Wine is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks and it is loved by both men and women all over the world. Now people know about the benefits of wine and in their parties and bars people love to ask for wine.

Indeed in every party and get together, my first attention goes at the wine as I love sipping wine.

All over the world people love wine however wine is produced  by some countries.

Europe is considered as the land which produces a lot of wine; however USA also has big wine yards like one in Michigan. India also produces wine of international standard however India’s market in wine consumption is very less. India is still considered as a whiskey drinking country.

Wine has amazing alcoholic drink that has its long history and it is loved greatly by women all over the world, especially in the rich countries but this perception has changed and wine is best served in its glasses and everyone enjoy its fragrance, taste and health benefit.

The total consumption of wine is still around 244 million hectoliters collectively by (2016 stats)

In this search I am happy to share one info-graphic with my readers which I get from remedyliquor.com that can a wonderful info graphic stating the wine consumption figures by country.

Sex and alcohol don’t go concurrently but both hit the mind strongly. Alcohol can help in overcoming inhibitions or anxieties while interacting with an opposite sex but it can never work as an aphrodisiac. In fact, it does the opposite.

Aphrodisiac is to increase and support the desired level of sex. It helps your performance however alcohol inhibits your ability to attain strong erection and orgasm.

Researches said that excessive intake of alcohol leads to erectile dysfunction. It is found that as the amount of alcohol in the blood increases our brain’s ability to sense sexual stimulation decreases.

Alcohol interferes with our nervous system and affects the sensitivity of nerve endings, respiration and blood circulation which results into a problem with sexual arousal and orgasm. Penis, which has its direct relation with the blood, under the strong influence of alcohol fails to get erect or to maintain a strong erection.

Moderate drinking can help you. It means you can drink in a limit and to such an extent that your body not feels dehydration. Our body works at its optimum level while it is hydrated. As alcohol dehydrates the body that can result into a decrease in blood volume and it further leads to erectile dysfunction.

According to The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism the definition of moderate drinking means:

• No more than two drinks a day for men &
• One drink a day for women.

It is found that our organ liver can process only 1 ounce of alcohol in an hour. If extra amount is taken then it will remain in the blood and in body tissues which affects you physiologically.

Indeed drinking alcohol in moderation is beneficial for your heart health and that means it will keep your sex life active too.

Scientific findings say that alcohol has some antioxidant capacities which help heart and decrease cardiovascular mortality.

However as we know it is really hard to maintain the limit of drinking. As the drinking crosses the moderate limit body will react and affect your sexual performance. This is not just with drinking whiskey but it is with any type of alcoholic drinks. Indeed moderate drinking amount depends on your body weight and what you have eaten while drinking.

Red wine is the only alcoholic drink that helps your sex life and boosts your orgasm.

Sometimes we meet someone unplanned and suddenly that moment becomes valuable. Such is the moment when I meet Mr. Randip Dhingra who has just started his new venture – Twist, a family wine and dine restaurant at Cyber Hub. I am sure that his name needs no introduction as people know him well for his fine taste in wine.

As Indian culture is amalgamating itself with wine culture of foreign inherent so I buzz with him that if a greenhorn likes to have a wine then what would Randip suggest to him. He smiles first, then start to talk. In India we are young about the taste buds of wine. We are mostly teaching ourselves with blogs, magazines and talk but when something is about the taste then taste and experience. Wine is all about taste. It is all about opening yourself to share and experience the wine, its fine aroma, its taste, its color and the pleasure of learning something new.

Wine is simple. It is complex. It is simple in taste but complex in experiencing. Your taste bud has not experienced the wine earlier so you have no idea what it is all about. You first sip and then try to identify the flavor you find there. People mostly enjoy the fruity taste as it is familiar to them.

Gradually by repeating the same wine your palate learns the taste and now you know one wine. This is the time to try another wine and then another. When you try you will learn a new kind of wine. Try this time any dry or crispy. This will help you to differentiate between the taste and here starts your new experience with wine.

It is always advisable to start with the low cost wine. It will help you learn a lot. When you start with low budget your pocket will definitely smile and you will feel good as you experiment with some economical wines.

In India, tax on wine is too high so it is good to start with some Indian brands. Now India is also making its presence in the first world. It is also developing its market and exporting a lot. Here in India we have some vineyards too so it is a fun to visit them and see how wine is made and which grapes are available and which types of wine are possible to grow here.

It also sets you to think about the factors that constitute a good wine; I mean the soil, the climate, and the grapes varieties. You will gradually find you have enriched yourself with a lot of information.

