hey say that the economic prosperity of a nation is reflected in its consumption of wine. If some statisticians and observers are to be believed, history actually maps a trend showing this strange correlation. What matters is that India is now part of the story and the chapter has just begun.

Sample this. In 2004, Indians knocked off 5 lakh cases (12 bottles per case) of wine. Of that, close to 1 lakh cases were imported wine and a little over 4 lakh cases were Indian wine. At an average of Rs 400 for a bottle, the market stood at Rs 240 crore (as is obvious, bulk of the market lies in the lower end, that is, the Rs 300-500 price band). The year before the market stood at Rs 185 crore. That is, a growth of 30 per cent over 2003.... more