After automobiles, Germany woos India with wines
August 8th, 2012 - 10:08 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) After luxury automobiles, high-end technology and Black Forest cakes and pastries, Germany is set to woo India with a select range of white and red wine - which the country’s ambassador claims goes best with spicy Indian food.
“The German Riesling (white wine) with its unique flavour, texture and low alcohol levels, goes very well with the Indian palate and cuisines. We expect that German wines will gain popularity in the days to come,” the country’s ambassador to India, Michael Steiner, told IANS on the sidelines of a wine tasting here.
“German wines have very different characteristics, taste and craftsmanship which are very different from that of other well-known wine making countries.”
The low alcohol levels and dryness of German wines pairs them well with a variety of Indian foods with exotic flavours and spices.
According to the envoy, India is “slowly but surely” getting hooked on to German wines, which compete with more popular French, Italian and Spanish wines, apart from the domestic brands.
“German wines are gaining popularity, people are taking about these wines. The average knowledge about German wines has definitely gone up,” the envoy said.
Indian wine importers too are enthusiastic about German wines, even though their current penetration is still low in comparison to other hard drinks an wines - both domestic and imported.
“German white wines are gaining popularity in India as they go well with our spicy food like the kebabs. I expect that if the German wines are promoted properly they may gain a sizeable market share in the near future,” said Vikram Sethi, director of Shervick Services that imports nearly 60,000 wine bottles from France, Italy and Spain.
“Currently, I am experimenting with the German wines. It’s a very initial stage,” Sethi said, adding that in future he may import around 9,000-10,000 bottles a year.
The whites definitely have the edge among German wines, the envoy said.
“Germany is known for its white wines rather than reds. Towards our border with France, we manufacture more of red wines and towards our border with Austria and in northern Germany, we manufacture white wine,” Steiner said.
Some 48,000 people are associated with Germany’s wine making industry.
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Tags: alcohol levels, black forest, cakes and pastries, domestic brands, flavours and spices, german wines, initial stage, kebabs, luxury automobiles, michael steiner, palate, red wine, riesling white wine, sizeable market share, spanish wines, spicy food, spicy indian food, white wines, wine bottles, wine importers