As your information and the inclination towards wine increases soon you will love to taste more. Your taste buds are the best teacher who supports you to learn faster.

There are some countries whose wine one must taste, especially France. French wine is expensive but when you have started with the economical wine then you will definitely relish the expensive ones and soon learn the difference.

Indeed wine is very vast area that requires a lot of patience, time and money. Here in India there are some institutes that offer good level of information but it is always good to develop your own taste by tasting.

No business can sustain in the market for long without creating demand and the best way to create a demand is by educating the masses. Wine is still a drink for a class but gradually the wall is narrowing and more and more restaurants are opening with wine bars. In fact they are hiring young professionals to promote, to help to grow the learning curve of their customers.

Wine sommeliers are getting their presence in Indian bars as well as restaurants. Earlier they were only confined to five star hotels now they are actively seen in other establishments. This new opening has greatly improved the taste buds of Indian wine drinkers.

As soon as India started its own winery in India and Indian culture got adapted to wine culture the role and importance of wine sommelier got a big boost. In fact they are the right person available for the consumers to assist in selecting the right wine and foods.

Sommelier is a French word that means bartender but they are more than that. They are responsible and specialized in all aspects of wine, its serving and food pairing. They help restaurants with wine storage and in its proper care.  At senior levels they help restaurants, hotels, resorts and vineyards on their financial front too with things like pricing, purchasing and sales monitoring.

Nowadays new fine dining bars and restaurants have a good number of sommeliers. They are well informed and they are trained to share information with their clients.

Ekagar Sharma, wine sommelier at The Wine Company says: “The more you let your customers know about the wine, grapes, country favors etc. the better quality of consumers you will get in the near future. People have money. They are going abroad and seeing new things and coming back and looking at things here to. This way the demand of wine is growing.”

Nadeem Khan, wine sommelier at Twist  says: “It is all about sharing. The better you share information the better reliability your restaurant will get. That will automatically push the sales.  Here at cyber hub many foreigners walk in along with some Indian.  They love to talk and they have good knowledge about the alcohol and cultures and they show interest in sharing their experience as well as knowing ours. It is really very fascinating that things are changing and bar is gradually becoming a fun place.”

Ravi Punia wine sommelier and beverage manager at The People & CO. Says: “Good thing is that people are now ready to ask questions. They are not embarrassed to ask for help. They are ready to experience a new taste and ready to go for wine and its pairing. We have all Indian as well as foreign brands and customers walk in and they try to open the bottle themselves for opening experience and experiment. Nearly 60% of our customer ask for suggestion and we give them options. And honestly 50% walk back again and again to try the other options too.”

The future of Indian wine and the wine sommeliers is very bright and now also we have several professional institutes for certifications.

India has definite grown its name in winery and its taste has win name in world market. Indian export and import segment is growing fast.  Today wine market is of $ 26 billion and India has made some branded names Like Sula, Four seasons, etc.

No doubt India is famous for its Patiala pegs but wine has succeeded to catch a fancy. Wine is getting popular in restaurant and bar, parties and gradually it is finding space in table talk. Research says that 61% of People love to taste red wine and it will grow up to 71.6% by 2017.

Akassh K Aggarwal Jewelry Designer says: “The consumption of Wine in India is as old as English Era but the recent availability of Indian wine has made it economical and affordable for masses. Now it is becoming a fashion statement to hold a Glass of Wine.”

The beautiful colors of red, white and rosy wines are giving Indian a new choice in the drinking habit and this new glass is mesmerizing everyone. If we specially talk about Delhi wine market and culture then it is good to say that here we are consuming around 20% of wine of course we are a little slower from Mumbai as they are consuming 32% of wine and definitely a good credit goes to retail outlets who are helping the wine culture in India.

Nikkita Kattar, Owner of Baro Baro Tika bar, (at Saket) says: Wine in India is like a mark of high status. Indeed foreign wine is expensive but Indian wine has succeeded in this field too particularly in decade. Wine is now complementing the Indian cuisine. We are selling nearly 20- 30 bottles in a day.

Indeed, the late night party and ladies night culture is changing. Wine is covering more space and people are opening to wine.

Arvind Kumar, RGM, The Wine Company, at Gurgaon says: In last 10 years travel industry has played a significant role in the growth of wine culture. We are also promoting wine culture by selling at an easily affordable price. 80-100 bottles per day we sells on an average, in fact, we are one of the maximum wine seller as a free standing restaurant. And now days parties we are booking has order for wine in their menu.

Wine drinking is good for health; awareness among the elite section has increased and people are becoming health conscious and ready to pay for healthy living and health beneficial drinks.

