17 July,2009 09:39 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
With city women preferring wine over other beverages, the sale of wine has increased by 20 per cent
State Excise Department figures reveal that wine sales have gone up in Pune by 20 per cent in the last one year.u00a0 In comparison, sales of beer, the preferred hard beverage of the youth has grown by a little over 15 per cent. Vinod Deokar, owner of Sommelier, a restaurant in Baner, which specialises in wine, said, "Although wine sales continue to be low as compared to other varieties of liquor, we are experiencing a shift. Families dining with us now prefer wine over hard liquor."
B Shankarnarayanan of Pune Gourmet Club, which has been organising wine tasting festivals in Pune for the last two years, told MiD DAY, "The growth in wine sales can be attributed to women switching from Shandy to wine, as well as men preferring wine to white spirits. A large number of software professionals in Pune who often travel abroad develop a taste for wine.
"Lots of women who used to prefer Shandy (a mixture of beer and a soft drink), beer, whisky, rum or vodka, now prefer wine," added Shankarnarayanan .
Rita Sawhney, an entrepreneur, and wine lover, said, "Wine is gaining popularity among women because it's so feminine, cool and sexy. Wine also imparts a touch of rich French culture to the lives of those who take to it."
