Top women in India's wine industry

These women know their good wine from bad, chardonnays from cabernets and can spot tannins at the slightest touch of wine on their tongues. India is drinking more and more wine, and recognises what are the jewels among the bottles. The Indian Express, by 2017, wine consumption in India will have increased to 2.1 million cases, up 73% from the 1.10 cases consumed in 2013.

DHARTI DESAI

The founder of ‘Fine Wines N More’, she imports wines from all over the world and gives free tasting notes with them. She organizes wine-tasting evenings, dinners and tours for her customers and has a team of Wine advisors on hand offering personal recommendations and advice on fine wines.

KARISHMA GROVER

She grew up in the vineyards as the family business of the Grover family is to make wine under the 'Grover Vineyards' banner. Grover studied at UC Davis and interned with the famous Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley, before she came back to India and joined the Bangalore winery as an Assistant Winemaker. As daughter of the founder Kapil Grover, she did not want to work in the family business until she had acquired enough skill and proved she was comfortable with understanding the business.

Women In India Wine: Karishma Grover. Picture by Deccan Chronicle

The New Indian Express>

KIRAN PATIL

A partner in  Reveilo Wines, she is regarded as one of the primary driving forces behind the growth the brand. Patil left her corporate job to turn entrepreneur. She is passionate about improving her wines and offering a better bouquet of grapes. Patil is a one-woman driver as she handles sales and marketing function and is responsible for the micro management in Reveilo wines in a her bid to make them more successful.

Top Women In Indian Wine: Kiran_Patil - Picture by @HotelierIndiadotcom

SONAL HOLLAND

She is the Indian to be  enrolled for the Master of Wine programme. Currently the Corporate Head of Wine & Beverages for ITC Hotels, she is on a constant search for new wines to offer them to the Indian palate. She is building her name in the global wine industry and committed to the idea of increasing the knowledge base about wines in the country. In 2009, she  opened the Sonal Holland Wine Academy in Mumbai.

Women In Indian Wine: Sonal Holland, Picture by Hipcask.com

RITU DALMIA

She knows her Italian very well, so how could she not be interested in wines? An author, TV presenter and the celebrity restaurateur, Ritu Dalmia owns the Italian Diva Restaurant which is known for its excellent wine list. Her standalone restaurant is the first one to have a special wine menu, carefully crafted by her. She later also started an in-house wine training programme.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Indian Wine Academy