Prerak Kakkar , Advocate of Cross Cultural negotiations & federal white collar crimes, says: “Wine culture is in its cradle stage in India. In party people love to drink Vodka or Gin cocktail but whiskey holds the first choice. Wine drinkers are there but not in large number. If you ask me then I will say wine is healthier than other drinks.”

Health is one of the chief notes in our life. Healthy body requires healthy food and drinks and normal healthy lifestyle. There are researches and studies going on throughout the world to improve our life.

New reaches says that the type 2 diabetic patience can enjoy alcoholic drinks in moderation and red wine gives them better result.

This new study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researcher Iris Shai of Ben Gurion University says: There is a myth that alcohol is not so safe for diabetic patient.

The two years of research on diabetic people finally suggested that red wine helps them in number of ways.

Shai recruited 225 people aging from 40- 75 who were facing elevated blood sugar problem and gave them a Mediterranean style diet for two years. Everyone in the study was eating the same food but they were divided into 3 groups on their drinks:

• Drinking one glass of red wine per day
• Drinking one glass of white wine per day
• Drinking mineral water.

During this period from June 2010 to May 2012 they assigned everyone 150 ml of water and drinks.

After 2 years they concluded that people with a glass of red wine at dinner had better cardiovascular and better controlled Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, they find improvement in their levels of good cholesterol.

They also found that the red wine drinkers had better lipid variations, better sleep and overall better metabolic system.

It is really very good news for type 2 diabetic patients however more researches are required and new researches are taking place as we speak.

Diabetes is one of the most widely spread diseases and nearly 433 million people are affect by it. Only in America nearly 29million people have diabetes and most of the cases are of type 2 diabetes, which is not a good one.

It is condition in which body doesn’t make enough amount of insulin or does not use insulin correctly or both. That results into a high level of sugar in blood.

People with type 2 diabetes have to control the sugar or blood glucose by medication, life style changes or preferably both. Diet is the key.

Our foods have carbohydrate that causes the blood sugar to go up and avoiding this is not very easy as it is in fruits, sweets, breads and starches.

Diabetes affects our vital body organs such as, kidney, heart, skin and eyes. Maintain a healthy life style and now you can drink red wine in moderate amount and enjoy life and your parties.

Indian Fine cuisines culture is changing. Now people are getting more open and accepting wine. Indian urban cities have several bars and restaurants where wine culture is getting its roots.

There are several types of wine so people have several options to choose from. Broadly one can select from its alcohol percentage, country, fruit, and color. In Europe, wines are traditionally named after the place from which they originate.

India imports a good number of wine from different countries and they too export some of their wines to other countries.

Indeed, government policy is somewhere slowing the pace but wine is getting its root in Indian culture and market. Moreover, India is a whiskey drinking country. We drink nearly all what Scotland produces in a year.

Few years back India consumed nearly 0.012 liters of wine per person that roughly counts as 6 table spoons per annum. China who is considered as a newcomer and traditionally comes at a low level in wine drinking took nearly 1 liter per person and Australia who has a proud wine drinking habit consumed around 30 liters per person, according to ABS.

In India situation is not so simple. We have around 150% on import duty, plus additional taxes of around 12% then 5% of unloading, storage cost, transferring cost from one state to another, State duties and on top of it wine importers trade margins which is around 40%.  It is all at the expense of consumers.

However, situation is changing. The wine market is consistently growing by 15- 18%. At present we are consuming around 1400 crores of wine each year which is approximately US $ 280 million.

Retail segment is growing very rapidly and wine now accounts for 30% of all sales which was earlier 22- 25% and it is considered that wine is going to be the single largest segment in liquor retailing.

This retailing has made new trend in India. Now in our urban society it is very easily accepted that women are consuming alcoholic beverages. New generation is having better awareness about benefits of wine and wine is seen to be the least harmful and the least potent.

Some steps are taken by the state government too such as states like Karnataka delinked wine from hard liquor and beer and introduced the concept of “wine tavern” licenses. That really makes it easy to open bars and serve wine at less expensive price.

India has nearly 123,000 acres of vineyards across India but only 1% of it is used for wine. Indeed, India will take a long time to reach the level of wine producing countries like France, Italy, Australia, Spain, America, etc. but a few big names in India have started to gain grounds.

Indian Wine market has started seeing good days after 2012 and things are improving. As per forecast by 2017 wine market will get 73.5% assumed growth. That means India will be consuming 2.4 million cases of wine that year. However, china will be consuming 178 million cases of wine.

We can only hope that government tax policy will get liberal and better days will come to this sector soon.

