December 10, 2011 Last Updated at 00:59 IST Bourses get three weeks to decide on minimum base capital Alok Sheel: Flawed signals from Cannes Canadian company in talks to revive Lion Beer Hazare team rejects Lok Pal report to begin stir Export data overstated by $9.4 bn, says govt Have you ever wondered why you cannot buy wines online in India? come up for wine? That’s because not only are wines (like all alcoholic beverages) a “state subject”, which means operating in the equivalent of 32 different countries (with all the attendant checks and controls), it’s also due to an antiquated and antediluvian interpretation of Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy, which lumps wine with spirits and prevents its marketing across state borders. In fact, it’s easier getting in wine samples from overseas (just use FedEx), as domestic couriers cannot transport liquids by air within the country. Even sending wine samples overseas is a pain as it tends to be (again) lumped together with spirits as “combustible goods” (ever tried setting fire to wine?).

The only entity that has been able to overcome this is the Wine Society of India, which offers its members in each of the three cities where it operates (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore) a selection of wines registered in the respective states, having tied up with a retailer for actual billing and delivery — all entirely legal. I suspect that part of the problem is with payment of state duties and taxes: revenue bean-counters are loath to forgo a single paisa in excise, and since each state’s rules and duty levels are different, sorting this out for online sales is a nightmare. In the US, though, consumers can buy wines online directly from wineries in most states. This greatly benefits small producers who don’t have the distribution muscle of larger producers, and consumers who want to ensure supplies for wines from such producers. Most good wineries have mailing lists of people who want to be kept informed of new vines and special offers, while the top wineries actually allocate wines on the basis of historical purchases!

You could order wines directly from wineries at half the price of what they might cost from your retailer. I’m sure many would place orders by the case, and stock up in advance rather than rush to the wine shop the day of the dinner or party. That’s certainly something the Indian Grape Processing Board should make one of the items on their “National Level Strategic Plan for the Indian Wine Industry”, as a tool to help market wines from Indian wineries. It’s not something that will happen overnight, but if it is on the agenda it will happen sometime. Wines I’ve been drinking: I recently tried a St Cosme “Little James Basket Press” 2010 white from the Gigondas (Rhone) area of France. A blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, the wine has an aroma of tropical fruits that stayed despite it being served very chilled, and a crisp freshness that was just terrific. We started out just tasting the stuff, and found the bottle gone before one could say “Scarce blue!”

The label is funky enough to put off traditionalists and interest everyone else. It is Rs 1,764 a bottle in Bangalore. Grab a bottle at Toscano, if it’s still available. Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultantbest italian wine everCopyright © 2017 All rights reservedbest wine making equipment kit Website Powered by WineFetchbest wine sites design •  In-store Powered by Visionbest april wine songs top 101. York Sparkling Cuvée BrutJust a few months after this baby hit the market, it’s raked up rave reviews. top 10 italian white wineThe York Sparkling is made of one hundred per cent Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that the wine house has always worked well with (their still Chenin Blanc makes for a lovely glass as well). buy italian wine online

The nicest thing about this sparkling wine is that the owners – the Gurnani brothers – have retained a fair bit of fruit while still managing to make a dry sparkling wine. This will be the Brut to beat in the coming year. Cost: Rs 975 in Maharashtra 2. Zampa Soirée Brut RoséWhen it comes to a sparkling wine, there are two main things to look out for – the quality of the effervescence and the overall balance of the wine. This one scores high on both counts. The blush-coloured bubbly is made from the Syrah grape and has a refreshing palate of red cherry and hints of strawberry with a creamy mid-palate. Cost: Rs 1100 in Maharashtra 3. Charosa Selections Sauvignon BlancThis Nashik-based winery debuted their wines in 2013 and has had everyone floored since. Among the whites, they produce an ace Viognier but it’s their Sauvignon Blanc that hits it out of the park. In fact, the Charosa Selections Sauvignon Blanc has outdone some well-reputed New Zealand and Australian wines in blind tastings.

Cost: Rs 750 in Maharashtra 4. Fratelli Sangiovese BiancoPiero Masi, the well-known Tuscan winemaker, is the man largely behind the success of Fratelli’s wines. Their range is extensive but this one is by far the most peculiar. The Sangiovese Bianco is a white wine made from red grapes. As you can imagine, it’s not an awfully easy task. Because you’re left with a crisp and fresh white wine with the vigour and body of a red one and that, if done right, can be a winning combination. An unusual wine by all measures, Fratelli’s Sangiovese Bianco is a wine you either love or hate. It’s a rarity even by international standards. Cost: Rs 880 in Delhi 5. Krsma Sangiovese As a wine house – which would probably fit into the ‘boutique winery category’ – Krsma Estates in Hampi makes some of the best wines in the country. Producing quality wine in India was a dream for Hyderabad-based owners Uma and Krishna Prasad Chigurupati (along with running a marathon in every continent for which they hold the Guinness World Record) which was realised in 2003.

Among the wines they produce, their Sangiovese is particularly impressive with fulsome notes of dark chocolate, warm spices and nuts.Available only in Bangalore 6. Charosa Reserve TempranilloTempranillo is likely to be the next big grape on Indian soil and this is probably why: It is most suited to hot climes and the people at Charosa have used this fact to their advantage. Their first vintage of the Reserve Tempranillo was so outstanding that it has inspired other wineries in the region to experiment with it. Cost: Rs 1700 in Maharashtra 7. Zampa Chêne Grande ReserveChêne, meaning oak in French, is the new red blockbuster from the house of Grover-Zampa. It is a blend of Tempranillo and Syrah and aged for 15 months in oak making it more of a New World style exploit – decidedly dominant and unabashedly oaky. Long after the sip, one can still recollect the taste of toasted coffee on the palate. It is a bold wine and, going by the international awards it has won so far, well-liked not just on home turf.

8. Fratelli Sette (2011)Sette is the most premium among the reserve wines from the house of Fratelli. Sette, meaning seven in Italian, alludes to the men behind the winery. Three sets of brothers – the Mohite-Patils, the Sekhris and the Seccis – and the winemaker Piero Masi make for a total of seven. The current vintage 2011 is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon and is elegant and beautifully balanced. Cost: Rs 1800 in Delhi 9. Myra Reserve Shiraz This wine coming out of Nashik is perhaps the friendliest and most unassuming of the wines bearing the ‘Reserve’ label. It is also the most affordable of the lot but given how the word Reserve isn’t quite governed by any formal law yet, it remains open to interpretation. The Myra version shows notes of ripe red fruit with generous amounts of vanilla from the oak, making for an elegant wine that is quite approachable. Cost: Rs 800 in Maharashtra 10. Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz Dindori by Sula was the first wine to use the name of a region on its label, so in a way it was almost like a single-vineyard wine.