee. “Coffee acts as a vasoconstrictor—something that reduces the
swelling of blood vessels that causes headache,” Dr. Diamond says. “Coffee can do a great deal
to relieve the headaches associated with hangovers.” But don’t drink too much.

10. If you have a headache, cool/cold compresses may help.

11. Eat a good meal. If you can tolerate it, that is. A balanced meal will replace the loss of
essential nutrients, explains Dr. Blum. But keep the meal light; no fats or fried foods. Toast,
cereal, fruit and yogurt are easier to digest than eggs and dairy.

Article Source: http://www.myarticlepub.com

Posted Jun 22 2006, 06:45 PM by admin with no comments

• Enjoy Your Favorite Wine…But With Some Rules - Celina Richards

The mere mention of etiquette brings to mind various images, mainly negative. Etiquette means
observing set rules. It’s not about the quaint traditions but where wine is concerned etiquette
matter.
The primary connoisseurs of fine wine are oenophiles who are stringent about treating, serving
and tasting wine. Then there are wine lovers and those simply appreciating wine. For occasional
enthusiasts, collectors and cellar owners, the essence of wine etiquette heightens the
experience.

Determine Proper Temperature

Wine is altered by temperature and environment, putting the emphasis on proper storage. Keep
red table wines standing in the dining room for approximately 24 hours in advance, for settling
sediments, followed by room temperature. White and Rose wines require slight chilling of
around 50’F or one hour in a refrigerator.
Sparkling wines including champagnes require longer chilling of a few hours. Temperature levels
drown inconsistencies and enhance the taste. A handy tip is to allow 10 minutes for a wine in a
refrigerator to chill and for the reversal, in room temperature.

Time The Uncorking

Uncorking a wine calls for basic guidelines. For red wines, remove the cork one hour in advance.
Oxidation helps to experience the true flavor. The longer white wines are left open in room
temperature, the more the loss in quality. Don’t uncork until just before serving.

Decant The Wine

It may appear pretentious to make such a lot of fuss, but there’s no denying that there is a
whole new dimension to the taste. Red wine vintage and port wines are perfect for decanters as
they build up fairly substantial bitter sediment at the bottom. Pouring slowly into a decanter
therefore separates the wine from the sediments.
Decanting wine is also done for exposure to oxygen. Having been deprived of air and vacuum
for years, air adds to the flavor of red wine. For uncorking use a container with an open mouth.
The resulting chemical reaction exudes the aroma that is crucial for the tasting experience. For
this purpose, red wine glasses have large rims. Having slowly decanted the wine, leave it for
about an hour in room temperature. Eventually the difference in taste is unmistakable.

Pour The Wine

Wine etiquette dictates how a glass of wine should be poured. For bubbly wines that sparkle,
pour along the side of the glass to preserve the all-important bubbles. Still wine is poured into
the center of the glass allowing the flavor to float upwards.
Depending on the wine, never fill a glass more than two-thirds or halfway. On occasions when
different wines are being sampled during a meal, the amount being poured needs to be even
less.

Use The Right Glass

Highly diverse, wine glasses may prove confusing. Nevertheless they matter as they function
with the temperature. The more intense aromas are better appreciated in glasses with wide but
thin rims.
The opposite principle is true for white wine glasses. Narrower and more slender, the tulip shape
is integral to the hallmarks of white wine. More blunt and less angular than champagne flute or
dessert wine glasses, white wine glasses can be easily differentiated.

Follow The Drinking Rules

To the uninitiated wine etiquette may seem unnecessary. However it is an established fact that
for the authentic experience of wine in all its subtleties, it is the only way......Cheers!
Learn more of Wine Etiquette.

Celina Richards
http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Posted Jun 21 2006, 03:56 PM by admin with no comments

• Kosher wines

Many believe that if a wine is made in Israel, it has to be Kosher. Well, that is not always so, and in fact there’s a
complete set of rules that make a wine kosher. In this article I will try and answer the question “What is a Kosher wine?”.

Generally speaking, a kosher wine is a wine that was produced according to the “halacha” - the rules of the Jewish
religion. Those rules apply to every stage of the wine making process, and make sure that all steps have been carefully
conducted.

The rules of the “halacha” state that the production process must be handeled by an orthodox Jewish person, and he must
make sure that all stages are done properly without neglecting any of the orders. For example, the grapes must not be
picked before the vineyard is 3 years of age, other kinds of fruits and vegetables must not be growing in the same field
etc.

A kosher wine is called “kosher”, or “kosher lemehadrin”, while an unkosher wine is called “nesech”, and that means a
wine that has been produced by not jewish workers. According to the “halacha”, even the pouring of the wine into glasses
must be done by a Jewish person. The only exception to that is for cooked wines – those become kosher as soon as the
wine temperature is greater than 75 degrees (Celsius), even if a non Jewish person handled it.

When shopping for a kosher wine for the Passover, one must pay special attention to the kind of the “hechsher” and see
that the product is also kosher for Passover (pesach), meaning that there are no “hametz” materials involved in the
process, that is – materials such as wheat flower and dough.

In past years it has been quite difficult to find kosher wines, especially in countries other than Israel, but today, there are
many Israeli and non Israeli wines that are kosher, and the selection is quite large worldwide.

Lechayim! (Cheers)

Source: Free article Zone

Posted Jun 18 2006, 02:54 PM by venki with no comments