The Governor of Michigan announces April as a month of Wine. The wine has given this state an extraordinary growth in its economy. It contributes with more than $800 million to Michigan’s economy each year.

Michigan is a state located in the Great Lakes Region. It is in the eastern north-central part of United States. Michigan is ranked as the 23rd largest state. Michigan State covers a total area of 151,585 square kilometers.  The states that border Michigan are Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Michigan has a lake which is 307 miles long by 118 miles wide. It is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world. Its watery expanse creates a pleasant climate in this region that prevents extremes in heat and cold. During April nearly 14 days remains sunny.  Weather is soothing and protecting not just for human but for the fragile buds that grow in spring and also to the ripening fruits in summer. Due to the deep lake the soil doesn’t let so the vine roots freeze and the regular annual rainfall produces juicy clusters of grapes, the nectar of fine wines.

Here they cultivate a wide variety of grapes, which allows them to produce a sizeable selection of quality wines including reds, whites, blushes and sparkling and non-alcoholic juices.

Needless to say wine means France and Germany but winemakers find that this land and climate is similar and good for the cultivation of some of the finest wine grape. They began planting European grape varieties on these hills. They built wineries here in large numbers and they started producing special blends with the region’s rich fruits. And soon they get international attention.

This whole region looks so beautiful due to the greenery, some of the most beautiful seashores, towering dunes and breathtaking sunsets in the world that it attracts over 2 million visitors each year. Here we find the rolling hills which are equally appropriate for championship golf. Every year over 2 million visitors come to rejoice the beauty of the place that further strengthens the economy and wine industry.

Michigan has a long history of grapes and wine in fact in the 1670’s when the French arrived along the Rue Détroit.  They discovered grapes growing along the banks of the lake in large number and they started using them for wine.

Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, founder of Detroit, built Fort Pontchartrain in the early 1700s and planted grapes there for personal wine consumption. Joseph Sterling established the state’s first commercial winery, Pointe Aux Peaux, in Monroe in the 1860s, with others following.

The Michigan wine industry gained momentum after the repeal in the 1930s. The state whole-heartily attempted to regroup with several wineries throwing themselves right back into production. In 1985, the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry council was established to promote and advance state wines.

Winter is the real time when I love to visit bar and spend my hours to belly up with my fancy drinks. In fact, I love tasting new cocktails and other drinks but I prefer to sip one type at a time. If I am talking about cocktails, then Gin is the number one in the shelves in making cocktails. Gin is the most fashionable drink due to its subtle flavor. As per the 1951 the Bartenders’ Guide Gin was the best base spirits in 7000 cocktails.

Gin is primarily made up of juniper berry but there are many other herbs and spices are added as a flavoring agent. They use the best flavor from the original places, for example Cardamom from Sri Lanka, Cassia bark from Vietnam, Orange peel from Spain, Coriander seed from Czech Republic, Angelica root from Germany. And it is very interesting that Juniper berries are imported from Italy. Apart from these there are dozens of other possible ingredients used in making of Gin. Each distiller follows their secret formula and so no two Gin brands are exact in taste.

Mostly people beef up about its taste; actually Gin can be described as flavored Vodka. Gin was first named as “Genever” from the French word of Juniper. Dr. Franciscus de La Boie who was also known as Dr. Sylyius from Holland, a Dutch Doctor, invented this in 1650 for medical purposes. He was a professor at the University of Leyden. He was trying to find a medicine for the treatment of kidney disorders or the effect of Malaria and for this he mixed Juniper berry oil with grain alcohol, as both have diuretic properties.

Gin was then sweetened with sugar to find more palatable taste and called Old Tom. Soon the unsweetened gins were called Dry or London dry Gin. Actually London dry Gin is specified by a geographical location i.e. it is made in or near London. It was invented in 1831. Now this term is used to describe a style of Gin. The world famous BEEFEATER is now the only Gin distilled in London.

This famous drink reached to England during the rule of William 111, better known as William of Orange, (1650 to 1702). In fact, British troops fought with Dutch for 30 years and while returning they brought back gin, which they called “Dutch Courage” and soon they started distillation in England. It soon became their National drink of England.

Before this they were busy in making Whisky and Scotch from grains and tampering them with years of aging in wooden casks. So it was expensive and too harsh in consumption. But Gin tasted good and was less expensive to produce.

According to Gin and Vodka Association, in 1730, Gin was sold cheaper than beer but soon in 1736 Gin act was issued and Gin became very expensive. During the time of William of Orange gin was free for all distillaters from professionals to amateurs. In 1750s it was again taken in control and the quality and standard of gin came in hands of only professional distillers. Today Britain is the world’s greatest Gin exporter.