The Wolves are Howling in INDIA
Over the last three years our Howling Wolves brand has been exported to India, where it has been well received. Even the Indian cricket team along with Coach Greg Chappel has been seen drinking it.
Earlier this year we signed a Joint Venture agreement with one of India’s largest distilleries to develop a vineyard as well as build a winery in a town called Shreepur. This town was established around the 6th century when it was called Sirpur and was an important Buddhist site inhabited by over 10,000 monks. During this period the Arcawas arrived with merchants from as far away as China.
A far cry from the sleepy hamlet it is today, Shreepur is 433km east of Mumbai (Bombay) with an altitude of 457metres. The climate and soil are similar to WA’s wine region of the Swan Valley. So far 12 hectares of the proposed 40 hectares have been planted using cuttings sourced from Margaret River. The varieties will be Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz and Granache.
The vineyard has been named “Margaret’s Vineyard” after the area where Howling Wolf is located in Western Australia. The road leading into the vineyard just happens to be lined with Eucalyptus tree’s to remind us of home. A couple of kilometers from the Vineyard are the proposed site of the Winery to be built of local stone. The power for the winery will come from our Joint Venture partner’s distillery. The waste water treatment plant from the distillery provides methane which powers the turbines providing the town of Shreepur with its electricity. 
The first vintage to be produced by the new winery will be in 2008 and this will be from fruit procured by local growers. The first fruit from “Margaret’s Vineyard” will be available in 2009. All the wine produced will serve the growing Indian wine market. Indians are developing a taste for wine through education and a growing middle class consumer who are moving away from the traditional beer and spirits.
Consumption among India’s billion – strong population is more than seven million bottles a year. But it is a revolution in social habits for a country still largely obsessed with whiskey, a legacy of the British Raj. Wine was an esoteric brew, consumed only by the rich when they traveled abroad. As wine has become fashionable, the quality of the cabernet sauvignon served has become an indicator of the social standing of dinners and weddings.
Most wine drunk in India is imported from Europe, but because of its high prices local vintages are winning a following. An acquaintance with wine may be necessary to ward off embarrassing faux pas at the next business meeting, so education on the aspiration of wine consumption is vital