The track record of most star hotels rarely listing Indian wines is simply appalling, and it is high time this lacuna was corrected.
Anywhere else in the world, local inns, pubs and restaurants give the largest proportion of their wine lists to wines produced in the same country. But not in India, where most star hotels list only a few Indian wines (Sula, Grover, maybe one or two more labels), and anywhere up to several hundred imported ones - Champagnes, Bordeaux, Burgundies, Chablis, Barolos, Amarones, and what-have-you. And their banquets push cheap entry-level imported wines for marriages and parties to ignorant Indian consumers who still think that these are better than what's produced here.
The prime culprit is a differential duty structure that allows properties earning foreign exchange a licence to purchase wines free of customs duties (currently about 160 per cent of CIF) - probably the only such construct in the world. The argument for this is apparently that "making imported wines and spirits cheaper encourages foreign tourists and businessmen".
Now it is nobody's case that consumers should not be allowed to choose their own 'poison' - indeed, the 2001 policy of removing import restrictions on wines and spirits has hugely enhanced the quality of service by the hospitality industry here, apart from uplifting the spirits of innumerable consumers. Moreover, the competition provided by the availability of good quality imported wines has induced some Indian wineries to improve their own offerings - witness my previous articles on 'the best Indian wines' in this column. But for hotel chains to actively discriminate against Indian wines is unfortunate and unwarranted, and actually restricts the choice available to their guests.
Most hotel chains have centralised the process of listing new brands so as to standardise the offering across properties and optimise 'deals' with vendors. However, implementing such policies without 'application of mind' results in wines from promising new Indian wineries not being listed - on the pretext that those wines are not available where ever the chain has properties. This restricts consumer choice only to wines distributed by companies with pan-India reach, and prevents smaller wineries from reaching a significant proportion of their target audience.
Hotel managements should realise that many more quality wines are being produced in India, that their guests (both foreign and Indian) deserve to try such wines, and that by doing so they will improve the quality of their own services.
Wines I've been drinking: Premium Indian wines (naturally). I served Grover's La Reserve and their Art Series Viognier at my daughter's wedding last week with pride - the former is as good as it ever was, while I love Viognier for its softness and fragrance. I've also been tasting the wines from Krsma Estates (Hampi Hills, North Karnataka) and keep getting great responses - Chef Jean-Michael of Toscano in UB City is a recent convert, as is Arjun Sajnani of Sunny's. Both started-off being sceptical, and ended up loving the wines. In particular the Krsma Sangiovese (Rs 1,000) finds an instant response.
More joy to your elbow, I say.
Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant
