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India uncorks own Napa valley
From CNN's Suhasini Haidar
NASIK, Western India (CNN) -- The hills and valleys outside the western Indian town of Nasik have always been great for growing oranges, mangos and table grapes. But now they are lush with something new -- wine grapes. Five wineries have already sprung up in the Nasik region and forty more intend to start. India isn't known for its wines, and Nasik valley is no Napa valley. But Indian wine makers want to change all that. They say the light soil and year round sun make this area ideal for growing wine grapes. Sula Wineries was the first to uncork the region's potential, and now it is India's biggest grape-growing area. Since its first bottle four years ago, the company has mushroomed, producing 40,000 cases this year. Their wines are available in 35 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area. Sula owner Rajeev Samant gave up his job in Silicon Valley to set up the company, and says the wine is finding favor among Indian drinkers, as well as in wine-savvy places like Italy, France, and California. "So you have the fact that it's a good wine, and then the fact that it's an Indian wine, and those two factors combined make it much easier to market," says Samant. What makes it difficult here, he explains, is that Indians haven't developed a wine culture and it is illegal to advertise liquor in India. Though many Indians drink alcohol, most prefer hard liquor such as rum and whiskey, according to a recent survey. The problem for India's winemakers is not many know enough about it, according to Subhash Arora, who started a wine club in New Delhi. "I think it's time that Indians got into the habit of drinking wine, and I thought let's start something by which we can educate people and get the culture of wine into people's mind," says Arora, who is now president of the Delhi wine club. Five other Indian cities are set to open up wine clubs, Arora says, and wine producers are bubbly with joy. They say the market is growing at a rapid 35 percent each year, as more and more fans of the fermented grape take to the winemakers' version of the cup that cheers.
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