Enthusiasts raise a toast to wine clubs
Wine clubs and training sessions are the latest buzz among wine connoisseurs in India, and in most metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, wine lovers are making their presence felt. So, if you too are a wine enthusiast and want to raise a toast with like-mined people, join the club.
So, what is a wine club and what are the advantages if you are part of it? Deepak Jain, co-founder of Wine Club Gurgaon says, “Wine clubs are usually forums, where wine lovers gather from time to time and impart knowledge about different varieties of wine. The biggest advantage being a wine club member is that you can get special offers on wine and wine-related accessories that are available in the club. Plus you can also learn how to appreciate and enjoy this drink.”
There are also some wine clubs exclusively for women, which give them an opportunity to learn more about this drink. Kanchan Kapoor, owner of W Factor wine club, feels that wine is an excellent conversation starter. She says, “When I started this club, I wanted to promote everything about wine, since it’s an excellent drink. Our club is only for women and here we have regular sessions, where sommeliers talk about various wine and food pairing, wine etiquettes, and how to use wine in other cocktails and recipes. We also plan to conduct a wine crushing session for the ladies very soon.”
About wine training sessions, Abhay Kewadkar, chief winemaker, business head (Wines) and director of Four Seasons, United Spirits Limited says, “Wine training sessions are popular with young wine enthusiasts. Recently, at our summer wine training session, we told members about various varieties of Rosé wines.”
In the past few years, there has been a sharp rise in wine lovers in India, and experts feel that the credit goes to the increased number of Indian wine brands in the market. Says Deepak Jain, “Ten years back, Sula wines started producing local wines, and later many others followed league. Earlier, only whiskey and rum were popular in India, but as people are travelling globally they are getting more inclined towards wine. The members in a wine club get to know interesting facts during the tasting sessions — sight, smell, swirl and sip.”
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