Who doesn’t like to unwind after a long day with a glass of wine? And with Indians rapidly turning to bottles of reds, whites and rosés, the way the country perceives and consumes wine is rapidly changing. And it was to gauge this wine drinking habit that Sonal Holland, master wine expert and founder of SoHo Wine Club, led a survey of the urban Indian wine consumer.
“We found that Indians lean towards wines with fruitier and riper notes; there’s a clear incline towards new-world wines (Australia, New Zealand and the US) over old-world wines (Europe). But it’s also true that the average wine drinker does not know about vintages. That said, the importance of vintage is going down, unless of course we are talking about a very expensive wine,” she says.
Here are some of the highlights of the report:
1. There is a limited understanding of wine. Other than colour, there is very little involvement with other wine styles; names of regions and grape varieties remain under-developed cues. This points to the scope for educating and involving the consumer.
2. Taste and price remain the most important factors. India is a price-sensitive market; also the tax on international wines is rather high.
Other important cues used by consumers when choosing wine are familiarity of brand name, country of origin and colour of wine.
3. Wine is increasingly a ‘mainstream drink’ and is being consumed across a wide range of occasions, both at home and at restaurants/bars.
“Watch any Hindi movie and the actors are drinking wine; this is translating to real-life scenarios. Movies are, after all, a reflection of society,” says Holland.
In restaurants, wine is being mostly consumed during large gatherings, casual or fine-dining meals.
4. More than 50% of consumers order wines exclusively by the glass, alluding to the price-sensitivity of the market. This highlights the need for better ‘wine-by-the-glass’ programmes, fair pricing strategies with a balanced representation of both domestic and international wines.
“Currently, most restaurants only have Indian wines to offer when it comes to wine by the glass,” says Holland.
5. Despite price-sensitivity, consumers spend more on wines to impress. More expensive wines are being poured at business meetings, social parties and for gifting. “To them, it’s more sophisticated,” says Holland.
6. International wines are more popular with Indian wine drinkers. They are perceived to be superior to their Indian counterparts.
7. Women represent an increasingly important market segment for the wine industry. Indian women view wine as classy and empowering.
8. Younger consumers (25-34-year-olds) represent a promising market segment for the Indian wine industry. The study reveals that the younger lot are purchasing wine as often as the older consumers, and show a strong preference for international wines.
