INDIAN WINE CONSUMPTION INCREASES BY 73%

Wine consumption in India is likely increase to 2.1 million cases by 2017, 73 per cent higher than 1.21 million cases in 2013, said a survey today. Spirits consumption is also likely to increase in the next five years to 373.5 million cases, an increase of over 20 per cent from 2013 level, said the study by Vinexpo. One case comprises nine litres of wine or spirit. "Having increased significantly by 73.7 per cent between 2008 and 2012, Indian spirit consumption will continue to grow over the next five years reaching a total of 373.5 million by 2017, up 20.5 per cent compared to 2013," the International Wine and Spirits Report, 2014, said. This growth is largely the result of a 155.47 per cent jump in consumption of brandy and 109.75 per cent of scotch whiskey between 2008 and 2012. "These remarkable results position India as the fifth largest spirits importer in Asia. According to the forecast of the Vinexpo study, India should even become the fourth largest Asian spirits importer by 2017, overtaking Thailand." According to the survey, Indians are likely to drink 1.15 million cases of red wine and 0.63 million cases white wine by 2017. The intake of of rose wine is expected to be 0.10 million cases. "More than 61 per cent of the wines drunk in India are red and this segment is expected to grow by 71.6 per cent between 2013 and 2017," the study said. "Many factors are behind it as there is rise in the salary in the country, people are traveling to the West, local production is increasing and people are becoming sophisticated. For similar reasons, wine consumption in China has increased. It triggers demand in any country," Vinexpo Chairman of the Board Xavier De Eizaguirre told PTI. In 2013, Indian consumed 1.10 million cases of wine, in which red wine was leading in the segment with 0.67 million cases, while white wine and rose wine were 0.37 million cases and 0.06 million cases respectively. The rest is sparking wine like Champagne. India is 11th biggest wine consuming country in Asia-Pacific, it said. "Pushed by the local production, the consumption of white wine should also increase by 71 per cent in the same period. Furthermore, the study forecasts that Indian sparkling wine consumption would be double in the next five year," it said. The report further added that the share of imported wine would also increase from 0.28 million cases in 2013 to 0.48 million cases in 2017. "Presently, one bottle of wine out of four consumed in India is imported," the study said.