Selling wine online is better

Have you ever wondered why you cannot buy wines online in India? Meaning, why can’t a site like, say, Flipkart.com 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.

Vive la France!

 

Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant