| Venky to Rock with Bulk from Boar | | | | By: Subhash Arora | << back  Page 2 of 2 |
There has been one spoil sport though. In the new excise policy, progressive and pro-active Maharashtra State Government saw through this game plan and in order to help the farmers, increased the excise on bulk wine from Rs. 7 (15 cents) Rs. 100 (US $2.40) per litre, making bulk wine imports less remunerative though still viable. The grape growers lobby in Maharashtra is very strong. In a meeting last week with Mr. Rajeev Samant, the debonair owner of Sula Vineyards in Nashik and Dindori in Maharashtra he informed me, ‘anyone trying to bottle and market imported bulk wine is welcome but must do his homework thoroughly. The growers and government of Maharashtra will be watching the situation like a hawk and any action that goes against the interest of local growers will be strongly resisted.’ ‘People who propose bottling out of state must be prepared to be shut out by the Maharashtra market through various possible sanctions’ he opined.
Biggest sufferers will naturally be the grower wine makers. Coming barely with grips in handling the production and quality issues in a nascent industry, still grappling with marketing problems due to their inability to come under some sort of a joint banner to match the marketing clout of Indages and the sophistication of Sulas and Grovers, they may be left with huge stocks of unsold wine, perishing grapes and shattered dreams.
The fluidity and uncertainty of the current market scenario does not prevent several new proposals like Venky’s fermenting slowly and quietly. Seagram is already known to have entered the fray. Every week I hear of some big banner, especially in Australia and France planning to set up bottling bulk wine in India- from Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Himachal to Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra, Goa and of course, Maharashtra and Karnataka. In a market where the growth is barely 25-30% and where people laugh at my suggested desirable growth of 50-60% with proper wine education and with a possible progressive government attitude how many of these projects will flourish in the miniscule market of 4 mill. litres is anyone’s guess.
So, whether Venky’s is really going to rock or hit the rock is something we shall wait and watch. Stay tuned for further developments. For any bricks or bouquets, views or news on the subject click here.
Subhash Arora
Aug 1, 2005
About the Author:
Founded Delhi Wine Club five years ago to promote wine culture in India through education by organizing various programmes and training seminars, wine tasting dinners etc.Writing content and managing India's first wine webzine, with India-centric wine news since inception. The Club has organised 105 events in 5 years and has been been voted the best wine club of India by the first-ever survey carried out by Wine Business International, Germany.
Wine passion has taken him to various wine fairs, vineyards and conferences around the world. He has written regularly for a popular daily under, 'Wonderful World of Wine'and a couple of national magazines. An engineer from IIT, Delhi with Master's degrees in Industrial Engineering and Business Administaration from the University of Minnesota, he has been actively promoting wine in India by delivering talks, organizing wine appreciation courses,training waiters and managers,designing wine menus and offering wine consultancy.
He has been a juror for the Vinitaly Wine Competition in 2006. He has been invited to be a speaker at various international forums like Vinitaly, Prowein and Fenavin. He is also the India correspondent of Wine Business Interntional. He is the editor article contributor of delWine, an eNewsletter that goes out to about 6000 people around the world.
He has been also voted 'the Best Wine Journalist' in the Who's Who Survey.
Website Name: Delhi Wine Club
Website URL: www.delhiwineclub.com
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