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Wine consumption in India
has witnessed a remark-
able growth in the recent past. The conservative Indian
consumer is opening up. This is reflected in the wine consumption growing
at around 18.5% per year. The domestic wineries are able to sell out their
entire stock. From 8.80 million liters in 2008, wine consumption is
expected to touch a figure of 21.6 million liters by 2013. It is expected that
several new wineries will be set up in the country to take the figure to
around 100 million liters in the coming few years thereafter. With
government support through reduced duties, prices are expected to be attractive,
leading to the growth of this sector. Some Indian states such as Maharashtra
and Karnataka are taking the initiative to promote vineyards. This would
lead to more grape growers getting interested in this business.
Although wine can be traced back to ancient times in India, one can
associate the golden period of the Indian wine industry with the British
rule. Since India has a long and chequered history, there are several
indications of the usage of wine at different periods in the past.
India can boast of the presence of wine as far back as the Vedic
period. The name for wine as evident from the available references
was Drakshasava. It is believed that Somaras, an ancient form of wine, was served as a libation that
made people intoxicated during religious festivals in the Vedic period. Even
artifacts from the Harappan civilization indicate the popularity of
wine. But more confirmed sources trace back the availability of
wine during Alexander's invasions in northern India. In
Kautiliya's Arthashastra, which dates back
to 321-150 BC (during the Mauryan empire), there is a reference to an
alcoholic drink made from a fruit, which could be viewed as a type
of wine. |
