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Folks, Come December and many Goans living abroad head back home to Goa and the unbeatable environment here. For the past 5 years , the options for wine drinkers have increased considerably, in India in general, and in Goa specifically, where alcohol is a mite cheaper. So here are some personal views about the wine scene in Goa. It may help the visitor to get the best deal while eating out as well. I restrict myself to the dry whites and reds, and not the sweet wines manufactured locally. Inspite of WTO pressures, wines continue to be excessively priced in India, including the local varieties. In fact, some really lousy foreign wines are being dumped into the Indian markets. One therefore needs to be careful not to pay too much for a foreign table wine which is sought to be sold as a vintage wine. There are basically three categories of wines, and the cost varies as per these categories. In the first category are the local Indian wines. Some 15 years ago, foreign grape strains like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, etc were planted in the Naraingaon district of Maharashtra and the cool regions outside bangalore by the 2 leading wine manufacturers Indage and Grovers. The Sula group also joined them later. It took over 10 years for these Indian manufacturers to bottle reasonably good wines. They are finally producing wines which have a bouquet and fruity flavour. Most of these wines are priced at Rs.200 - Rs.460 per bottle. This, I feel, is a steep price for a local wine. Among the best red wines in this category are Grovers Reserve which costs Rs. 460. The cabernet shiraz, also Grovers, which costs Rs. 300 is good value for money. Among whites, Indage Vin Ballet only costs Rs.190, but has no bouquet or flavour. It is, however, very popular in the shacks because of its low cost. Sulas Chenin Blanc and Pacifica are better whites , but cost Rs. 375. The second category are those wines which are imported in vacuum casks, usually from Australia, Chile, or South Africa, bottled in India, and sold locally. This avoids some element of import duty, and these wines are normally sold in the price range Rs. 400- 500. I wouldnt categorise any of these as high quality wines, but they are better than the Indian wines, and marginally more expensive. Sulas Satory Merlot from Chile at Rs. 400, Indages Australian Cranswick Shiraz and Merlot at Rs.450, and South African Zulu Pinotage at Rs. 450 are some of the best red wines in this catgory. For a good white, try the South African Two Oceans Chardonnay at Rs.490. Please avoid the Portuguese Castelinho and Manuelinho which seem to have been poured out of garafaos into bottles and dumped into the Indian market. They are cheap, but only fit for cooking. The last category of wines available are the directly imported bottles, which are normally priced between Rs. 600 - 1500. This is due to the high import duty of some 260% and hefty margins added on. Most Indians can only admire them from afar and not savour their fine flavours, since their retail prices are doubled and sometimes trebled in starred hotels. So a Californian Robert Mondavi which retails for Rs. 1200, or a Ernest & Julio Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon which cost Rs. 1500 in a wine shop, would cost Rs. 3500 in a starred hotel. Really a shame spending all that money. All the same, for the well heeled, there is a wide variety of wines imported . So on your next trip to Goa, buy the bottle in retail, and use your corkscrew at home or in your hotel room. Happy imbibing. regards, Gilbert Menezes.