Can Indian wine make a name for itself in London? If recent headlines in the British press are to be believed, the answer is ‘Yes'. Many made big play of the fact that Waitrose, a posh supermarket chain, began stocking two Indian wines belonging to United Breweries — Zampa syrah 2008 and Ritu viognier 2010 — as part of its ‘unusual wines' segment. They sold out swiftly, and Waitrose says it is considering selling them online in the near future.

“We are keeping an eye on Indian wine producers as the industry develops,” Waitrose wine buyer Matt Smith said on email. He discovered the wines at the annual London Trade Fair. “The wines do match well with Indian food, but this isn't the main reason we stocked them, as I believe they do stand up on their own,” he said.

Indian wines, of course, have been sold in the UK for many years (now collapsed Indage being the biggest among them) but, somehow, they never seemed to permeate the British consciousness, or when they did it didn't bode well. A British friend grimaced when I once suggested a bottle of Indian wine to accompany our meal: she recalled a sickly sweet headache-giving red she'd had years ago. Why take the risk when there was a safe bottle of quaffable Argentine Malbec for a couple of pounds more?

Indeed, the danger of memories is one reason why London's top Indian restaurants have been relatively cautious when approaching wines from India.

Benares, a modern Indian restaurant in the heart of Mayfair, has introduced Sula, Grover and Soul Tree in its list of 400-something wines, but its wine buyer, Costanzo Scala, is cautious about adding more. “Sometimes distributors of other Indian wines approach us, but in some cases I think it would be a pity to put them on the menu as it could be quite counterproductive for the wine industry,” he says. “We are selling memories more than anything, and we don't want them to leave with bad ones.” He hastens to add: “It is very important for us to support the Indian wine movement”. However, reds in particular can pose problems and can be tough on the palate. “You really get the Indian soil… you get a very strong nose of smokiness that can be difficult to approach.”

Sunaina Sethi, sommelier at the London branch of Mumbai seafood restaurant Trishna, is similarly cautious. The restaurant added two Sula wines to its 200-strong wine list pretty much as soon as it opened here. “We felt it was important to introduce Indian wine into London,” she says. However, for now, any expansion of their Indian wine selection will be confined to Sula.

The restaurant has included the Indian wines in its tasting menu, matching a Sula Chenin Blanc with a fish curry (“The fantastic acidity cuts through the oiliness of the fish,” she says) and the Shiraz with lamb. “Indians have generally heard of it but Europeans, more often than not, try it out of curiosity,” she says, adding, “they're pleasantly surprised and go for it again.”

Benares' Scala says that while few clients know of Indian wines, they are “positively surprised” when they try it.

In fact, that was my experience recently: while out with Irish friends at Trishna, we ordered a bottle of the Sula Sauvignon Blanc and then a second one; what started out as curiosity turned into a willingness to consider an Indian wine as an alternative to the regular European house whites. They'd certainly have it again if it were available, my friends said.

Getting your wine recognised in the UK is a tough feat: Britons bought an astonishing 134 million cases of still wine from across the globe last year, according to International Wine and Spirit Research; India produces around 750,000 cases of still light (below 15 per cent alcohol) a year, a fraction of which is sold abroad. IWSR Chairman Val Smith estimates that around 50,000 cases are sold abroad each year, split across the Gulf, South- and Southeast Asia, the UK and the US.

It's the competition with well-priced European and established New World wines that poses the greatest challenge to Indian wines attempting to establish themselves in Britain, says Steven Spurrier, consultant editor at wine magazine Decanter , who set up the Wine Society of India. “I like drinking Indian wine, but in comparison to a good Chilean or South African I think there's no comparison,” he says. “I think they do have a market in restaurants and do have a market in retail for those who want wine with curry, but if it's a question of an Indian wine for £5.99 (Rs 470) instead of something from the South of France… the Indian doesn't go any better for the food.”

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW